As long as you have sunlight, you can grow vegetables in a patio garden, on a balcony, a doorstep, and some vegetables and herbs can even be grown inside by a bright window, or under grow lights. Three to four hours of sunlight is enough to grow plants to eat the leaves (collards, kale, lettuce, mustards, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.). With five to six hours of sunlight, you can grow those leafy greens and also plants that you eat the roots (carrots, beets, radishes, turnips). With five or more hours of sunlight, you can grow leafy greens, root crops, and plants that you eat the fruit of (beans, cucumber, eggplant, melons, peppers, tomatoes). For a plant to produce fruit, it must go through its entire life cycle: growth, flowering, and fruit set. A minimum of five hours of sunlight is required for many plants to flower, and producing fruit takes much longer than producing leaves.

Container gardens are a great strategy when space is limited, and the pots can add a splash of color, interest, or elegance. The larger the container, the easier it is to grow vegetables, and drainage holes are essential.

Window boxes are another option. In addition to their traditional uses and placement, consider using window boxes for vertical gardening by placing them at the base of a screen. Plant vining vegetables (peas, beans, cucumbers) in the window box and train the vines to grow up the screen. Vertical gardening is a great way to grow lots of food with a small footprint. For example, grow fruiting vines on your fence.

Fences are ideal for growing vining vegetables such as peas, beans, cucumbers, and melons. Six to 8 ft along a fence could provide enough cucumbers to eat fresh and to pickle. If growing heavy fruit, like melons, tie a piece of hose or netting to the fence to create a hammock for each fruit to support the weight.

The soil mixture you use will have a great influence on your success. It should be free of disease, insect, and weed pests and have a pH of about 6.0 to 6.5. Your county extension agent can provide you with a soil testing kit to test the pH of your soil.

You may purchase commercially prepared mixtures from garden centers, or you can make your own mix by using equal parts of sand, loamy garden soil, and peat moss or composted leaves. Sterilization may be done by baking it in an oven for about one hour at 210 ℉ to kill any bacteria, fungi, insects, or weed seeds.

For additional reading materials on limited space gardening, contact your local N.C. Cooperative Extension Center and ask for a copy of Home Vegetable Gardening, AG 06, and Horticulture Leaflet 8105, Container Vegetable Gardening.

*Sp = Spring, Su = Summer, F = Fall ↲

** L = Low tolerance, susceptible to cold injury; plant only after frost. M= Medium tolerance, withstands some but not severe cold; plant 1-3 weeks before last frost. H = High tolerance, withstands short periods of sub-freezing temperature. ↲

***Vegetables indicated as growing in partial shade can also be grown in full light. When plants can only get light part of the day,such as beside a building, the morning sun exposure is preferred. FS = Full sun; PS = Partial shade. ↲

****All crops can be grown in ground beds. Where suitable for container culture the size or depth of container is indicated. Some containers are baskets, flower pots (clay or plastic), wooden boxes, tubs, cans, etc.

The Author would like to thank Larry Bass, Extension Horticultural Specialist, who authored an earlier version of this publication.