Use Your Available Garden Space to its Best Advantage.  Try one of these methods of food production.

Growing a vegetable garden is an important part of being prepared and self-reliant. In times of economic stress or for general knowledge, you’ve got to include food production as part of your plan.

While gardening might be important knowledge to have, it’s also fun, a fantastic way to teach children the wonders of nature and a great stress reliever! The biggest bonus of all, in my opinion, is knowing that you can walk outside for a delicious meal and that it is chemical free. So what’s your garden style? Do you like to…

• // grow in raised beds
• // use vertical gardening tools like trellis’ and ladders
• // apply Permaculture principles in your garden
• // grow in pots and containers
• // use the square foot gardening method
• // grow in rows like a farmer

I have at one time or another incorporated most of these methods in my garden. Each of them has a place in your vegetable garden styles, there are many ways to use available space to our advantage. Follow through to these posts –

What is a Keyhole Garden? Raised bed gardening is my favorite way to garden. I love the ease of set ...
Read More

The Ultimate Raised Bed – Make a Keyhole Garden

Get Your Garden Schedule Into Shape! It's time to think about starting seeds and planting your garden. Once the season ...
Read More

5 {Mostly} Free Online Vegetable Garden Planners

Build a 6 X 3 Ft Raised Garden Bed for Cheap I've been busy at work on my new garden ...
Read More

Build Raised Beds from Cedar Fencing

It's not too late to start this year's journal! Today, as I was preparing this post, I pulled out my ...
Read More

10 Reasons to Keep a Garden Journal

These Permaculture Principles Will Get You Started on Your Great Garden I think of Permaculture as the practice of gardening ...
Read More

4 Permaculture Principles Every Gardener Should Embrace

Welcome These Beautiful Pest Eliminators Into Your Garden by Providing Food, Shelter, and Water. Attracting Birds to Your Garden Can ...
Read More

Benefits of Attracting Birds to your Garden

Planning Your Garden Crop Rotation Schedules One of the easiest ways to prevent disease in the garden is to practice ...
Read More

Vegetable Families and Crop Rotation

Growing Fruit at Home Is Not as Tricky as You Might Think. We all know that fruits have a lot ...
Read More

Grow These 12 Fruits for a Year Round Supply

Growing Up Is the Best Way to Make Use of Your Space I learned about vertical gardening very early in ...
Read More

Vertical Gardening Roundup

19 Foods That You Can Regrow From Scraps. Ever the frugal gardener, I'm trying new ways to keep my summer ...
Read More

Food Scrap Gardening

How to Make Your Land More Productive and Live More Self-Sufficiently in the Woods One of my favorite homesteading books ...
Read More

The Woodland Homestead by Brett McLeod

Grow It Up! Don't be discouraged if your gardening space is the size of a postage stamp, you have options! ...
Read More

Vertical Gardening Ideas

Raised Bed Gardens for Everyone. Have you ever wanted to garden but learned that your soil was not right? Maybe ...
Read More

Book Review: Plan & Build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Grow Tons of Organic Vegetables in Tiny Spaces and Containers. When I first started vegetable gardening in the 1990’s I ...
Read More

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden

Straw Bale Gardening 101 Are you looking for a way to start growing vegetables in just a few weeks - ...
Read More

Why Your Garden Needs a Straw Bale

Use This Method to Get a Bale Ready for Planting Straw bale gardening is all the rage this year and ...
Read More

How to Condition Straw Bales

Use the Cut and Come Again Method to Have Green Onions All Season Long Onions are such a versatile vegetable ...
Read More

Grow Onions in Containers

Take the Time Now to Plan Your Garden. The Extra Effort Will Be Worth It This Summer. Congratulations! You've decided ...
Read More

Six Planning Tips for Starting a Garden from Scratch

Find Your Gardening Style - 8 Reasons to Try the Mittleider Gardening Method While researching the Vegetable Gardening Styles Series, I ...
Read More

Try the Mittleider Gardening Method

Preparing the Green Thumbs of the Future: Gardening for Kids Kids love two things: candy and dirt! Nothing makes for ...
Read More

Preparing the Green Thumbs of the Future: Gardening for Kids

Find Your Gardening Style - 8 Reasons to Try Square Foot Gardening I admit it - I'm a plant crowder! ...
Read More

8 Reasons to Try Square Foot Gardening

What Is Your Vegetable Garden Style? Try Raised Bed Gardening Using raised beds in the garden is one of my ...
Read More

10 Reasons to Try Raised Bed Gardening

What kind of vegetable gardener are you? Sow It Up! Try Vertical Gardening If you are on Pinterest and you ...
Read More

8 Reasons to Try Vertical Gardening

Vegetable Garden StylesI've been thinking today about vegetable garden styles and the many ways we can use available space to ...
Read More

Garden Primer: What’s Your Vegetable Garden Style?

This post about Square Foot Gardening  explains how to use it. It’s intensive planting at its best. You can get a lot of vegetables into a small space if you know how much area each plant REALLY needs.

I recommend a few books below that I like and own (these are affiliate links, thanks for supporting PrepardnessMama!)

–All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More In Less Space by Mel Bartholomew

–The Postage Stamp Garden Book: Grow Tons of Vegetables in Small Spaces

–Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre

–Square Foot Gardening: How To Grow Healthy Organic Vegetables The Easy Way

The Raised Bed Gardening post will give you helpful tips if you want to start your garden quickly or if you have poor soil. Just put together raised beds of various sizes and bring in some soil and compost. Find out more in the Raised Bed Gardening post.

Another idea I’d like to try is a keyhole garden. The Ultimate Raised Bed – Make a Keyhole Garden post will give you great ideas. Keyhole gardens are raised beds with a twist! They have their own compost system in the middle and are easy to make from recycled materials.

