30 Great Microgardening Ideas

Microgardening is the practice of intensively "farming" a diverse variety of plants in small urban spaces, says Anne Gibson, who coined the phase "The Micro Gardener" in 2010. 

Microgardens can be created on roofs, balconies, small patios, fire escapes and small landscaped areas, using edibles as decorative and ornamental features instead of strictly edible plants, says urban gardener Melinda Myers.

Built-in planter boxes made of redwood give a young family easy access to vegetable and herbs in their backyard, surrounded by two- and three-story apartment buildings in San Francisco. The project by St. John Landscapes won a 2015 award from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers.

A once-bare, tiny yard behind a row house in Brooklyn, N.Y., now features a canopy of plants, such as crape myrtles and camellias. Landscape designer Michael Van Valkenburgh planted trees that naturally cool the garden terrace and house and created a bird habitat. The new paving is mica schist, which is arranged in a pattern that mimics logs flowing down a river. The garden was a 2015 ASLA award winner.