#ProPlantTips, Garden Design, Gardening Questions

Small Space Gardening Must Have: PopUp Garden

Nature Hills Nursery | February 14, 2026

Save Space & Garden Everywhere with a Deluxe PopUp Garden! Vertical gardening and growing in a small footprint is all the rage, and sometimes a necessity! Not everyone has expansive yards and large gardens to grow in. Sometimes you might just have a sunny corner on a balcony of your apartment or a small sun-filled window to grow in. So when you can’t grow out far and wide - you grow up!

Grow Vertically!
What’s Included in the Deluxe PopUp Garden
Some Great Plant Combos to Try!
Save Space!
- Check out these amenities:
It's a Plantdemic with PopUp Gardening!

Grow Vertically!

Any location 2 feet wide lets you garden with ease and convenience! Can’t bend over? Got sore knees? Now there’s no reaching, stretching, or bending to harvest veggies or admire the flowers with a PopUp Garden!

Create easy-to-reach gardening for all and take your garden anywhere! Keep kids and pets away from your plants by growing higher than they can reach.

Place the plant trays where on the four sides and two levels you want them and there are no tools required to adjust, or readjust them as you desire! Adjust the trays as plants grow taller or spill longer. Add or remove trays as necessary and easily move the entire unit in case of bad weather, moving or just rearranging your space!

The top planter holds larger plants and even a smaller obelisk or plant tower for climbing vines! Drop in a small shrub or perennial to fill the top or grow larger annuals in the deeper planter the top insert allows! Try a fancy mix of upright, mounding and spillers, fillers and thrillers in your planter! Larger up top and small perennials or annuals filling in the trays below! There’s even room in the bottom for another plant in a pot of your choice!

What’s Included in the Deluxe PopUp Garden

Imagine flowers cascading in every corner of your porch, herbs within easy reach on your patio, or vegetables growing on your balcony! It’s easy with these portable, lightweight, and adjustable planters!

Whether you do have an area to plant in or not, these fantastic stackable planters are modular, easy to set up without tools, and you can be ready to plant in minutes!

Each Deluxe PopUp Garden is 17x17 inches wide and 40 inches tall and includes:

3-Stand Component with Interlocking Sections - No Tools Required!
Assembles In Seconds
Planter for top insert
Bottom Drip Tray
4-Pack of Adjustable Side Trays

Sleek, durable, and lightweight, the Deluxe PopUp Garden Stand arrives at your doorstep with everything you need to start gardening on the fly! Just unpack it and stack it, and place the drip tray on the bottom. Insert planter to the top, and you're ready to garden!

The stand itself fully assembled is only 13.4lbs and made from sturdy recyclable PP-Copolymer plastic, it is naturally BPA-free and UV resistant!

Some Great Plant Combos to Try!

Use a single planter by your BBQ grill for herbs that zest up your food, add one by your outdoor bar for freshly picked mints and garnish for your drinks! Need some fragrant flowers by your favorite chair on a patio but don’t have any ground to plant in? Grow vertically! Even climbing or spiller plants look great in these sleek, durable planters!

Add a Bushel and Berry® Peach Sorbet® or Midnight Cascade® Blueberry Bush, or a Raspberry Shortcake® up top and fill in the trays with spilling Strawberry plants and small veggies for healthy fruit that won’t take up lots of space!
Try a dwarf Filigree Clematis climbing on a pyramid support in the center, skirted in Bowles Periwinkle spillers on the top, and fill the trays with Creeping Sedum, Germander, and dwarf Lavender.
Plant a tall Fern filling the top planter and smaller shade plants like Dwarf Hosta, Ivy or Lamium in the trays!
Go high-style with a spikey Yucca or Foxtail Fern up top and Golden Creeping Thyme spilling out around it. Fill the trays with Creeping Zinnia, dramatic Ajuga or Succulents!
Grow peppers or cherry tomatoes in the top planter and create your own salsa garden or Italian herb garden in the trays! Mini carrots and green onions happily ramble in these trays! Tuck in a Robert Grimm Dwarf Culinary Sage and Cascading Rosemary for spillers.
Go formal with a Dwarf Yaupon Holly topper, Mondo grass in the trays and Ajuga groundcover spillers filling in the gaps from top to bottom!
You can even move your houseplants outdoors or grow them vertically indoors in front of a sunny window! Pair a colorful Croton with spilling Philodendrons and Golden Creeping Jenny for a high-style display!