Vertical gardening is a plus for small space. The post – Sow it up, Vertical Gardening – see our Pinterest Board for more inspiration- If you have a small garden space vertical gardening is for you. Grow up to maximize every inch of your area. I also put up a gutter garden and I’m exploring other ways to grow vertically in my small garden.

Try the Mittleider Gardening Method  It is a combination of raised beds and soil-less growing. I know it sounds strange to grow without soil, but this intensive gardening method works!

Straw bale gardening is a new venture for me this year. I learned how to condition a straw bale before planting in it and I’m expecting to have great harvests.

Container Gardens

I love container gardening. Even though I might have a big “farmer” garden I still incorporate containers into the mix. See 8 Reasons You Should Try Container Vegetable Gardening or more information Container gardening is perhaps my most favorite way to get growing in a short amount of time. You will be surprised all the fruits, vegetables, and herbs that can be grown in pots.

You Can Successfully Grow Herbs and Vegetables in a 12" Pot This is number four in our Planting Depth series. Once ...
Read More

Planting Depth – What Can You Grow in a 12″ Pot?

Planting Depth Revealed - You can Successfully Grow Herbs and Vegetables in a 6" (Inches) Pot The versatile 6 inch ...
Read More

Planting Depth – What Can You Grow in a 6″ (Inches) Pot?

Small Garden Space - No Problem! Even though I have a big yard and plenty of room to have a ...
Read More

5 Container Gardening Tricks

Growing Cilantro – The Cut and Come Again Method. Growing cilantro from seed is the only way to frugally get ...
Read More

Growing Cilantro – The Cut and Come Again Method

Planting Depth Revealed - You can Successfully Grow Herbs and Vegetables in a 8" Pot You have the freedom to ...
Read More

Planting Depth – What Can You Grow in an 8″ Pot?

Basil and Containers Go Together Basil is one of the most popular herbs to grow for culinary use and you ...
Read More

Grow a Bumper Crop of Basil in Containers

You Can Grow Your Own Ginger Fresh ginger is almost always on my grocery list, and we use quite a ...
Read More

8 Tips to Grow Grocery Store Ginger

Container Gardening Is Perfect for Big Potato YieldsFor many, a limited garden means you have a limited choice of what ...
Read More

Creative Ways for Growing Potatoes in Containers

Overcoming the Challenge of Gardening in a Rental I have several gardening challenges I’m trying to overcome. First, we are ...
Read More

How to Build a Gutter Garden

Container Gardening Tips One of the ways my family strives to be more self-reliant is growing our own food. I ...
Read More

5 Tips to Grow Blueberries in Pots

This year I am experimenting with small space gardening in my less than ideal yard, and I've promised not to ...
Read More

Yes Mom, You Can Grow Potatoes in a Laundry Basket

Overcoming Rocky Ground This year in eager anticipation of my new garden being tilled, I purchased Red Lasoda seed potatoes ...
Read More

Potatoes in Grow Bags: A Surprising Solution to Rocky Soil

Growing and Using Comfrey Herbalists throughout the ages have placed comfrey high on their list of useful plants. It has ...
Read More

6 Fantastic Reasons for Growing and Using a Comfrey Plant

For Around $10 You Can Grow Fresh Salad Fixings to Harvest for Months We are eating salads most every night now ...
Read More

Grow Salads in Pots & Tubs

DIY Stevia Leaf Uses - Make Syrup and Liquid Extract Stevia is pretty amazing. With winter frost protection you can ...
Read More

How to Make Stevia Syrup

Hi friends! The end of the year is a natural time for review and so I thought I would share ...
Read More

Top 10 Gardening Posts of 2015

This Week I'm Guest Posting Over at Self Reliant School. Container gardening is one of my secret tricks for a ...
Read More

Is Container Gardening Right for You?

4 Ideas to Bring the Bounty Into Your Sustainable Kitchen The kitchen is a bustling place in most homes: Meals ...
Read More

Create a Sustainable Kitchen: Infographic

Grow Tons of Organic Vegetables in Tiny Spaces and Containers. When I first started vegetable gardening in the 1990’s I ...
Read More

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden

Use the Cut and Come Again Method to Have Green Onions All Season Long Onions are such a versatile vegetable ...
Read More

Grow Onions in Containers

For $3.49 You Can  Have Have Green Onions Every Day I really like onions and one of my favorite quick ...
Read More

Grow Green Onions on Your Patio

Refresh Your Mint Patch at the Beginning of the Growing Season Don't you love mint! I think having a few ...
Read More

Refresh Your Mint Patch

The Benefits of Keeping a Garden JournalIt’s that time of year when my garden is winding down and I’m updating ...
Read More

The Benefits of Keeping a Garden Journal

Original Companion Planting at its Best The Three Sisters - Squash, Corn and Pole Beans were once the three main agricultural ...
Read More

Growing Three Sisters in a Pot

Planting Depth Revealed - You Can Successfully Grow Herbs and Vegetables in a 4" Pot Container vegetable gardening can be ...
Read More

Planting Depth – What Can You Grow in a 4″ Pot?

Soil Polymer Crystals as Mulch for Container Gardening I am experimenting with using soil polymer crystals as mulch for containers ...
Read More

Soil Polymer Crystals as Mulch for Container Gardening

What's Your Garden Style: Container Vegetable Gardening This year my vegetable garden is going to knock it out of the ...
Read More

8 Reasons to Try Container Vegatable Gardening

Visit the other gardening pages at PreparednessMama: Gardening for Food Production – Tips, Tricks, Sprays & Brews (DIY Gardening) – Growing Herbs – Composting and Soil Building – Get Growing