[size=48]Turn a Small Space Into a Big Harvest With These 20 Vertical Gardening Ideas[/size]
BY PAUL CLARKE FOOD, GROWING FOOD
Vertical gardening is nothing more than using vertical space to grow vegetables (or herbs, or flowers, even root crops), often using containers that hang on a sunny wall. Traditional gardeners have done similar things with climbing plants like squashes and beans for centuries by building trellises. Vertical gardening takes it one step further by giving non-climbing plants a space on the wall.
Vertical gardens take up less space, are easier to harvest, and easier to maintain. However, they do have their own limitations:
[size]
That being said, vertical gardening is one of the most forgiving and flexible gardening systems. If you can already get a harvest from container gardens, vertical gardens should be no problem. Here are several ways you can try doing vertical gardening in your own home for the upcoming season.
(Note: Want to learn about a great “vertical gardening” combo that makes the most use of your growing space? Get our free guide How to Grow the Three Sisters Garden)
[/size]
[size]
At its simplest, a vertical garden spot is just a container full of soil with drainage holes and a spot on the wall in the sun. A section of fencing or a pallet as shown here could provide a spot for a clamp that can screw into the pot and the pallet to give it support. It’s important when building your garden that your support system can handle wind.
[/size]
[size]
Here’s an interesting idea that repurposes old gutter sections for gardening space. It’s like a window box only more so. Make sure there is enough space between the gutter sections for sunlight to reach between them. Also make sure that there are drainage holes in the bottom of the sections so the plants don’t get waterlogged and lower levels can get adequate water.
[/size]
[size]
Here’s another example of a gutter vertical garden attached to the side of a house. One thing to watch for when doing this style is to make sure there is adequate drainage so the siding doesn’t get damaged. This is a great setup for people who cannot bend over very far.
[/size]
[size]
Every gardener should have a traditional trellis system if they grow vining vegetables. You get a much larger harvest out of those plants, a cleaner garden, and it’s easier to find all those hidden tomatoes. Be sure to place it where it won’t shade the rest of your garden, and make it strong enough to withstand the weight of the plants. If you can, sink your posts 24” down to support the weight of the heaviest pumpkins.
[/size]
[size]
Not DIY, but if you want to take vertical gardening to another level (both in cost and results), you could try a Garden Tower. There are both aquaponic towers that pump a mineral solution up the tower and drips it over the roots of the plants, as well as towers where you grow in soil
[/size]
[size]
In this quite-large vertical tray system herbs are growing good and strong. You cay buy specially designed trays that can plant food thickly like this. If you do go big with your garden, make sure your wall and fasteners are strong enough to support the weight of all that material!
[/size]
[size]
You can also do the same thing DIY with some plywood, landscaping cloth, a pallet, and a staple gun. Staple the plywood to the pallet, then wrap the back, sides, and bottom with landscaping cloth. Use a lot of staples as shown in the bottom row of the picture.
Fill with soil and lay flat, then put in seeds, or preferably seedlings, into the slats. Once the plants are well established (at least two weeks for seedlings), they should stay stable after hanging up the pallet. Great for getting spring planting started then freeing up space for summer crops after hanging.
[/size]
[size]
Here’s an example that uses hardware cloth and a frame to create a very sturdy trellis for tomatoes. Find instructions on how to make this project here.
[/size]
[size]
Here is an example of an herb garden using recycled bottles They’re suspended on strings for easy maneuvering. While some of the plants wouldn’t reach their full size due to the small container, there’s enough plants to get herbs for a family.
[/size]
[size]
For those who like to make living walls and want an all-in-one system, you can’t go wrong with Florafelt. These recycled nylon felt units come with easy to use pockets for root-wrapped plants. A built-in drip irrigation system runs along the top of the wall to water the pockets. Leftover water falls into a drain line at the bottom. A major distributor of this system is PlantsOnWalls.com.
[/size]
[size]
This may be more art than a food garden, but living walls can help reduce the amount of cooling needed in a house. Succulents are very low-maintenance plants and could be hung inside of the house as an attractive feature. Just mist the board from time to time.
[/size]
[size]
If you’d like to build your own structure, here is a good idea. Build a small raised bed, then put in these vertical angled supports. More information about this model can be found at superplanters.co.nz.
