The first time I ever grew food was in a 10 x 10 community garden plot in Santa Monica, and it completely changed my relationship with food and the earth.
At the time, I had no idea what I was doing or how much food could actually come from such a small space. I had received two Permaculture Design Certificates and all I wanted to do was grow my own food and save my own seeds. I designed my plot like a keyhole garden and to me, that 10x10 slice of earth was my haven.
I planted favas, greens and herbs. I remember going to the nursery and choosing the seeds for varieties I enjoyed eating. Not having any experience with gardening, I planted everything I bought - with some success and a lot of failure.
I was simply experimenting and learning as I went. By the end of the season, I was astonished by the abundance. Week after week, I harvested baskets of fresh favas, greens and herbs —far more than I ever expected from a small patch of soil.
That little garden taught me something profound: you don’t need acres of land to grow meaningful amounts of food. With thoughtful planting and careful attention, even the smallest garden can produce incredible nourishment.
That early experience continues to shape how we think about gardening today. Whether it’s a backyard bed, a container on a balcony, or a small urban garden plot, we believe every space holds the potential to grow something beautiful and abundant.
One of the keys to successful small-space gardening is choosing varieties that perform well in compact gardens.
Some plants are naturally better suited to containers, raised beds, or tightly planted gardens. We love varieties that are productive, adaptable, and able to thrive even when space is limited.
One wonderful example is Sugar Baby Watermelon, a classic icebox variety that produces small, sweet fruits with deep red flesh and compact vines—making it an excellent choice for smaller gardens.
Other varieties in our collection that perform beautifully in compact spaces include:
-
Moskvich Tomato – productive and reliable
-
Genovese Basil – perfect for containers and kitchen gardens
-
Merveille des Quatre Saisons Lettuce – a beautiful, productive heirloom
-
Bull’s Blood Beet – delicious roots and edible greens
-
Chantenay Carrots – ideal for raised beds and smaller soil depths
-
Bloomsdale Spinach – vigorous and nutrient-rich
-
Yellow Crookneck Summer Squash – productive and easy to grow
These varieties are included in our Micro Garden Collection, which was thoughtfully curated to help gardeners grow abundant food in even the smallest spaces.
The inspiration for our Micro Garden Collection actually came from my sister’s tiny community garden plot on the Upper West Side of New York City.
Like many urban gardeners, she had very little space to work with—but she wanted to grow as much food as possible. Watching her experiment with compact beds and containers inspired us to create a curated seed collection specifically designed for small gardens.
The collection includes seven heirloom varieties chosen for productivity, flavor, and performance in containers and small beds, making it ideal for balconies, patios, and urban gardens.
It also includes a 4’ x 4’ square foot garden plan, to help gardeners visualize how much food can be grown in a compact space.
One of the most beautiful lessons of gardening is that abundance does not require scale, just planning and some creativity. Small scale gardening also does not need to be for food only. You can choose to have a butterfly or pollinator small space garden instead!
If growing food is the direction you want to go in, one of the secrets to being able to produce as much food as possible on a small scale is planting in succession. Read our blog post on How to Always Have Greens Coming Out of The Garden.
A 4’ x 4’ raised bed, a handful of containers, or a small urban garden plot can produce an astonishing amount of food when planted thoughtfully. By choosing the right varieties, growing vertically, and using space efficiently, we can transform even the smallest garden into a thriving ecosystem.
In many ways, small gardens invite us to become more creative and attentive growers. They remind us that gardening isn’t about how much land we have, it’s about how we care for the soil, the seeds we plant, and the relationship we cultivate with the living world around us.
And sometimes, as I discovered in that little 10 x 10 garden in Santa Monica, a small space can grow far more than food. It can grow a lifelong connection to the earth.
Leave a comment