Small-Yard Garden Plans and Ideas

Containers

• Expand the planting area by using containers on patios, walkways and entryways. Hanging baskets multiply the available space if you hang them over a pot. Flowers grow up from the pot and trail down from the basket. Select the plants based on the amount of light they receive. Petunias thrive in full sun for example, while begonias prefer shade. Check the soil in the pots for dryness often. During hot weather, containers in the sun may need water every day.

Vertical Space

• Look upward in a small yard by taking advantage of plants that grow vertically. Train vines, such as trumpet vines to grow up a trellis. Plant vines that flower consecutively in the same areas using the same support. When one has finished blooming, the other will be ready to start. Roses and clematis work well together.

Intercropping

• Increase your vegetable crops by intercropping. Plant fast-growing spring crops such as leaf lettuces among slower growing spring crops such as broccoli. Harvest the lettuces while you're waiting for the broccoli to mature. Use the same method for summer vegetables. Plant a late-spring crop of spinach when you put in tomato transplants. Harvest the spinach when the leaves are 3 to 4 inches long by cutting them from the plant with scissors. When the weather cools down and the tomatoes are slowing in production, add a second planting of cool-season vegetables.

Flowers With Vegetables

• Flowers and vegetables get along in the same border as long as they require the same growing conditions. Most vegetables thrive in rich, well-drained soil in a sunny location as do flowers. Choose vegetables that add some color to the flowerbeds as well. Bright light chard has red and yellow veined leaves, but tastes the same as the more common chard. Peppers ripen to oranges, purples and reds. If you'd prefer unusual-colored tomatoes, plant pink, chocolate -- and, no, they don't taste like chocolate -- orange or yellow tomatoes. The lighter colors have a less acidic taste than red tomatoes.