Andrea Bellamy offers gardening tips for small spaces

A Vancouver small-space gardening expert says this is the perfect time of year to get started on creating a small vegetable garden.

"We're in the sweet spot for gardening right now," says Andrea Bellamy, gardeningblogger and author of Small Space Vegetable Gardens. "It's a really great time for gardeners."

Bellamysays this is a good time to continue to plant cool-season crops like lettuces, carrots and radishes as well as start planting warmer-season plants like tomatoes, zucchinis and cucumbers.

Here are her tips for starting to grow a vegetable garden in a small space:

1. Grow what you love to eat

If you're just getting started with a vegetable garden, start with the one thing you're excited about growing and harvesting and take it from there. Soon, you'lll behooked.

2. Start with herbs

Herbs may not feed your family, but they can really add a lot of flavour to your meals. They're alsoeasy to grow and attractbeneficial insects.

3. Add salad greens to your mix

Salad greens do really well on the West Coast. They're easy to grow in cooler seasons and also do well in summer months. Arugula, leaf lettuces, andkale all do well.

4. Grow some crops from seed

Some crops like leafy greens growbetter when grown from seed because they're sensitive to being moved. Growing from seed is also a lot more affordableand can allow you to find a greater variety of crops.

5. It's not too late to grow strawberries

Strawberry plants last for about three years and produce the most in their second year. So although you may only get a few berries from this year's crop, you'll benefit from your effortsnext year.

To hear more ofAndrea Bellamy'sedible gardening tips, listen to the audio labelled: Tips for Small Space Gardening.