By Kay Gragg

Growing vegetables in an urban setting presents several challenges which the gardener must handle, some of which are easier to overcome than others. Foremost among them is limited space. Although there are some local master gardeners who have access to several acres, most of us are not so lucky. 

 My own home, for example, is located in a West Nashville neighborhood where houses were built in the 1960’s on quarter-acre lots.  The backyard includes two large maple trees which provide welcome shade from the hot summer sun. Unfortunately, this also leaves few areas which receive the required 6-8 hours of full sun needed to grow most vegetables. My garden, which is roughly 8 x 12 feet, is tucked behind the attached garage and just a step away from the covered back porch.

With such a small space, some planning is needed to prevent overcrowding or allowing tall plants to shade shorter ones as the sun moves overhead. I have found the easiest method to be dividing my garden into four equal quadrants. Since it takes longer for the corner nearest the house to receive full sun, I have devoted that quadrant to herbs---rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, chives, and mint. The other three quadrants are for the vegetables I grow; crops are rotated every year.

In order to optimize space, my focus is on those plants which grow upwards instead of along the ground.  One quadrant is always reserved for tomatoes. In years past I have grown as many as six plants but have recently settled on four.  Not only does this improve production of fruit, but it also allows better access for plant maintenance and harvesting. I stake each seedling when it is planted and add wire cages for support. In between, I plant basil, the perfect companion plant for tomatoes.

The second quadrant is for peppers---bell, banana, and sometimes cayenne or jalapeno. I stake these as needed when they grow taller. The third quadrant is reserved for green pole beans, preferably Kentucky Wonder. For this crop, I build teepees by tying three tomato stakes together and securing vines to them as they climb skyward.  If you have ample room, you may choose to plant squash as a companion plant in sunny spots around the bottom of the beans.

My final crop is cucumbers, which I plant along a wooden A-frame trellis. It can be positioned either between two quadrants or in one of the sunny corners. I also choose to sprinkle zinnia and cosmos seeds liberally along the wire fence which encompasses my garden to attract pollinators.