There are multiple ways to grow plants in the house, greenhouse or in the garden. Container gardening becomes more popular, however, many gardeners still prefer to plant seeds or seedlings directly in the ground. Nevertheless, both growing methods have their pros and cons.
Today, soil is not necessary for planting, many commercial growers are switching to hydroponic greenhouses. Although you eliminate problems like nutrient deficiencies and dealing with greenhouse pests, not everyone finds it beneficial to rely solely on technology.
So, if you prefer to grow plants in ground in your garden or greenhouse, determine what’s the type of soil are you dealing with (clay, sandy or loam). Although many plants need at least 12 inches of soil, you can build a raised garden bed and grow flowers, fruit and vegetables in 1/2 of that depth.
In this post you will discover what plants can grow in 6 inches of soil and will get an idea on how to grow them.
What plants can grow in 6 inches of soil?
- Vegetables: Lettuce, Squash, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Carrots, Corn, Broccoli, Cabbage, Potatoes, Peppers, Asparagus, Asian Greens, Beans, Garlic, Onion, Peas, Radish, Shallots, Zucchini;
- Herbs: Basil, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro (Coriander), Dill, Mint, Oregano, Spinach, Rosemary and Thyme;
- Fruits: Watermelon, Strawberries;
- Flowers: Pansies, Sweet Alyssum, Dwarf Marigolds, Nasturtium;
What vegetables can grow in 6 inches of soil?
- Asian Greens – Pak Choi, Choy Sum or Tatsoi.
- Squash – plant 1 per 2 square foot in just 6 inches of soil.
- Beans – Bush beans, Pole Beans and Runner Beans.
- Tomatoes – 1 per square foot. Grow not only cherry tomatoes but beefsteak tomatoes too.
- Cucumbers – 2 per square foot. You can grow pickling cucumber of slicing cucumbers. Set up a trellis for them to climb up and it will maximize the growing space.
- Corn – plant 4 per square foot of soil.
- Broccoli – plant 1 per square foot of soil.
- Cabbage – Chinese cabbage, 1 per square foot.
- Potatoes – Fingerling potatoes, 4 per square foot.
- Peppers – you can grow Chilly and huge Bell Peppers in 6 inches of soil. Plant 1 Bell Pepper plant per square foot.
- Asparagus – plant 4 per square foot of soil.
- Garlic – to grow well garlic doesn’t need deep soil, plant each clove 3 inches deep and 6 inches apart from each other.
- Lettuce – plant lettuce seeds a quarter of an inch deep and 1 inch apart from each other in a row.
- Onion – plant onion seeds 1 inch deep in the soil and half an inch apart.
- Peas – plant pea seeds 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart.
- Radish – plant radish seeds half an inch deep and 1 inch apart.
- Carrots – Chantenay and Round carrots, plant 16 per square foot. Plant 4 seeds per 1 inch and 1/4 inch deep.
- Shallots – plant shallot seed half an inch deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in rows that are 12 inches apart.
- Zucchini – 1 per square foot. Plat zucchini seeds 1 inch deep, you can sow more seeds and thin sprouted seedlings to one per square foot.
Will tomatoes grow in 6 inches of soil?
If you plant one indeterminate type of tomatoes per square foot, it will grow in 6 inches of soil. Apart from cherry tomatoes, you can grow beefsteak tomatoes. Indeterminate type grows in vines rather than in bushes as bushing type.
Although many gardeners plant tomatoes in the garden, you can start picking fruits in July if growing in unheated greenhouse.
What flowers can grow in 6 inches of soil?
- Pansies
- Sweet Alyssum
- Dwarf Marigolds
- Nasturtium
- Violas
- African Violet
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Happy Growing!
