Growing space
Small Backyard
Combine compact beds and containers while keeping the garden easy to reach and maintain.
Photo: Leungo Mokgwathi / CC BY-SA 4.0
Plan the space
Combine compact beds and containers while keeping the garden easy to reach and maintain.
The advantage: open ground
A small backyard is the only one of these spaces that may offer ground or a raised bed. That matters for crops whose roots want an unobstructed run — carrots and parsnips especially — and for anything that sprawls. Even a modest bed removes the watering pressure that dominates container growing.
Light is usually the limit
Fences, walls, sheds, and neighbouring trees cut available sun far more than people expect, and the pattern shifts through the season as the sun angle changes. Track where direct sun actually falls across a clear day before deciding where the vegetables go. The sunniest corner should be reserved for fruiting crops; leafy crops can take the rest.
Beds, containers, or both
Most small backyards end up mixed. Use ground or a raised bed for root crops and anything large, and containers for herbs, salads, and anything you want near the door. Containers also let you chase the sun, which is useful when a fence shades half the plot for part of the day.
What to grow
Almost everything in the NookHarvest library suits a small backyard given enough sun. It is the best place for carrots, peas, beans, cucumbers, and full-sized tomatoes. Microgreens are the exception: they are a sheltered tray crop and belong indoors or under cover rather than out in the weather.
Common mistakes
Planting the whole plot at once and harvesting it all in one week is the usual beginner pattern. Sow leafy and root crops in small repeated batches instead. The other recurring error is siting tall crops where they shade shorter ones — check which way the shadow falls before committing.
Plants that can fit
These matches come from each plant’s graded suitability for this space. Conditions and limitations still matter.
excellent
Basil
A tender culinary herb that grows quickly with warmth, useful light, and regular harvesting.
conditional
Broccoli Microgreens
A mild, quick microgreen for shallow trays and a bright indoor position.
excellent
Bush Beans
A compact warm-season bean that avoids a tall trellis but still needs sun and steady picking.
excellent
Carrot
A patient container crop best attempted with short-rooted varieties and deep, stone-free mix.
excellent
Cucumber
A productive but thirsty vine for warm, sunny spaces with generous root room and support.
excellent
Green Onion
A narrow, space-efficient crop for troughs, window boxes, and repeated small harvests.
excellent
Kale
A cold-tolerant leafy crop that can supply repeated harvests from one well-spaced container plant.
excellent
Mint
A resilient leafy herb that tolerates modest light and regular harvesting in its own pot.
excellent
Parsley
A steady, cool-tolerant herb for moderate light and deeper pots than its leaves suggest.
conditional
Pea Shoots
A substantial indoor shoot crop with larger seed, more root room, and a longer harvest window than tiny microgreens.
excellent
Peas
A cool-season climber that uses vertical space but needs support from the day it begins to stretch.
excellent
Radish
A fast root crop that shows beginners quickly whether light, spacing, and soil moisture are working.
conditional
Radish Microgreens
A quick indoor crop harvested young, before root space becomes a limiting factor.
excellent
Rosemary
A long-lived woody herb for strong light and careful drainage, not a forgiving low-light windowsill plant.
conditional
Sunflower Microgreens
A crisp, larger-seeded microgreen that needs clean handling, even moisture, and room for strong stems.
excellent
Swiss Chard
A resilient leafy crop that tolerates repeated harvesting and a wider temperature range than lettuce.
excellent
Thyme
A compact sun-loving herb that prefers sharp drainage and less water than leafy herbs.
excellent
Tomato
A sun-loving crop that rewards a roomy container, steady watering, and sturdy support.
Keep exploring
Read the setup guide
Growing Basics
Understand the small set of conditions—light, roots, water, temperature, and time—that explain most beginner outcomes.
Build a watering check
How to Water Container Plants
Replace a fixed schedule with a simple root-zone check that adapts to weather, plant size, and container volume.
Understand useful light
How Much Sun Do Edible Plants Need?
Measure direct light in practical hourly ranges and understand why a bright-looking space may still limit growth.