You don’t need a large garden to produce a large harvest. Sometimes, turning in armfuls of fresh crops from the garden is just a matter of choosing the right plants in the first place.

Knowing which crops produce the most food per square foot of soil is also a great approach to making the most out of small garden spaces for those residing in cities and urban communities.

Read on to learn more about the best crops that guarantee you a bountiful harvest by the end of the season.

Okra

Okra, also known as ladies’ fingers in western countries, is a warm-season crop common in countries with hot climates. For this reason, okra is best planted during the hot summer months. You’ll know the okra was planted right when it ends up crowding the cupboards or root cellar in a couple of months’ time!

Beans

Beans, especially pole beans, are vigorous climbers, so be sure to give them a strong trellis, fence or netting for support. Pole beans are much more prolific than bush beans, too. That being said, bush beans still produce more than the average garden crop, yielding some five to 10 pounds for every 10-foot plot you’ve planted.

You can plant one or the other (or both!), depending on your preference. To ensure high yield, plant beans in the spring. Bush beans should sprout within a few weeks, while pole beans should start climbing up their trellis. Once the bush beans are done with their harvest, the pole beans will be good to go as well.

Onions

Onions are a must-have ingredient in the kitchen at all times. Fortunately, onions are one of the easiest and most productive crops you can plant in the garden.

You can plant onions from seeds, but that could take a while – three months to be exact. For a shorter growing season, re-grow onion scraps. Take note that it’s better to do this method if the root portion of the scrap is still intact. Just place the onion in a bed of soil and cover it. The roots should start growing soon after.

Potatoes

Potatoes are an excellent source of clean carbs. Being a temperate crop, potatoes are also best planted in loose, fertile soil during spring. The soil should also be moist but not water-logged.

When these conditions are met, potatoes (and sweet potatoes) can grow in hordes. If planted in 10-foot rows, each growing season should produce a whopping 30 pounds of potatoes.

Radishes

Radish is one of the fastest-growing garden crops, taking just a little over a month to go from seed to vegetable. Because of this shorter growing time, radishes can be planted multiple times per season.

When planting radishes, make sure to use a rich compost mixture. It’s also important to sow the seeds two to three inches apart to keep the bulbs from overcrowding. Sprouts should appear in as fast as a week.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are the number one garden crop in America. To maximize their planting season, opt for medium-sized tomatoes as these tend to be the best producers out of all tomato varieties. Some good choices include ace, lemon, early girl, champion and celebrity.

To ensure a productive season, pick a sunny spot for your tomatoes. If you’re pressed for space, you can also utilize hanging baskets or planters. If planting tomatoes on the ground, provide a trellis for support.

Cucumbers

Toss them in salads, pickle them in brine or eat them as snacks – it’s impossible to run out of things to do with cucumbers! If you plan to share your harvest, go for vining varieties. If not, the bush ones should do just fine.

When growing vining varieties indoors or outdoors, provide a trellis to give the plant support and room to climb. To ensure flavorful cucumbers, pick them just before their actual harvest time and let them ripen.

Hot peppers

What makes hot peppers ideal plants for a meager garden plot? For starters, peppers are space-saving plants, growing up rather than out. Hot peppers, such as jalapeno, serrano and tabasco, are also productive crops.

Plus, hot peppers are well-suited to both hot and cold climates. So long as the peppers are kept in raised beds and given ample sun during the day, you should expect to get bucketfuls of hot peppers come harvest time.

Blackberries

There’s nothing quite like eating blackberries warm from the bushes. There’s also so much to do with them. Fresh juice, jam, marmalade, muffins – you name it! But blackberries can be a little too expensive at supermarkets, so you’re better off planting blackberry bushes if you’re a big fan of these fruits.

Fortunately, blackberries can be profitable for gardeners in nearly every climate. Blackberry bushes also take up very little space in the garden. Plant blackberries in spring while making sure to provide a trellis to keep the fruits from touching the soil. Otherwise, the fruits will rot before harvest time.

Salad greens

Salad greens like lettuce, spinach and arugula are the superstars of small garden spaces. They hardly take time to produce leaves, and they can also be planted in small containers. Plus, you can harvest one plant multiple times during a single season. Just clip as many leaves as you need. Don’t pull out the plant!

If planting outdoors, plant the seeds at least six inches apart. If planting indoors, keep them in separate containers or pots. Note that you’ll need to harvest green, leafy vegetables regularly.

Squash and zucchini

Squash is a high-yield crop that requires fairly little care compared to other vegetables. Its close relative, zucchini, are also great food factories, pumping out a generous harvest each season.

But because these plants can take up more than their share of space in the garden, it’s better to plant them with a strong trellis to encourage growth upwards.

Don’t let a lack of space keep you from harvesting loads of fresh, nutritious produce. Maximize your garden by planting high-yield fruits and vegetables!

Sources:

GardeningChannel.com

HomeGuides.SFGate.com