Good design is essential for small space gardens. If you have limited room to grow as many of us do in urban areas, maximising the area you can garden in and wise plant selection are top priorities. These space saving solutions may be just what you need.

Sometimes it just takes a little inspiration to make some simple but creative changes to your space.
There are many scenarios where garden space is minimal including rental properties; apartments and units with balconies; villas and townhouses with small courtyards; retirement homes; caravan parks; community garden allotments and many suburban blocks.
“Your space may be limited, but don’t let this limit your imagination to what you can achieve!”

With some thoughtful plant selection and design ideas you can create a beautiful and functional space.
Space Saving Solutions for Small Gardens
Stacks of Space
Stacking is a technique for maximising vertical space and simply means creating layers or tiers on which to grow. Here are some examples.

This nifty hanging shoe pocket storage system has been turned into an edible planter. The ultimate in efficient stacking with no wasted space! Left: view from below Right: view of lettuce, basil & strawberries from above. Yum!
Kimberly McKinnis has made clever use of space here with her container garden.

Make the most of a tiny courtyard by stacking plants in groups from the largest at the back to the smallest at the front. Repetition of pot colour also brings unity to this space and positioning pots in one corner still allows room for a chair, table and pathway.
Narrow Niches
If all you have is a window ledge, slimline balcony or walkway these areas can still be planted out with suitable containers or plants. Better still, add some lattice on an adjoining wall for climbing plants.

You can brighten even the most rustic garden shed with a flower box and some screws. Does your garage or carport present new opportunities?
Step it Up
Steps, terraces and ladders are crying out to be utilised as practical growing spaces and are a simple solution for many people. Steps are engineered to be structurally strong so can take heavier weights such as fruit trees in pots, feature plants and large containers.

Another clever idea: This unusual planter selection takes advantage of railings up steps as hanging space.
“A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream. At one’s feet that which can be cultivated and plucked; over head that which one can study and meditate upon: some flowers on earth, and all the stars in the sky.” – Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
In the Bag …
Need more sun? On the move as a renter? No room for a raised no-dig garden bed and need an alternative?Β Portable natural fabric bags are one of the easiest solutions for lots of issues. Not only do they look good and come in a variety of colours, but with handles they are easily moved around to suit your situation. They are also very economical and last well.
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They are an ingenious way of growing edible crops that need depth like carrots and potatoes and are also perfect for dwarf fruit trees which will happily live in them for years.
As they are easily removed, if your plant outgrows its bag, simply loosen it and slide your plant out and transplant into a larger bag. Put the plant back inside the next size up and back fill with fresh compost or potting mix!

Grow bags also make the perfect gift for children who are starting a garden, those moving into a retirement home and perhaps have to give up their larger garden or apartment dwellers who have no access to soil.
Succession Plant to Maximise Space
In my garden I only have one raised tank garden so space is at a premium. When I planted it out about 3 months ago, I chose a variety of edible plants that would mature at different times. This allowed me to take advantage of space around the edges for fast growing ‘cut and come again’ lettuces (ready in 3-4 weeks) & flowers, while the zucchini (that loves lots of personal space) was filling up the internal area (about one square metre).

Around the edge on the left are a variety of capsicums with lettuces at the far end and lettuce seedlings & calendula on the right with shallots, chives & bulb onions near the worm farm in the middle. In the large middle spaces you can see the two zucchinis filling out.
The lettuces were harvested by the time the zucchini reached the edges of the bed so I’d had weeks of food before its leaves started to shade out the edges and it started to flower and produce. The flowers (alyssum & calendula) also attracted pollinators so by the time the zucchini and capsicums were flowering, they had lots of helpful visitors to set fruit!

