The Downsized Veggie Garden. Kate Copsey
garden, he turned to the front of the house where there was plenty of sunny space. His first step after site selection was to get some good healthy soil for the plants, which included lots of compost material. The garden occupies the area within the curve of his driveway and has an attractive wood edging. He grows lots of tomatoes, peppers and squash, giving his family plenty for eating fresh and for storing.
Finding Garden Space in Urban and Suburban Homes
Developments from pre-1980 are less likely to have a large book of covenants, whereas gated developments from post-2000 prefer a uniform look for both houses and gardens. Living here can be great, but you do need to know the rules. Many a resident has been taken to task for straying into the realm of “unacceptable under the covenant” and a fence or compost pile has to be removed.
Homes without covenant restrictions. The earlier homes and developments, plus some rural homes, have few if any covenants. Here, you might find gardeners tilling up lawns for vegetables, homeowners growing fruit and vegetables in the front garden, and compost piles in full view of the road.
Styles of urban and suburban houses are as different as the people who live in them. They are usually owner-occupied rather than rented. This leads to a sense of pride in the individual properties as well as the community or neighborhood as a whole – and of course, getting on well with your neighbors is vital for a pleasant and peaceful life. That said, the urge to grow some vegetables has become such a normal part of life today that you will likely find at least some neighbors with a vegetable garden. Traditionally, these gardens are at the back of the property where raised beds jostle with sand pits and gym sets for space.
A large number of developments are placed on cleared land with ample space to grow both on patios and decks and in the back garden. The downside to the clear view across such developments is that neighborhood cats, dogs, children and deer have a tendency to disregard property lines and trample your young seedlings unless a fence or hedge is placed to deter them. In these neighborhoods, it is conventional to put the vegetables in the back of the property.
Too much shade? But what if you live in a wooded development where the homes are spaced to maximize privacy and enjoyment of nature? Being able to see nature – from birds to deer – is a bonus to wooded lots. The downside is that vegetables do not grow well in wooded areas, and unless there is some cleared space, you will have issues with light. If your wooded area is only at the back and covenants are lenient or nonexistent, the sunny front garden becomes a great place for some vegetables.
Vegetable gardening in your front yard. For a garden in full view of the street, the design and size will be as important as what you grow. Careful planning and starting gradually will allay any concerns from neighbors. It is also very possible that by growing “out front” – visible to neighbors walking their dogs and mothers taking young children for a stroll – you will find yourself making friends with more people than if your veggie garden is tucked away in the backyard.
There are even more benefits than just fresh produce when you grow your vegetables in the front: It has been said that when one person is seen gardening near the road, a neighbor sees the garden and starts one of his or her own! It is important, of course, that you keep your front yard vegetable garden neat and cared for.
If you’d prefer to be more conventional and have a backyard vegetable garden, but you’re prevented because of trees or some other property feature that gives too much shade – here again, the best option may be a community garden. Meeting others from the neighborhood in a community garden allows you to increase the amount you can grow, and also creates a pleasant social environment to grow with other likeminded neighbors.
Older in-town homes. These can offer you some of the most flexibility. You can pretty much do as you please as long as the local township does not have regulations. Wide, sunny porches and pretty picket fences allow for container growing, window boxes, raised beds and in-ground growing. The only criteria to consider are the amount of sun that the proposed vegetable garden will get and keeping the landscape as a whole in tune with the age and style of the property.
Older country homes. Homes along country roads are covenant-free and can come with large acreage. If you are into country living, these are wonderful homes to live in, but unless you are planning to create a self-sufficient homestead, you do not need to till up large areas to grow your vegetables. Small raised beds or gardens make maintenance fast and easy, allowing you the ability to raise some produce while still having the time to enjoy the family and the peaceful area.
Before You Start Your Garden
If you are currently living where you plan to make your downsized vegetable garden – or if you have the luxury of looking for another home that’s a perfect fit for the garden you envision – here are a few things to keep in mind. The first and most important is making sure your plants will have the right amount of light.
Follow the sun. Almost all vegetables need some sunshine to thrive. Some vegetables can cope with light shade, but your choices are much broader with at least five hours of sun every day. For heat-loving summer vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, afternoon sun is better than morning sun. Salad greens and winter vegetables can tolerate slightly less sun and grow well with just morning sun in most areas. A very shady balcony, deck or yard is going to be far less productive than a sunny area.
How much sun a location receives changes with the seasons. In mid-summer the angle of the sun to the ground is much higher than in winter. Consider what can happen when there is a line of trees nearby, or a neighboring building. They might block the low-angled rays of a winter sun, but the high summer sun can clear the tops, making the ground below sunny for summer vegetables. You should also be aware of the types of trees close to the place you plan for your garden. Are they deciduous? A deciduous tree drops its leaves in fall, which allows more sun through in the winter.
If you are evaluating your potential garden space during that time, you could mistakenly think that there will be light enough for your veggies come summer. But when the leaves come out in spring, you could be unpleasantly surprised to find the trees are blocking the sunlight, so a spot that was sunny in winter is now too shady to grow summer vegetables.
East-west is best. If you are house- or apartment-hunting, you will ideally want to see the location in summer so that you can assess the sunlight, but a general guide would be to find a home with an east-west orientation. Having morning sunlight streaming into kitchen windows and afternoon sun bathing your balconies and patios gives you optimum possibilities for your garden plans. On the other hand, a north-south orientation gives very little direct sun in the morning and afternoon. Likewise, an apartment unit on the north side of a building would be problematic for growing vegetables.
Having sun coming directly through a sunny window is particularly important for indoor growing, as well as for starting seeds. A room that is light enough for most people is generally not sufficiently bright for vegetables to thrive. The intensity of light decreases rapidly from a window to the center of a room. Modern window glazing impedes the rays coming in from the sun just as it keeps drafts and cold temperatures out of the room. Consequently, an apparently bright, sunny room that is lit by indirect sunlight may be pleasant to sit in and perfectly fine for many houseplants, but it is not bright enough for many vegetables, such as summer squash or eggplants.
Unless you have a bright, south-facing room with lots of window space, some supplemental light will be essential for indoor growing.