You could get an old rowing boat and fill it with vegetable plants, or you could try one of these three ways to make a bit more space in your vegetable garden to plant some extra plugs…
1. Use pots and containers
Fairly obvious, but often overlooked, pots and containers are a great way to increase your growing space. You can often pick up freebies on freecycle and other initiatives, as well as finding things to use like old olive oil cans for herbs, or broken wheelbarrows. Deep window boxes are a great space saver, and you can grow all manner of veggies in them, from salads to carrots.
2. Plant in between gaps
Don’t forget the space at the base of climbing beans, for example – while beans are still young, plenty of light should get through a frames and even wigwams, and makes a good spot for planting leafy crops that will do well for some shade in about a months time. Try lettuces, spinach or rocket. Slow growers like cabbages and sprouts often allow space for quick growers to be planted in between rows. Try beetroot, carrot, lettuces, salads – by the time the cabbages and sprouts get too big in late summer, you’ll be able to harvest the quick growers that you’ve planted.
3. Use vertical spaces
Vertical spaces can be a great way to squeeze in extra veg plants and herbs. Try climbing beans or tomatoes in deep window boxes up against a south facing wall – with a trellis behind them, or a bamboo cane staked in alongside them, they will take up little space. Hanging baskets are great for strawberries, and there are plenty of fun plant pots and planters that you can buy to hang from hooks on walls. A planter at the base of a trellis gives you an easy way to grow squash, cucumbers and peas.
