Here’s a quick tip for how you can get more production out of the same lateral space in your garden:Â Stack your plants.
Vertical gardening uses trellises, containers, and other methods to grow more in the same lateral space.
A similar method that does not require additional materials or infrastructure, but just some extra planning, is to stack your plants vertically by combining plants that can grow in close proximity to each other, often using planting timing to ensure the appropriate vertical spacing.
Here are a few examples:
Grow okra before squash or other sprawling plants to utilize okra’s vertical stalk with few branches/leaves close to the ground to allow space for the lower plants. They can basically be grown in the same space this way. This could be a good way to create shade for plants that don’t like intense sun, like lettuce.
Grow dill or other tall-growing herbs before beans or other bushy plants with a low growing habit to obtain the vertical stacking separation.
Perhaps the most famous is the “Three Sisters” method supposedly taught by native Americans to English colonists that combines corn, squash, and pole beans in the same space.
Have you tried any plant stacking combinations? Please share your experience in the comments.
