30 Clever Vegetable Garden Ideas To Make The Most Of A Small Yard

With creativity and the right planning strategies, you can grow a productive and beautiful vegetable garden even in the smallest outdoor spaces. Whether you have a small patio, a balcony, or a tiny yard, these clever ideas will help you maximize every inch. No matter your yard’s size, there is always room to grow something. 

Remember, you don’t need a lot of space to grow your own food. You just need to plant the seedling! The smartest way to grow your small garden is interplanting. This means planting a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers altogether in amongst one another in your garden beds. Start simple, experiment, and let your creativity take root!

Gardening Hacks:

For a successful and productive garden, we suggest the following three rules.

1. Densely Planted = Bigger Harvests. Instead of following the plant spacing rules on your seed packets, plant more densely to grow more vegetables.
2. Companion Planting = Fewer Pests. If you are planting a small garden, be sure to mix a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers together to encourage growth, repel pests, or enhance flavor. Oregano, chives, and marigolds all help to deter pests like aphids and whiteflies. 
3. Know Your Seasons = Happier Crops. Learn what plants grow best in the summer season and what can handle the frost. You may wish to have a greenhouse to grow veggies all year. The Farmer’s Almanac is a great resource for checking when to plant vegetables based on your zip code.

Tell Us: Which of these small vegetable garden ideas do you find most inspiring? Let us know in the Comments below!

1. Mixed Vegetable Garden.

A mixed vegetable garden bed is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also provides really great benefits. It helps to reduce pests and disease in the beds, as the plants will help each other fight off the pests and diseases. Most nurseries offer free flyers with information on companion plants and crops. They also provide a planting calendar to guide you on when to plant certain crops throughout the year. TIP: Use fertile soil and some manure or compost in raised beds. In containers, use potting soil. Be sure to give your plants an average of 6-8 hours of sunlight and ensure the plant’s roots are always moist. (via @farm_minist_ / Instagram)

2. Raised Beds Kitchen Garden.

Raised beds offer better drainage, fewer weeds, soil control, and aesthetic appeal. Some of this garden’s veggies include kale, purple bok choy, lettuce, peas, spinach, nasturtiums, Swiss chard, and celery. TIP: To grow whole, large lettuce heads, plant 4 per square foot; otherwise, sprinkle lettuce, spinach, and arugula seeds for a lush leafy green carpet. Plant 1 per square foot to grow kale for proper circulation and sunlight. Kale can also be companion planted with lettuce or Swiss chard. (via @reshgala / Instagram)

3. Small Edible Gardens.

This rustic raised vegetable garden bed is tucked in the corner of a larger flower garden. This raised bed is the perfect solution for a small yard, as it can be placed anywhere and is inexpensive to create. Simple wood boards are nailed together to form the bed, allowing for proper drainage. TIP: If you’re growing your small vegetable garden in a raised bed, consider protecting the wood from soil and water damage. Use a wood sealer, which can be found at most hardware stores. (via Gardenalia Property Services)

4. Parterre Vegetable Garden.

A traditionally designed parterre garden using new school materials creates a powerful punch of WOW in this vegetable garden! Custom-designed and built steel planters were sandblasted and allowed to rust. The rust color picks up the matching tones in the beautiful natural sandstone path. Intermixing perennials and annuals with herbs and vegetables makes for an exuberant bouquet of color and texture. (via The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design)

5. Vegetable Medley Garden.

Stop grouping your edibles together and planting them in rows. Instead, grow your organic garden to be more self-sufficient, face fewer pest problems, and produce a more diverse range of crops. The plants will together cover the entire area’s soil, keeping it protected and healthy. The added bonus of interplanting is that the different scents mixed together will help confuse and deter pests looking for their favorite veggie to take over. TIP: To figure out what plant it is, paint plant names on a rock and place them next to the plant to remember. Cheap and easy, and it will look attractive in your garden. (via @tiny.garden.growing / Instagram)

6. Tiered Planters.

Stack planters or use a tiered shelf system to grow multiple crops in a tight footprint. This is the ultimate design for an urban garden in a non-permanent structure. You can grow this on your patio, balcony, or deck, cascading vegetables and herbs over the ledges. (via Brent Riechers LANDesign)

7. Vertical Gardening.

Use trellises, wall planters, and hanging pots to grow upward instead of outward. This custom-designed vegetable garden in a rusted steel, raised garden bed features a vertical trellis system for climbing plants, perfect for maximizing a small yard. This garden features companion planting with a mix of different veggies, herbs, and flowers for natural pest control and to create a healthy ecosystem in your garden. (via LDAW Landscape Architecture)

