What I’d grow if I only had one 4x4 garden bed
An exercise
I loved this question, “if you could only grow in one 4x4 garden bed, what would you grow?”, from an AMA on Instagram (question was from my friend
) from a few weeks back so much that I can’t stop thinking about it. This has prompted me to incorporate more creative and hypothetical exercises into my garden planning and overall gardening approach.Probably not your average garden advice, and I’ll acknowledge it’s not for everyone. I am a creative person, someone who finds fulfillment through learning and doing, and someone who often seeks change. It may seem surprising, then, that I’m also someone who can get caught up in linear thinking, who tends to follow the rules, and has a hard time stepping outside the box. The garden is where all of these characteristics come together.
The garden is a source of constant change, there’s always something new to learn, there are multiple ways to approach every situation, there are problems that need to be solved, and yet it’s also a place where science (truth) prevails, and where, despite my best efforts, plants end up in boxes (raised beds) and rows.
I received this question on a day when I was feeling particularly boxed in and found the exercise to be such a cathartic form of release.
If you could only grow in one 4x4 garden bed, what would you grow?
In answering this question I had to throw aside my current garden plans and enter this (hellish) hypothetical world where I only had a single garden bed. I was forced to think about garden planning in a way that doesn’t come up for me when planning my actual garden. I had a couple of big takeaways:
Companion planting to the max. I surprised myself with some of the plant choices but when I went back to change them or alter the garden I stuck with them because they made perfect sense from a companion planting standpoint. You can check out this post on companion planting where I discuss how companion planting allows you to plant a lot more intensively, getting more plants per square foot that you could otherwise.
Growing up. It’s not shocking that when you only have a small and limited growing space you’ll find ways to grow vertically. I thought of a lot of vertical growing methods and in the end just settled with a simple trellis. I think there’s a lot of ways to utilize vertical gardening in a raised bed to allow for more efficient use of the limited square footage.
Maximize your seasons. Our garden used to be just four small raised beds. Bigger than 16 square feet, but pretty small compared to what we grow in now. I didn’t maximize the seasons then, still thinking inside that “gardens are for summer” box and allowing the small garden to limit my thinking and the amount of time throughout the year that we grew. In planning this small 4x4 garden bed I found myself easily planning for different seasons just like I do in my current garden.
Before I share my response to this question I encourage you to sit down and scribble down your answer. I’d love to see what you come up with!
What I’d Grow if I Only Had One 4x4 Garden Bed
I’d start by building a simple trellis along one edge of the bed for growing peas in the spring. In the summer the trellis can be used for cucumbers. The space under the trellis will be planted with beets and lettuces.
Onions would separate the bed into two halves with rows down the middle.
Garlic, marigolds and calendula will create a strong border along two of the edges.
Tomatoes would be front and center, with two plants growing up large stakes and heavily pruned at the bottom.
Carrots would be planted between the two tomato plants. Basil and dill will fill in the spaces between the onions and tomatoes and the onions and peas/cucumbers.
Finally, I’d add nasturtium along the front edge to drape down over the front of the bed and if I have space, I’d plant one or two celery.
I honestly want to plant this!
One more question before I go:
If the question was 16 square feet and not 4x4, would you have planted a 2x8 or even a 1x16 row instead? How would those gardens be different than the 4x4 garden bed?