How To Grow Your Own Food In A Small Space

It is mid April and the garden is waking up from the long winter. Most of my perennials have leaves now, and a few of them are getting ready to bloom. I am one year closer to having a garden that runs itself. It truly is possible to grow a lot of food in a small space.

This spring I really didn’t know how I was going to be able to complete my garden prep for the new season. My health has been quite bad, so I feared I would have to skip gardening this year. An action that would have a lot of bad consequences to be sure.

Fortunately for me, things did not come to that. By dividing my tasks into smaller ones, I managed to complete my prep. I am still not entirely sure how I managed, but I am glad I did.

Thus far I have:

• Planted potatoes, wheat, two kinds of oats, rape seeds, more spring onions and a bunch of flowers that pollinators enjoy.
• Started several jars with coffee grounds and mycelium to grow oyster mushrooms, and I harvested my first ones yesterday.
• Harvested two kilograms of oyster mushrooms from a kit I received as a gift.
• Started seeds – pumpkin, squash, beans, tomatoes, tomatillos and corn.
• Put the summer lid on the onggi where I keep my gochujang.
• Prepped for this summer’s sake fermentation.
• Prepped so that I can make soy sauce.
• Fertilised the garden.
• Made a complete plan for the season.
• Sprinkled a slug repellant that is approved for organic farming.
• Grown a lot of microgreens indoor.

Next up this season

On May 1st, I will put together my rain water collector and it will remain outside until the end of the season.

Sometime between May and June, I will purchase a powerstation and a solar panel. I have a place in mind for them in the garden, though I will need to prepare it as well. I am still trying to figure out the best way to do that. The best would be if it was possible to to place them both on something that has wheels and can stand quite a bit of weight. The panel likely weighs 8-9 kilograms, and the powerstation might weigh anywhere between 5 and 10 kilograms. That way I could move them around if need be. But it might also be more convenient to keep them in one place…

What will I be growing?

Already growing

My garden is a container garden. Last year I planted many kinds of onions and garlic, as well as some root vegetables, so I have plenty of food growing already.

Perennials

My perennials should produce significant harvests these year, as they are all in excellent health and of a certain age. Many of my berry varieties will produce 5 kg per bush when they are fully grown. Mine aren’t quite there, but I am still completely self-sufficient when it comes to berries. And apples too.

I have set up mushroom beds around my perennials. They will provide my perennials with nutrition, and they will likely produce a lot of mushrooms for many years to come. I have several different varieties and this will be the first year for some of them.

Soon I will be harvesting the first honey berries and asparagus.

Annuals

As for my annuals, I am focusing on the four sisters this year. Pumpkin/squash, beans, corn and sunflowers. Though my sunflower seeds didn’t take, so I will have to buy another variety.

I have started so many pumpkin seeds and squash seeds this year. Actually, I deliberately didn’t mark any of them, so it’ll be a surprise for me when they fruit. I even planted mammoth pumpkins, and they can grow so big that they weigh over 100 kg. While I am hoping for some large ones, I do hope they don’t turn out to be quite that big, as it will be incredibly tiring to carry and preserve. But with the amount of plants and the varieties I have chosen, I could potentially end up growing several hundred kilograms worth of food this year. Especially with the amount of mushroom beds I have.

As I have room in the greenhouse, I will also be growing tomatoes and tomatillos. I might grow some chilli or peppers, as I am often gifted those plants. But we’ll see how it turns out.

The main focus this year is weight, nutritional value and calories. With a harvest consisting of fruit, berries, asparagus, mushrooms, rhubarb, pumpkins, squash, beans, corn, sunflowers, tomatoes, tomatillos, various onions and several kinds of garlic, I will eat like a king this winter.

All year round

I grow microgreens and oyster mushrooms indoor. When the year is through, I will likely have grown over 20 kg of food indoor alone. I have hydroponic pots available as well, so I can grow leafy greens and herbs during winter.

How much space do I have?

Indoor I use my windowsill, and sometimes a tray. If I grow mushrooms, I sometimes keep the kits in the bathroom as they thrive there.

Outdoor I have about 5 sqm in total. Not a lot of space, but it is more than enough to grow enough food for myself. And frankly, I could quite easily grow enough for another person as well.

Does it cost a lot of money to get started?

Not at all. You can splurge if you like, but you can also start with no money at all. There are so many things you can grow for free. In fact, most of what I have in my garden I could have acquired for free. It might have taken a bit more time and a few more contacts, but it would’ve been doable.

I live in an apartment. Can I still grow some of my own food?

Of course. If you have a balcony or a small veranda, you can use that. If you have a windowsill, that works too. And if you have neither, you can easily set up an inexpensive growing system in the space you do have. You can grow mushrooms, leafy greens, tomatoes, chilli, peppers, aubergine – the list goes on.

Microgreens and sprouts is a good way to get started.

Grapes and fruit are often sold in plastic boxes with attached lids. Those containers are perfect for growing microgreens. You can also grow them on hemp fibre.

Dry coffee grounds and mix them with a bit of coconut coir as your medium.

Place a layer of the growing medium in the container.

Sprinkle your seeds, add another layer of medium and spray it with water.

You can usually harvest your microgreens every other day. You can grow about a kilogram per month using this method. And if you have more than one container and variety, you can of course grow even more.

Right now I am focusing on alfa alfa and flax. Those two are my favourites.

If you have any questions at all, just comment here below.

I’ll keep you posted on what happens in the garden. Next up will be a post of about my spring foraging.

Good luck!