8. Productive Sideyard Vegetable Garden.

Recycling clear heart redwood from a deconstructed deck, this vegetable garden has been going strong for fifteen years. Tomatoes, pole beans, scarlet runner beans, cucumbers, and some squashes are trained to grow vertically, saving space. To provide additional interest, a stack of graduated pots creates a “fountain” of strawberries that nestles above the herbs and giant sunflowers for easy harvest and disease prevention. (via Edger Landscape Design)

9. DIY Pallet Garden.

Repurpose old pallets into vertical gardens or wall-mounted planters. You can use garden tags to label your herbs and vegetables to help remind you what’s where. To build your own DIY Pallet Vertical Garden, there are plenty of online tutorials on YouTube to watch. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Freecycle are great resources for free pallets. Note: Old pallets will sometimes be treated with chemicals to make them last longer. There’s a specific stamp you need to check for to make sure pallets weren’t treated with chemicals — the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) stamp, which is a symbol of a wheat ear within a rectangle. We don’t suggest eating anything from one if you can’t see it. Also, avoid blue-painted pallets, as they often contain chemicals, as do other brightly colored pallets. To ensure pallet safety, please refer to the Ultimate Guide To Pallet Markings. (via @nikijabbour /Instagram)

10. Container Gardening For Fresh Salads.

Use pots, buckets, or bins to grow vegetables on patios, balconies, or steps. You don’t need a lot of space for your vegetable garden; you just need a good spot to plant the seedlings. This 20” x 11” x 6” tall tub is brimming with kale, lettuce, arugula, spinach, violas, and marigolds (for pest control) — small, cute, and cost-effective. (via @reshgala / Instagram)

11. Cedar Raised Beds.

If you have an urban garden, these custom-designed cedar raised beds are a compact and efficient way to grow your own farm-to-table produce. Each bed has a built-in reservoir, which makes it self-watering and only requires watering once a week! (via HomeHarvest – Edible Landscapes and Construction)

12. Portable Planters.

Wheeled containers let you move your mini garden for the best sun exposure and can sit on solid surfaces and deckings to grow your own food. These DIY veggie boxes are just 3 square meters. Get the tutorial at the provided link. (via @tiny.garden.growing / Instagram)

13. Grow Big In A Small Garden.

This garden proves you don’t need a big space to grow a big and productive vegetable garden. This kitchen garden measures just 7′ x 10′. It’s amazing how much you can grow in a small space with just a bit of planning. The variety of produce included in this garden is potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, sweetcorn, strawberries, courgettes, and sweet peas. (via @ourdaleyhome / Instagram)

14. Create A Pallette Fence.

 This clever pallet fence plays double duty as a garden divider and a vertical growing space for winter vegetables (its main purpose for the owner was to prevent their dog from running through the yard). It’s also a creative way to add a bit of privacy and greenery to your yard. (via @myprettypatch / Instagram)

15. Grow Your Veggies In A Pot.

You can have an incredible vegetable garden on your patio or deck using pots. Some great container-friendly options include: Bush beans, Bush or compact cucumber varieties like Marketmore and Cucamelon, Bush or determinate tomatoes like San Marzano and Celebrity (check the tag or package if you’re unsure), Sweet and hot peppers, Eggplants, Swiss Chard, Nasturtiums (edible flowers), Green onions, Rosemary, and Dwarf Apricots. (via @bylandsgardencentre / Instagram)

16. Window Box.

Mount vegetable-filled boxes on fences, railings, or on your windows to use the overlooked vertical space. This charming window box is full of a variety of lettuces. Additional plantings for your window box include herbs such as parsley, cilantro, thyme, basil, mint, bay, tarragon, and leafy greens such as spinach and arugula. (via @melissaefirdinteriors / Instagram)

17. Hanging Baskets. 

Grow cherry tomatoes, herbs, or strawberries in hanging baskets to save ground space. Line the basket with hessian, then add some Horti-wool to the bottom to help hold moisture and fill with compost. The baskets are from @crocus.co.uk. (via @robsallotment / Instagram)

18. Half Barrel Planters.

These half-barrel planters are the perfect size for any yard and can be moved around if needed to maximize sun exposure or if you need more shelter. The planters are filled with (left to right) 1. Strawberries and sweet potato, 2. Kale trees, 3. Carrots, and volunteer lettuce and mizuna, 4. Capsicum and radish. The old wine barrels were purchased from a winery. Half wine and whiskey barrels can also be found at Home Depot. (via @myprettypatch / Instagram)

