How to maximise your garden space

The following expert tips from OG writers Leonie Shanahan and Karen Sutherland will help add to the growing space maximise the garden space you have:

What to plant

Plant quicker growing Asian greens, such as bok choy or pak choy, in between slower growing vegetables, such as broccoli or cauliflower. Keep harvesting the Asian greens from the outside, from the base, to keep them from interfering with the slower vegetables and when the latter start getting bigger, harvest the whole Asian greens. Feed the Asian greens with liquid fertiliser regularly to keep them healthy.

Train your trees

Espalier (training trees against a flat surface or in a narrow vertical plane) is a fun and attractive way to grow a greater range of fruits in your garden. All you need is some horizontal wires, a wire fence or trellis to train the branches, and of course, some fruit trees. Try it with anything that takes your fancy and maximise your garden space; apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, citrus, figs, avocadoes… you could have it all! To learn how to espalier like a pro, click here

Create your own shade

Beat the heat and build a strong shade-giving arch. A frame made from polypipe slipped over the top of star pickets with mesh attached is a simple and effective option for your garden. Plant a climber to creep over the arch and create natural shade to maximise garden space. Additionally, consider bitter melon, butterfly pea, Ceylon spinach, lima bean and New Guinea bean. Underneath the arch plant Asian greens, basil, lettuce and rocket for daily picking. To learn more about what grows better in the shade, click here

Fill in the spaces

When you plant seeds or seedlings of large plants, such as zucchini, which take many weeks to develop to full size, surround them with seedlings of small quick-growing edibles, such as Asian greens, lettuce, and radish. This will therefore increase your production in that space. When you harvest these fast crops to make way for the larger ones, cut them off at the base leaving the root in the ground to provide food for soil organisms.

All of these tips are fantastic ways to maximise your garden space.