Space-saving ways to grow your own in a small garden

Choose what to grow

First think about what you would like to grow. Do you like carrots with your roast dinner, or lettuce leaves and tomatoes with a fresh salad? You might as well grow vegetables you’ll eat.

Consider crops which are quick to grow so you can have good rotation throughout the year. Save time and space by sowing seeds together where you can, like radishes and carrots. Radishes germinate more quickly than carrots so they can be picked before the carrots, which will be ready to harvest much later. Courgettes, potatoes and tomatoes are all highly productive, so you’ll get lots back for the space you give them!

Think about where the sunlight hits your garden throughout the day. To make the most of your space, give root vegetables such as carrots, radishes and beets the sunniest spots, whilst leafy salad greens such as spinach and lettuce can tolerate shadier areas.

Best crops for small spaces:

• Quick cropping: Radishes, salad leaves, herbs
• Dwarf/bush varieties: Chillies, aubergines, French beans, strawberries
• High yield: Courgettes, lettuce leaves, potatoes, tomatoes
• Climbers (get growing vertically!): Runner beans, peas, cucumbers, squashes.

How about a raised bed?

If you have poor garden soil or don’t fancy digging up your small garden, then raised beds are a great idea. Simply pop one in a sunny spot, add some good quality compost and start planting! They’re easy to maintain as they’re raised above ground level which means less bending down for planting, weeding and watering! As long as they have good drainage, raised beds can be placed on grass, concrete or decking to make the most of any outdoor space. Raised planter boxes drain well after heavy rain and the compost warms up better than open soil making them a great option for early sowings.

Whether you’re after a large raised bed or something a bit smaller, our planters come in a range of sizes so you’ll be sure to find something that suits your space. We even have ones built to sit in the corner of your garden - that’s a little win!

Windowsill herb garden

No outside space at all? No problem, you can still grow on a sunny windowsill!

Why not have all the herbs you need and on hand in your very own herb garden? Plant seeds in little pots and sit them on a sunny windowsill tray so they get plenty of light. You can grow basil, coriander, cress, parsley and much more. The wilko growing kit bundle complete with compost is everything you need to start growing indoors. You could also recycle old egg trays or empty loo rolls to make quirky containers.

Once your herbs get bigger, plant out into separate pots and simply snip off what you need.

Easy-peasy, ready-to-go pots

If you've always fancied having a go at growing your own but don't know where to start, our grow pots are perfect. These clever kits contain everything you need to grow your own fruit, veg and herbs...just add water - that's a little win!

Get growing vertically

Make use of every inch of space in your garden by growing vertically. The easiest way to grow upwards is to plant climbers up supporting poles or trellis. Tall crops not only add structural interest to your garden, but they’re able to access sunlight not available at ground level, so they can be planted in areas not always in full sun.

Garden trellis

Climbers can very quickly bring to life plain-looking walls or fences. Trellis has so many handy uses as well. How about using it to hide your bins behind or covering gaps between walls and fences? It also acts as a wind buffer, protecting your crops from gusts of winds.

Hanging baskets

Not much space on the ground? Fruits and veggies like strawberries, lettuce and tomatoes can be grown in hanging baskets, as well as bedding flowers. Simply use a hanging basket bracket to attach one to your outside wall, fence or shed for an instant lift.

Just add compost, sow seeds as you would normally, and hang your basket in a sunlit area. Our telescopic watering hose is perfect for watering hanging and wall baskets as well as vertical garden pots and planters.

Mini greenhouses

We might get the odd heatwave but to grow plants that like regular warmth (think tomatoes and chillies), it’s worth investing in a mini greenhouse even if you’re tight on outdoor space.

Our range of small PVC plastic greenhouses have been designed with the tiniest of spaces in mind. They’re easy to assemble and can be taken down in winter when you’re not growing. Or how about a wooden greenhouse for a more decorative look?

Greenhouses create an environment for your plants you can more easily control, meaning you can kick off your growing season earlier. They’ll also help protect your plants from cold weather and keep pesky pests at bay.

• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Beans
• Summer squash
• Cucumber

Make a pallet garden

With some basic DIY skills, you can transform an old wooden pallet into a vertical container in next to no time! Choose a pallet with large gaps between the slats. You’ll also need some tarpaulin or landscape fabric and nails.

Shallow root vegetables such as lettuce and radish are ideal for the pallet garden as the pockets are relatively small. Be sure to water regularly as the crops will be sheltered from rain and position against a south facing wall in direct sunlight. Cable ties are handy for securing to a fence to prevent the pallet from falling over.