19. Edible Window Boxes.

Edible container gardens are such a fun way to garden without a garden. If you have a pot or window box, quality potting soil containing a slow-release organic fertilizer, and some lettuce, leafy greens, cool-season herbs, and frost-hardy flowers, you can have yourself a garden that gives until spring anywhere you’d like! Here, kale, lettuce, and herbs all fit perfectly into this kitchen garden window box. (via @gardenaryco / Instagram)

20. DIY Trellis Walls.

Build a trellis for climbing veggies such as beans and cucumbers. This cucumber trellis was made using a PVC frame (painted black to look more aesthetically pleasing) with twine. That way, it can be replaced as needed. It is also very inexpensive to make! (via @rss459 / Instagram)

21. Welcoming Garden Trellis.

 If you have limited space, using a trellis in your garden can help you to achieve two things. It can save space by going vertical and help keep your veggies out of reach of critters. They also look impressive, loaded with garden goodies like these beautiful butternut squashes. (via @pinehouseediblegardens / Instagram)

22. Create A Vertical Growing Space.

Pallet gardening is a fun way to create a vertical growing space when you have a small yard. Herbs are very simple to grow in a pallet garden and will add a fresh aroma. (via @nikijabbour / Instagram)

23. Raised Beds With DIY Trellises.

If you have limited space on your yard, have a balcony or small patio, try building a trellis along a wall for climbing vegetables. This support trellis is used for tomatoes growing against the back of the house. Garden stakes and garden twine help to keep these semi-espaliered so they don’t overtake the smaller width beds they are in. There is a mix of basil plants and chilli plants with the tomatoes. The corrugated steel modular raised garden bed is by Birdies Garden Products. (via @the_aussie_veggie_patch / Instagram)

24. Raised Beds For Maximum Yield.

Build compact raised beds to organize your space and improve soil drainage. This raised bed garden is made of twigs woven together in a basket-like fashion. Handmade tepee trellises add vertical support for climbers such as beans, peas, and cucumbers. Add garden soil and compost to grow your veggies. (via @gardendesignmag / Instagram)

25. Galvanized Raised Beds.

Craft your raised veggie beds out of galvanized water troughs and be sure to drill a few holes in the bottom to ensure proper drainage. Placing these on gravel will also allow for improved drainage. The pretty orange and purple flowers are pansies. Waterproof garden plant markers help to keep the garden well-organized.  (via @pinehouseediblegardens / Instagram)

26. Plant A Container Garden.

If you love growing tomatoes, container gardening is simple and can be planted anywhere, making it perfect for small spaces. This variety is called “Patio Choice Yellow” and is a new compact, determinate tomato. This plant can even be grown in a hanging basket! It produces very large yields of 1/2-ounce bright yellow cherry tomatoes on short vines that grow only 18 inches tall. It is a mildly flavored cherry tomato that sets over 100 fruit on compact plants, which are perfect for urban or small-space food gardeners. (via @aasgardenwinners / Instagram)

27. Grow Bag Garden.

If you don’t have a lot of space on your property for an in-ground garden, then container gardening is a great solution. This one is called the Titan Tomato Self-Watering Grow Bag Kit with Trellis. Growing in the bag is a Pineapple Tomato surrounded by Genovese Basil (a Caprese Salad bag). Grow bags are amazing producers as the fabric helps to promote air-pruning of the roots. This results in a more robust plant. This grow bag features a high-volume water reservoir in the base. This keeps plants hydrated and extends the time between watering. Additionally, it captures excess water and rain for later. Check out the link for more details. (via @gardeners / Instagram)

28. Courtyard Kitchen Garden.

This small courtyard kitchen garden is about 6m by 1.5m. Colorful bags of veggies help to give this timeworn space a pop of color. Since one side of this space gets more sun and the other a lot of shade. This makes gardening simpler by being able to move the container-grown food around to provide each plant just the right conditions to produce. Vertical growing is also being taken advantage of in this compact space, using a trellis and hanging pots.  @emmasallotmentdiaries / Instagram)

29. Tomato Cages.

Upscale your small garden using something beautiful instead of functional, like the traditional tomato cages. These are the Garden Obelisk: Essex Round Trellis, Free Standing from @gardeners. They help to give this vegetable garden a more formal aesthetic. (via @gardenanswer / Instagram)

30 Raised Concrete Planter.

This raised garden bed is constructed of sand-finished concrete and filled with herbs and flowers, perfect for this compact backyard patio. (via Regenesis Ecological Design)