By Laurel Aiello
Here in Northern Colorado, our short growing season combined with a small garden might make it feel like the odds are stacked against you. But in reality, you can plant many different kinds of vegetables in a small space—even in pots on an apartment balcony—and there are plenty of varieties that produce high yields of produce throughout the summer. If your goal is to maximize your veggie harvest in a confined area, try growing some of these tidy yet prolific crops.
Cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomato plants are known for producing loads of sweet red, orange and purple fruit by mid-summer. Super Sweet 100 is a popular red cherry tomato for those who prefer a sugary burst of flavor, while the Sungold variety provides an orange pop of color that’s perfect for salads. The heirloom Black Cherry tomato variety offers a more complex flavor that is both sweet and savory, making it a favorite for pizzas and pastas.
Indeterminate cherry tomato varieties, like the ones listed above, will produce fruit consistently until the first frost of the season, usually in early to mid-October. That also means the plants continue growing in ideal conditions, so they can get rather tall if they are not pruned. To keep their size manageable, remove the lower “suckers” and use a tomato cage for support.
Determinate cherry tomato varieties don’t require as much space and will eventually stop producing fruit. Often referred to as “bush” cherry tomatoes or vining cherry tomatoes, they have large clusters of fruit while maintaining a neat appearance. Cherry Falls is a popular cherry tomato variety that cascades out of pots, offering a compact alternative to the taller indeterminate types.
Bush zucchini
Anyone who has grown zucchini knows that one plant can supply an entire neighborhood by July. They also grow quickly, with one plant sometimes taking up an entire raised bed mere weeks after planting. While that is true of Dunja and other vining varieties, bush zucchini plants produce high yields in a smaller space. The tender yellow Gold Rush squash and round green Eight Ball zucchini will happily grow in 10-gallon pots, resulting in heavy harvests starting in late June.
Cucumbers
Like zucchini and other plants in the gourd family (known as “cucurbits”), cucumbers seem to multiply in the warm weather. Vining varieties, such as Marketmore, prefer to climb up a trellis, as their tendrils naturally grab onto nearby objects for stability. Since they make good use of vertical space, they can be a practical option for container gardens.
Bush cucumbers, on the other hand, are bred for smaller spaces and don’t sprawl as far as the regular slicing varieties. Bush Pickle and Patio Snacker are two common types that only spread a couple feet, making them ideal for large pots on a patio or deck. They generally mature in 55 days or less, so you’ll get to enjoy many cucumbers throughout the summer and probably have enough to share.
Beans
Pole beans also make use of vertical space, as they like to climb and are often planted beneath a V-shaped structure for support. They are prolific growers that produce heavy harvests of green, purple or yellow fruit in mid- to late summer, depending on the variety. Try planting Kentucky Wonder beans for a classic green bean type that is delicious when sautéed with a bit of lemon juice and garlic.
Like other bush vegetable plants, bush beans are intended for smaller spaces and make a great addition to container gardens. These self-supporting, bush-like plants only grow a couple feet tall and wide while producing the same tender, delicious green beans (and other colors) as the vining varieties do while remaining compact.
Peppers
Pepper plants like it hot, so when temperatures consistently reach the 80s and 90s, they produce heavy yields across the board. Especially prolific varieties include smaller peppers, like jalapeños, lunch box peppers (sweet and crunchy), thai peppers (very spicy) and shishito peppers (mild and slightly smoky), though even the larger types take off quickly.
Plant California Wonder Bell Peppers for repeated harvests of sweet, versatile fruit, or opt for a poblano pepper for a mild chili flavor. Anaheim peppers are a popular choice for salsa making, while banana peppers make a great addition to sandwiches and pizza. All of these varieties thrive in pots, as they only grow about two to three feet tall.
Leafy greens
Lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale and other leafy greens can be harvested time and time again as their leaves continue developing during the cooler months. Greens can be planted in rows in pots, raised beds and other containers, as they remain compact and don’t need much room to grow.
The ideal time to plant greens is in the spring and fall so that they don’t get stressed and go to seed. When the weather gets too hot for them, you can save space by reusing their pots for warm-season veggies until they can be planted again in the fall. That’s the beauty of gardening, even in a small space. Everything has a season.
Originally published on April 30th, 2026.