With nothing more than the tiniest of areas, you, too, can have a garden. Small-space gardens can grow in small raised beds, along a curbway, or in containers placed on a porch, deck, patio, or a sunny spot on the sidewalk.

Helping gardeners with limited space to pursue their passion, the newer dwarf, hybrid plants stay within bounds in petite garden areas, so they don't overwhelm you with too much of a good thing.

Almost any kind of plant can be grown in a small space, including flowers, herbs, vegetables, and even shrubs and trees. When choosing a container, keep the root size in mind as well as the mature, above-ground size of the mature plant.

When using containers, plants that don't like wet feet should be grown in unglazed clay containers that dry out more quickly through evaporation. Always use containers with drainage holes that allow excess moisture to drain out. Drainage within a container is provided by a well-balanced soil mix, not from pebbles placed at the bottom, as some believe.

If cost is a concern, make your own containers by lining boxes or baskets with heavy-duty plastic. Punch a few holes in the plastic for drainage.

Check the soil moisture frequently, since soil dries out faster in containers than it does in the ground. Drip irrigation systems with emitters placed exactly where you need them make watering a snap.

When containers dry out too much, water poured on top just runs down the sides and out the bottom. Add water slowly so it soaks into the soil. Plants in unglazed pots can be remoisturized by soaking them in a tub of water until the lifted pots feel heavy from absorbed water.

Products designed to enhance soil moisture include the soil polymer granules that are mixed with the soil, either in the ground or in a container. They hold many times their mass in water and slowly release it to the plants. Don't let it dry out too much, though, or the polymers will suck the moisture right back out of the plants, if there is no other moisture available.

Fertilize plants in small areas weekly with a dilute, balanced fertilizer that's mixed one-third to one-half strength. Use organic fertilizers to avoid problems from build-up of excess mineral salts.

One key to successful compact gardens, in the ground or in containers, is growing up, not out. Use standard climbing varieties of flowering vines or veggies like cucumbers, pole beans, peas, and even squash and melons. Developing fruits stay on the support if you suspend them in a sling made from netting or old pantyhose.

Build or buy free-standing trellises or take advantage of existing structures such as porch or deck rails. Grow against walls by placing cup hooks at the top and bottom and interlacing them with string for plants to climb on.

Many vegetables can be grown in small spaces, even in containers, if the containers are a suitable size and depth. Corn is an exception as it requires a large stand for cross-pollination.

Each year seed companies and nurseries offer a wider selection of dwarf varieties of plants of all types. Look for dwarf tomato and watermelon varieties; dwarf landscape plants, which are smaller versions of their more robust cousins; and don't forget vines of all types, whether flowers or food. Even squash can be grown on a trellis.

Usually-giant flowers such as sunflowers come in dwarf varieties suited for smaller areas. And don't forget miniature roses. Some grow only inches tall.

Growing in containers adds a large degree of design flexibility that's impossible with regular garden beds. You can relocate plants to take advantage of moving sunlight, or simply because you want to change the look.