Another space saving strategy I use is to ‘snuggle up’ skinny guys from the onion family. In this micro garden you can see a variety of chives, shallots and bulb onions all harvested from a tiny space. I’m constantly amazed by what can be grown in one small box!
Clever Plant Choices
If you don’t have the space for large plants or those that take up a lot of ‘personal space’, there are still some great alternatives.
- Try dwarf, semi-dwarf or miniature varieties of vegetables and herbs e.g. Dwarf bush beans that produce high yields instead of climbing varieties; Dwarf blue curled kale, Coles early dwarf broad beans, Fino Verde or Spicy Globe basil are just a few but there are loads to choose from. See resources below.
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A slimline planter or a single pot in the middle of your outdoor table is decorative and functional.
- Garden on your nature strip to increase your yard space!
“Be tough! Don’t waste time, space or money on plants unless they perform a specific role and provide you with high value. Make EVERY plant count!”
To save space and money, I suggest:
- Instead of short lived annuals, consider perennials that last at least 2 or more years; and
- Choose plants that perform multiple functions so you can use them in many ways.

An example is Lemongrass which can be used as a border plant, cut for fragrant mulch, medicinal herb teas, as a culinary herb in the kitchen and is easily propagated to make new plants you can grow, swap or sell.
Or if you have a fruit tree in a pot and want to mulch it, consider planting an edible living ground cover such as oregano or thyme.

Low maintenance herbs like thyme provide you with fresh flavour for the kitchen and fragrant flowers that attract beneficial pollinating insects straight to your tree!
The Plant This Plant Selector can help you choose plants to suit your garden.
Learn how to Use Containers in Small Garden Spaces in this video – it has some handy design tips and planting ideas.
Dwarf and Miniature Edibles – here areΒ a few suppliers (or search for “dwarf” varieties in your area).
- Daleys Fruit – fruit trees
- Rangeview Seeds – Search for “dwarf”
- Harvest Wizard
What are your favourite mini plant varieties to grow?Β Please take a moment to share your ideas, successes and challenges with other readers here.
Related Articles:Β Clever Design Ideas and Inspirational Small Garden Ideas.
DIY Project:Β Make your own Garden Gift Basket
With Christmas around the corner, if youβve got a little extra produce or plants in your garden, why not add to a basket and give as a gift? Some simple ideas are fragrant herb cuttings, a packet of seeds or a plant youβve propagated. Recycle a pot or container and add your own personal touch. This is a gift basket I made recently for a friend:

I used the paper underneath to prop up vegies or herbs so they display nicely. If you have limited contents, add some fresh foliage from your garden to fill the gaps.
Step 3: Keep it simple. Think about what you could include like herbs for teas, culinary or medicinal uses; edible or fragrant flowers; salad ingredients; or your own invention.

Another idea is to theme it for a favourite cuisine like Italian (tomatoes, basil, oregano, parsley etc) or Asian stir fry ingredients (tatsoi or other Asian greens, green & red chillis, tumeric, ginger root, garlic bulb, sticks of lemongrass etc)
Step 4: Check the height and balance looks right and give βau naturaleβ with no gift wrapping β less waste!

This basket has two kinds of eggplant, zucchini (including their flowers), cucumbers, baby cos lettuce, cherry tomatoes, parsley, basil, lemon myrtle (tea/culinary herb), edible nasturtium flowers and gardenias for fragrance. With this much visual appeal, who needs wrapping?
If you havenβt got surplus edibles, make a simple herb posy.Β Grab a paper doily, cut a cross in the centre with scissors and poke a bunch of mixed fresh herbs in the centre and tie with some string or curling ribbon. Easy!

