Tiny Space Gardening: Growing Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs in Small Outdoor Spaces

by Amy Pennington

Forget the 100-mile eat-local diet; try the 300-square-foot-diet — grow squash on the windowsill, flowers in the planter box, or corn in a parking strip. Apartment Gardening details how to start a garden in the heart of the city. From building a window box to planting seeds in jars on the counter, every space is plantable, and this book reveals that the DIY future is now by providing hands-on, accessible advice. Amy Pennington's friendly voice paired with Kate Bingham-Burt's crafty illustrations make greener living an accessible reality, even if readers have only a few hundred square feet and two windowsills. Save money by planting the same things available at the grocery store, and create an eccentric garden right in the heart of any living space.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Cookbooks, Reference, Food

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2022

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

This is a general handbook about small space gardening which would be great for the beginning apartment gardener but isn't quite as useful for someone who doesn't have a sizable balcony. For example, one part deals with perennial fruits and prescribes 25-gallon pots for blueberries and raspberries. Unless you're planning on living in a balcony apartment indefinitely, that's serious overkill that would end up taking space from other projects, as both will be perfectly happy in 5-gallon pots for several years; I have my patio blueberries in 10-gallon pots and they haven't outgrown them yet (I have successfully used 3- gallon pots for up to three years as well). But at the same time she advises NOT growing tomatoes on a patio as they "need very large pots." I've grown tomatoes in 1.5 gallon pots on the patio for ten years now, and this is actually going to be my first season to try them in a raised bed, so that advice is clearly wrong--there are even specialized varieties meant for pots.

Another small critique is that each veggie is lumped together without any notes on varieties, except for lettuce. I was expecting a few tips on some of the best container varieties, since this is a large factor, and didn't receive that. I also didn't expect the advice on not to reuse soils, since I have had great success dumping used soil out of pots, mixing it with fresh, and repotting for the next season.

However, the herb section is golden, as she explains multiple tips on what each herb's purpose is, tips on using them, tips on growing them in windowsills, etc. Clearly her passion is in growing herbs and I learned a lot of new tips. I've only grown lavender before and will be adding a number of these to my garden to try.

About 1/3 of the book is recipes, very useful for gardeners wondering what to do with their harvest.
I'm most excited to try out the tomato crisps, which are oven-baked and look delicious.

Overall, recommended for new patio gardeners and new herb gardeners.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think your apartment is too small for an edible garden, think again. Tiny Space Gardening is achievable for all!

The book covers all the usual beginning gardening topics such as watering, soil and light but focuses on container gardening. The scale of your garden is only limited by your space and imagination. The book has plans to make two 4’ X 8’ raised beds from a single sheet of plywood. But it also explains how to grow something in a small metal coffee can.

I love the folksy feeling of the writing. It is as if your best friend is answering your questions on how to start Tiny Space Gardening in your small city condo. There are even recipes for your garden’s bounty included. 4 stars!

Thanks to Sasquatch Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Jesse F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got on recommendation from my librarian. Enjoyed the plainness of the language and accessibility for beginners

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Tiny Space Gardening is a tutorial and planning guide to gardening in small spaces by Amy Pennington. Due out 1st March 2022 from Sasquatch Books, it's 208 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This book is full of creative ideas for maximizing space and light access along with highlighting creative ways to grow food, flowers, and herbs in very small (urban) spaces. The book's presentation is full of fun and serious at the same time in an honest intention to help readers become even a little more self sufficient and food secure.

The layout is accessible and easy to read. The introduction and basic info chapters presuppose zero forehand knowledge and concepts, containers, planning, what to grow, and how to grow it, are all covered well and understandably. The book is not abundantly illustrated (for example, in the seed starting and propagation chapter there are no photos except for the chapter facing). The photos which are included are in color and clear, however.

The author has also included a useful abbreviated resource list for more info, a short gardener's glossary, as well as an index. There are a number of recipes included which are tasty and utilize the harvest from readers' gardens. I feel that the book suffers a bit by trying to be everything-in-one, with recipes, basic gardening advice, troubleshooting tips, container gardening, vegetable herbs & flower advice, etc etc. It doesn't manage to cover much in depth, but it is very broad in scope. That being said, the thyme roasted chicken with charred onions was absolutely delicious and worth a try.

