Spring is early this year, with growers busy in their fields
planting spring crops.
Homeowners, too, are busy planning gardens and buying plants.

Unfortunately, many people with limited space forgo a vegetable
garden. This need not
be the case, since many vegetable varieties can be planted in
small spaces. Cultural
practices can also reduce the amount of space you need.

Tomatoes are garden favorites many people think require a lot of
space. But many
types of tomatoes don’t need much space to grow. Often, size
differences in tomato
plants are distinguished by the terms determinate and
indeterminate.

What do the terms mean?

Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain size, then produce
flowers and fruit. There can
be varying degrees of determinate-type tomatoes as well. Those
that are strongly
determinate are often called patio tomatoes because they can be
grown in a pot on a
patio or terrace. Some of these varieties will only grow 1-2
feet tall.

Indeterminate tomatoes, on the other hand, keep growing and
setting flowers and fruit
throughout the growing season.

Watermelon and cantaloupe usually require a lot of space to
grow. The vining nature of
these plants will quickly cover some real estate.

Fortunately, some varieties of both are “dwarf.” That is, they
require less room to
grow. Often these dwarf varieties are called bush or short-
internode types.

The vines of these varieties don’t elongate like the typical
watermelon or cantaloupe
variety. So they take much less space. And with the proper care
and water, they will
produce fruit the same size as standard or long-internode
types.

Beans and southern peas also have varieties that are bush types
rather than vining. They
require less space and offer excellent yields.

An alternative for vining crops such as cantaloupe and cucumber
is to go vertical.
These vining crops can be trained on a trellis or wire frame.
Use a cloth or net sling to
support fruit on these plants. Cantaloupe, particularly, will
slip from the vine when ripe
and may be damaged if not supported while growing on a
trellis.

Of course, many vegetables can grow in small spaces without
resorting to planting
special varieties or using special cultural practices.

These would include lettuce, mustard, onions, radish, and
spinach, to name a few. Any
of the vegetables of which you harvest the leaves, such as
collards and kale, can be
grown in small spaces. Just harvest immature leaves, before the
plants become very
large.