Just as easy: sow some seeds directly in a pot, let them sprout & give away an edible herb garden … or sow seeds for a ‘Wait & See’ surprise garden! Add Care Instructions on a gift tag or plant marker in the pot. Children love a bit of mystery so try flower & herb seeds. This project gives them something to do in the holidays nurturing their own micro garden!
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Β© Copyright Anne Gibson, The Micro Gardener 2016. https://themicrogardener.com. All rights reserved.
[…] you donβt have to buy a planter! Check out these tips from The Micro Gardener for turning everyday objects into […]
Am happy for this wonderful tips pls in box me how makeyou small garden of Letus ,spinach and onions
Above Designs are amazing…
Oh no I faced a mishap when planting my Dracena white stripe. This plant was a medium lighted plant. Unknowingly I placed in the terrace which was having high sunlight and the leaves went dried off. Just as you said I would have placed in my backside of my garden so as to save more space and it may lookes more gorgeous in the baclony of my home.
Anyways thanks for this post.
It really helped when you said the stacking plants in a vertical space is a viable solution for gardening woes in a limited space. I chose to live in a suburban area so I wouldn’t have to travel that far to work. The problem with suburban apartments is that they have very limited space to grow greens. I’d be sure to follow your stacking tips and get myself small garden decors while I’m at it. Thanks for this very insightful read!
Designing for small gardens isn’t always easy β but constraints drive creativity, so there’s no reason to assume limited space means a boring garden. Thank you for sharing!
Hello Anne, I was looking for some ideas for my garden, glad I found your blog. Flowers are the pride of each garden. Each garden is incomplete without flowers. This is a wonderful blog ever. Thank you so much for sharing.
WOW! These are really fantastic design ideas for creating a beautiful garden.If you want to make your own vertical garden by stacking crates, make sure to reinforce them with wood planks!
Thanks for the post. There are many great small garden ideas for me, I too have a small garden space need to implement some of the above ideas.
I was looking for some ideas for my garden, glad i found your blog. Love the Narrow Niches…
I was very happy to find this website. I need to to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!!
I definitely appreciated every bit of it and i also have you book marked to check out new information on your website.
Hi Anne,
Your ideas are awesome and worth trying. I have a small front garden and trying to change its look. Definitely I will keep your ideas in mind.
Hi Sanchita
Welcome and glad you have found some inspiration for your garden here! I suggest dreaming big but starting small! The smaller the space, the more important the design! I use Permaculture principles to design small spaces with beauty, functionality and access in mind. If you haven’t already, I invite you to join my newsletter and get my free eBook which gives you a checklist of what to think about when designing your garden. Hope this helps. π
Hey, thanks for linking to my blog… would you mind terribly fixing the misspelling of my name? It’s McKinnis, not McInnes. Us Scots take it seriously π
Hi Kimberley – no problem! All fixed – sorry about that. π Love your blog too – aren’t the Green Zebra tomatoes wonderful? Just been saving some seeds here for planting next year. Had some Roma shaped red zebras too. Thanks for stopping by and all the best with your garden.
What a beautiful basket of home grown organic produce! My daughters are getting a huge basket of gourmet treats from their interstate brother, but I would much rather get something like your basket that would have immediate use and that would feed your body as well as your eyes. Have a fantastic Christmas Annie. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful time and we will be keeping a keen eye on our email inbox for each and every edition of your informative and most interesting newsletters. I am so glad that we found you this year :o)
Hi Fran & Steve – thanks for your feedback. Keep up your wonderful blog … I get lots of laughs and inspiration from you both too and love hearing these ideas are useful.
Enjoy your time with your own family (including all the animals!!) Plenty more to come … on lots of topics from How to projects to Soil and more ways to frugal garden.
Stay in touch and happy growing!
Anne π
I love the basket of home grown goodies for gifts. I have decided to give a slightly different version of this. I have had such success with growing salad greens in foam boxes on my front veranda that I decided I would plant some extra’s and give them away as Chrismas presents to people I knew would appreciate home grown organic salad mix. The trouble is that more and more people keep hinting they wouldn’t mind one and my local fruit shop is getting a bit fed up with me asking for more boxes.
Hi Deb – Wow! How inspiring. I just love stories like this. I’m sure you’ll have all your friends and neighbours lining up for such wonderful gifts. How much more rewarding to ‘give a garden’ than just about anything else?
Oh, and the fruit shop? I like to think ‘win-win’! Why don’t you suggest working together on a promotional ‘good news’ story with your local paper? “Growing Greens from Waste!” You’re both keeping the polystyrene boxes out of landfill with this initiative and the grocer is helping you repurpose them into a new life so you’re giving a gift in the community to help others enjoy their own mini garden.
Would love to see a photo of your lovely boxes too! Thanks for sharing Deb.