I would recommend this one for public and school library acquisition, gardening and maker's groups, community garden/allotment libraries, or possibly as a nice gift for a young gardener bundled with some seeds and supplies and the promise of a few hours of help/mentoring.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Madie DeGrammont · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm someone who has a yard with space for a garden but can't grow that garden due to chickens, deer, rabbits, etc. I've always wanted to learn how to grow plants in pots. (I tried tomatoes once and only got one that fell off before I could even get to it!) This book was great in helping me identify what I could be doing wrong such as too small of a pot, overwatering/underwatering, reusing old soil, etc. It was a good resource for that in terms of help. However, if you're looking for something with an abundance of information and pretty pictures, it's not this book, unfortunately. This is a pick-up-every-once-in-awhile-when-your-potted-plants-die book and not really a huge beginners guide.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for small space gardening. It is a small comfortable sized book about a 6&1/2 x 8 inches. It easily explains how to get started with a container of sorts and then move into starting to grow something to eat. It covers all basics, getting started, home composting, planting fruit trees in a bucket, etc. There is a lot of really good pictures that help you see things described and I love the recipe section in the back of the book. I think this is a good book to help someone get started growing some fresh items in their small space, deck, etc.


I won this book from Goodreads so thank you! #goodreads

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been gardening in the suburbs for a majority of my life. However, I live in a city with a small backyard and questionable soil. While things have improved since my first growing season, I haven't quite gotten the hang of some aspects of container gardening. I'll definitely be keeping some tips in mind for this upcoming growing season. And I definitely saved some of the recipes.
I do also think that this would be helpful for beginner gardeners with limited space. And I appreciate that unlike some other small space gardening books, this does offer options for truly tiny spots.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book for a beginner gardener, but I don't think a seasoned gardener would find much useful information. The way this book is laid out is simple and easy to follow and I wish I had a book like this when I began gardening, especially when I was gardening while living in an apartment in the city.

[Cynthia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a great resource for a beginner gardener. It was clear and easy to understand. There was a lot of information that would provide a foundation for anyone attempting to start a garden even if it wasn't in a small space. I am in a Master Gardner Program and would recommend this book to anyone starting out from scratch.

[Joelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot praise this book enough - it's a godsend for people like me who are scared of growing things. It is easy to read and a great resource for newbie gardeners who are trying their hand at container gardening.. The only thing that prevents me from giving the full 5 stars is that the book could benefit from more visuals.

[Polly Krize · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent book for any gardening wishing to increase their food production, especially if space is limited. Good information on soil making, container size and types of seed recommended for containers and small gardens.

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bring on the spring temperatures!! My yard isn’t what you would call big and it’s very shaded. So I’ve been hesitant to even try to plant anything. What I do have is a very large, sunny deck and after reading this book I’m ready to try my hand at container gardening!

[Mael Brigde · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some interesting and useful tips in here, but I was disappointed to see that a large section of the book is actually just recipes. I wanted a recipe book I would’ve looked for a recipe book not a gardening book.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable, well formatted, and full of fantastic information. I especially love the recipes and can't wait to try them out!

[Intellectual Magpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book to have around thiugh I was expecting alitlte more HOW TO information

[Teal Veyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good info for beginners. It wasn't super useful to me, because I don't have a balcony or patio. But that was my bad for not looking closely enough at the title/blurb before picking it up.

[RalleyRagnarok · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book for small garden beginners. It focuses on getting started but not much more. Has some yummy veg recipes in the back.

[Dawn Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know nothing about gardening. This was a great way to begin the process on a smaller scale. I can't wait to try to do some herbs.

[Heidi Rabinowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical information for new gardeners and inspiring recipes at the end!

[Mairead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful book for those wanting to try their hand at growing outdoors or on a balcony/terrace/sunroof. Recipes an added feature..

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there is anything the author of Tiny Space Gardening wants you to know, it’s that she REALLY hates growing tomatoes, I guess? Let’s just say the number of times it comes up in such a small book was a distraction.

I borrowed this book from a coworker who is also about to have a small space for gardening and knew that I was experimenting with my new balcony as well. The book was ok. I would have liked a more entry level practical guide but much of this book provides what I would consider more advanced techniques (such as mixing your own fertilizer). Some sections were useful, such as types of pots and water retention, but, fundamentally, that information is already out there. The recipes were a nice, if unnecessary, touch. Meanwhile, one of the few things I would have liked more help with (why did my lemon thyme die?) was a complete miss- somehow whatever helpful information about watering was missing where it was listed for other plans. But, again, I can look this up elsewhere if I buy another one.

Having said all that, it’s fine, but not for me and how I like to learn. But might worth looking into if you are looking to get into small scale gardening because my friend really liked it!