It’s entirely up to you!

Save Space!

Your new Deluxe PopUp Garden is so space-saving and convenient that it fits about anywhere! Tuck into the corner of a porch, deck, or balcony for container gardening or edible landscaping without losing out on space. Grow flowers or veggies around your seating areas, on a front stoop, or add an herb garden by your back door. Talk about convenience!

Maybe you have a flower bed that needs some height? Or drop one right in the middle of an existing veggie garden to elevate smaller plants that might get swallowed by vines or taller plants! You’ll love adding height to any planting bed with the Deluxe PopUp Garden!

Each modular PopUp Garden allows you to grow plants both up, down, and around more than doubling potential crop yield in the same space by 245%! Easily grow organically in the city, plant flowers in a postage stamp backyard, grow microgreens by a sunny window, or snip herbs on a three-season porch.

The main container has an opening to allow for drainage or to grow vining plants. It's just another way the PopUp Garden allows you to maximize your growing potential in a small space!

The Deluxe PopUp Garden revolutionizes small-space gardening by making vertical gardening easy, portable and convenient! Now you can enjoy flowers, veggies, and herbs anywhere!

Check out these amenities:

Lightweight, Self-Supporting & Sustainable
Perfect for balcony and terrace or even sunrooms
Easily portable
Configurable trays and height
Conserves space
Deters pests, fungus and weeds
Optimal airflow to prevent rot & disease
Adjustable height
Spill-proof drip tray - No Mess
Closely monitor and control moisture and care

No matter how small your garden is, you will harvest more by growing plants vertically. The benefit of growing up (and not out) include greater yield, easier harvesting and doubling potential crop yield in the same space by 245%!

It's a Plantdemic with PopUp Gardening!

Produce a fabulous, fluffy foodscaping garden even in the smallest of spaces! Just add soil and plants! Head over to NatureHills.com today and grab everything you need for your garden - no matter how much room you have to work with!

Happy Planting!

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up a small space garden on a balcony, patio, or tiny yard for the first time?

Setting up a small space garden for the first time is simple with a vertical solution like the Deluxe PopUp Garden, which fits in any spot just 2 feet wide and works perfectly on balconies, patios, or compact yards. The unit stands 40 inches tall and 17x17 inches wide, assembles in seconds without tools, and includes a top planter, four adjustable side trays, and a bottom drip tray so you can grow herbs, vegetables, and flowers all in one footprint. Start by choosing your sunniest spot, then place larger thrillers or small shrubs in the top planter and fill the side trays with trailing spillers and mounding fillers for a layered, eye-catching display that you can easily rearrange as plants grow.

Which vegetables, herbs, and fruits grow best in containers or small raised beds for beginner gardeners?

For beginner gardeners, the most reliable container vegetables include tomatoes (compact varieties like Patio or Tumbling Tom), lettuce, radishes, herbs like basil and chives, and strawberries, all of which thrive in containers as small as 6 to 12 inches deep. Bush beans, peppers, and cherry tomatoes perform especially well in the top planter of a PopUp Garden setup, while trailing herbs like thyme or nasturtiums spill beautifully from adjustable side trays. Start seeds or transplants after your last frost date, which varies by USDA zone, and focus on full-sun locations that receive at least 6 hours of direct light daily. Browse Nature Hills' selection of container-friendly vegetable and herb plants to find varieties already sized and suited for small-space growing in your region.

How many hours of sunlight does a container garden or small raised bed need to produce well?

Most vegetables and flowering plants perform best with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day, while leafy greens and herbs can often get by with 4 to 6 hours. The PopUp Garden's portable design makes it easy to chase the sun throughout the day or season, which is a real advantage over in-ground beds. Position your unit in the sunniest available spot, and if you are working with a partially shaded balcony or patio, focus on growing shade-tolerant crops like lettuce, spinach, parsley, or mint to get the most productive results.

How often should I water vegetables and herbs growing in containers or small raised beds?

