My balcony space is tiny, so I had to pick between a few big pots or a lot of small ones.

I only have about 4 square feet on my fire escape in Brooklyn. Last spring, I went with three big 5-gallon pots for tomatoes and peppers. They grew okay, but I felt like I wasted space on just three plants. This year, I'm trying a bunch of 1-gallon fabric pots for herbs, radishes, and lettuce. Already, I have 12 different things growing. Which setup do you think is better for a super small area, going big or going for variety?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylanbell22d ago

My fire escape garden in Chicago is about the same size. I tried the big pot route for a few years and always felt the same way, like I was missing out. Last season I switched to a bunch of small containers for greens and herbs, and it just felt more alive and useful. It reminds me of how we often think we need one big, perfect thing, when a bunch of small, good things actually gives us more joy and less risk. If one lettuce bolts, you still have eleven other plants doing fine.

christopher_coleman1722d ago

Sounds like you're overthinking some lettuce. It's just plants on a fire escape, not a life philosophy. You ever just grow stuff because it looks nice?

barbara38513d ago

My Brooklyn fire escape is maybe 3 feet wide. I switched to six small herb pots last year after one big basil plant died and took everything with it. Having more small plants just feels safer and you actually get to pick things more often.

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