Imagine harvesting large quantities of delicious vegetables in a plot of just a few square meters. Great returns are easier to achieve than you think. The secret to super-productive gardening requires some time to plan strategies that work for your own garden, knowing that each garden is unique.

Here are seven strategies to get a high yield by making the most of the available space in your garden.

1. Plant in raised beds with rich soil.

Soil construction is the most important factor in increasing yields. Deep soil rich in organic matter promotes the growth of healthy, spreading roots capable of reaching more nutrients and water. The result: extra-lush, extra-productive growth above ground.

The quickest way to get that deep layer of fertile soil is to create raised beds. Raised beds yield up to four times more than the same space planted in rows. This is due not only to its loose, fertile soil, but also to its effective spacing. By using less space for paths, you have more room to grow plants.

Raised beds also save you time. Plants grow close enough to each other, you spend less time weeding. The reduced space also makes watering and harvesting more efficient.

2. Plant crops in triangles instead of rows.

To get the most out of each bed, pay attention to how you arrange your plants. Avoid planting in squares or rows. Instead, stagger the plants by planting them in triangles. By doing so, you can install 10-14% more seedlings in each bed.

Just be careful not to space your plants too far apart. Some plants will not grow to full size or will not produce if they are too tightly packed (remember that yield in weight per m² is more important than the number of plants per m²).

Spacing too closely can also stress plants, making them more susceptible to disease and insect attack.

3. Grow climbing plants to take advantage of vertical space.

No matter the size of your garden, you can grow more by going vertical. Grow space-hungry climbing plants, such as tomatoes, navy beans, peas, squash, melons, pickles, etc., supported by trellises, fences, cages or stakes.

Growing vegetables vertically also saves time. Harvesting and maintenance are faster because you can see exactly where the fruit is. Fungal diseases are also less likely to affect upward-facing plants due to improved air circulation around the foliage.

Try growing vines on trellises along a raised bed, using sturdy poles with nylon mesh or twine between them to create a climbing surface. Tie growing vines to the trellis. But don’t worry about heavy fruits. Even pumpkins and melons will develop thicker stems.

4. Choose compatible pairings.

Planting compatible crops also saves space. Consider the classic combination of corn, beans and squash. Sturdy corn stalks support the navy beans, while the squash grows freely in the ground, shading competing weeds.

Other compatible combinations include
: tomatoes, basil and onions
, lettuce, peas and cabbage
, carrots, onions and radishes
, beets and celery.

5. Plan your crops carefully.

Succession planting allows you to grow more than one crop in a given space during a growing season. In this way, many gardeners can harvest three or even four crops from one area. For example, follow an early crop of leafy lettuce with a quick-maturing vegetable, then grow more leafy greens or winter garlic, all in a single growing season.

To get the most out of your successive plantations:

-Use grafted planes. A graft is already about a month old when you plant it and matures much faster than a seed sown directly in the garden.
-Choose varieties that mature quickly.
-Replace the soil with a good layer of compost each time you replant. Work it into the first few inches of soil.

6. Extend the growing season by mulching the beds.

Adding a few weeks to each late season can give you enough time to grow another succession crop, plant lettuce, kale or turnips, or harvest more late tomatoes.

To benefit from those extra weeks of production, you should keep warm air around your plants (even in cold weather) by using mulches, cloches, tunnels, row covers, or cold frames.

You can also start spring very early with heat-loving crops (such as melons, peppers, and eggplants) by using two “blankets”: one to warm the air and the other to warm the soil. About six to eight weeks before the last frost date, prewarm cold soil by covering it with infrared transmitting (IRT) mulch or black plastic, which will absorb heat.

Next, cover the bed with a divided clear plastic tunnel or hood. When the soil temperature reaches 18-21°C, plant the plants and cover the black plastic mulch with straw to prevent it from capturing too much heat. Remove the clear plastic tunnel when the air temperature warms and all danger of freezing has passed. Reinstall it at the end of the season when temperatures cool.