Container vegetables and herbs dry out much faster than in-ground plants, so plan to check soil moisture daily during warm weather, especially in summer heat above 80 degrees F. Stick your finger about an inch into the soil, and if it feels dry at that depth, it is time to water. Most containers in full sun will need watering once a day or even twice daily in peak summer, while cooler spring and fall conditions may only require watering every two to three days. Water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom of the container, and consider adding a layer of mulch on top of the soil to help retain moisture between waterings.

How deep do containers need to be for growing different vegetables, herbs, and flowers?

Container depth varies depending on what you're growing. Shallow-rooted crops like lettuce, herbs, and radishes can thrive in 6 to 8 inches of soil, while tomatoes, peppers, and most flowers do best in containers at least 12 inches deep. Root vegetables like carrots and potatoes need 12 to 18 inches or more to develop properly. Match your plant selection to your available container depth, and for the PopUp Garden's adjustable side trays, stick with compact herbs, lettuce, and annual flowers that perform beautifully in shallower conditions.

Why should I use potting mix instead of garden soil in containers, and what should I look for on the bag?

Potting mix is engineered to stay loose and drain freely in the confined space of a container, while garden soil compacts quickly, suffocates roots, and can introduce pests or diseases. Look for a quality mix that lists ingredients like peat moss or coco coir, perlite, and compost on the bag, and choose one formulated for containers rather than raised beds. For the PopUp Garden's side trays and top planter, a lightweight mix is especially important since it keeps the unit easy to move and prevents waterlogging in the smaller tray volumes. Fill your containers to within an inch of the rim, water thoroughly after planting, and top off with fresh mix if settling occurs.

How do I improve drainage in small containers to keep roots healthy and avoid waterlogged soil?

Good drainage starts with using a quality potting mix specifically formulated for containers, never garden soil, which compacts and suffocates roots. The Deluxe PopUp Garden includes a bottom drip tray to catch excess water, so be sure to empty it after heavy watering or rain to prevent roots from sitting in standing water. Add a thin layer of perlite or coarse grit to your potting mix at roughly a 20 percent ratio to improve aeration and drainage in the side trays and top planter. Water thoroughly until it drains freely, then allow the top inch of soil to dry out before watering again to keep roots healthy and vigorous.

How can I get the most food or flowers out of a very small growing space?

The key to maximizing a small growing space is to grow vertically rather than spreading out horizontally, and the Deluxe PopUp Garden is purpose-built for exactly this approach. At just 17x17 inches wide and 40 inches tall, it lets you stack multiple levels of plants in a footprint no larger than a square foot and a half. Use the top planter for larger upright plants or climbing vines on a small obelisk, fill the four adjustable side trays with spillers and fillers, and tuck a potted plant in at the base to use every inch of available growing space.

Should I add trellises, vertical planters, or hanging baskets to a small space garden to grow more plants?

Yes, adding vertical elements is one of the smartest ways to maximize a small garden space, and the Deluxe PopUp Garden from Nature Hills combines several of these strategies in one compact unit. At just 17x17 inches wide and 40 inches tall, it functions as a vertical planter, stand, and tiered tray system all in one, fitting into any spot with as little as 2 feet of space. The top planter even accommodates a small obelisk or plant tower for climbing vines, while the four adjustable side trays allow you to mix spillers, fillers, and thrillers at multiple levels. Start by placing your tallest or most vigorous plants in the top insert and work downward with smaller annuals, herbs, or compact perennials to make the most of every inch.

How closely can I plant vegetables and herbs in a small raised bed or container without stunting their growth?

Spacing depends on the mature size of each plant, but in container gardening you can generally go slightly tighter than in-ground spacing since you control the soil quality and fertility. Compact varieties bred for containers, such as patio tomatoes, bush cucumbers, or dwarf herbs like Greek basil, are your best bet for maximizing yield in a small footprint. As a general rule, give leafy herbs like parsley and basil about 6 inches between plants, while larger vegetables like peppers or compact tomatoes need at least 12 inches. Choose varieties labeled "compact," "dwarf," or "patio" and feed regularly with a balanced liquid fertilizer every two weeks to compensate for the limited root space.