[/size]
[size]
Here is the same concept taken up one step further. This type of garden would be great for smaller plants like lettuce and strawberries. Plans for this structure can be found on indulgy.com
[/size]
[size]
Here is an alternate pallet system using the back side of the pallet. Notice the other boards nailed under the crossbeams to hold up soil, turning this pallet into a bunch of row boxes. Placement of this type of design would be crucial due to the shade that is created, but it’s perfect for these succulents.
[/size]
[size]
Here’s the same sort of design, but with much better solar options. The bins are four inches thick. You could fill in the entire bottom and fill with soil or put in four inch containers and rest them on the cross sections as shown here.
[/size]
[size]
If you’re a woodworker and have some extra beams, you could also hollow out angled sections as shown and put in potting soil. The same could be done by putting a solid back and sides on a pallet, removing the sections, then filling the unit with good soil.
[/size]
[size]
Here is an old staircase transformed into a wonderful vertical gardening system. The stair steps provide a good way for excess water to drain off down the unit.
[/size]
[size]
Finally, you could always hang a burlap sack on a nail and fill it with dirt. Or you can make canvas pouches or use an old shoe organizer and get something very similar to florafelt. You can learn more about this design here.
[/size]
[size]
By now your head is probably buzzing with all the ideas of how you can build your own vertical gardening system.
As long as you stick to the principles of gardening, plants are pretty happy to grow wherever you can get enough dirt, water, and sun. You can ask any plant growing out of the crack of a sidewalk.[/size]
BY PAUL CLARKE FOOD, GROWING FOOD
Vertical gardening is nothing more than using vertical space to grow vegetables (or herbs, or flowers, even root crops), often using containers that hang on a sunny wall. Traditional gardeners have done similar things with climbing plants like squashes and beans for centuries by building trellises. Vertical gardening takes it one step further by giving non-climbing plants a space on the wall.
Vertical gardens take up less space, are easier to harvest, and easier to maintain. However, they do have their own limitations:
- You need sunny wall space
- If they are built too high, they can be difficult to maintain. Don’t make them taller than you can reach
- The support system must be strong enough to handle the weight of everything
- The supporting wall must be able to withstand a lot of moisture. You can use polyethylene cloth to create a vapor barrier along the back of your garden if this might be a concern.
[size]
That being said, vertical gardening is one of the most forgiving and flexible gardening systems. If you can already get a harvest from container gardens, vertical gardens should be no problem. Here are several ways you can try doing vertical gardening in your own home for the upcoming season.
(Note: Want to learn about a great “vertical gardening” combo that makes the most use of your growing space? Get our free guide How to Grow the Three Sisters Garden)
[/size]
[size=36]Hanging Pots[/size]
[size]
At its simplest, a vertical garden spot is just a container full of soil with drainage holes and a spot on the wall in the sun. A section of fencing or a pallet as shown here could provide a spot for a clamp that can screw into the pot and the pallet to give it support. It’s important when building your garden that your support system can handle wind.
[/size]
[size=36]Gutter System[/size]
[size]
Here’s an interesting idea that repurposes old gutter sections for gardening space. It’s like a window box only more so. Make sure there is enough space between the gutter sections for sunlight to reach between them. Also make sure that there are drainage holes in the bottom of the sections so the plants don’t get waterlogged and lower levels can get adequate water.
[/size]
[size=36]More Gutter Gardens[/size]
[size=36]Even More Gutter Gardens[/size]
[size]
Here’s another example of a gutter vertical garden attached to the side of a house. One thing to watch for when doing this style is to make sure there is adequate drainage so the siding doesn’t get damaged. This is a great setup for people who cannot bend over very far.
[/size]
[size=36]Traditional Trellis[/size]
[size]
Every gardener should have a traditional trellis system if they grow vining vegetables. You get a much larger harvest out of those plants, a cleaner garden, and it’s easier to find all those hidden tomatoes. Be sure to place it where it won’t shade the rest of your garden, and make it strong enough to withstand the weight of the plants. If you can, sink your posts 24” down to support the weight of the heaviest pumpkins.
[/size]
[size=36]Tower Gardens[/size]
[size]
Not DIY, but if you want to take vertical gardening to another level (both in cost and results), you could try a Garden Tower. There are both aquaponic towers that pump a mineral solution up the tower and drips it over the roots of the plants, as well as towers where you grow in soil
[/size]
[size=36]Tray Herb Garden[/size]
[size]
In this quite-large vertical tray system herbs are growing good and strong. You cay buy specially designed trays that can plant food thickly like this. If you do go big with your garden, make sure your wall and fasteners are strong enough to support the weight of all that material!
[/size]
[size=36]Pallet Tray System[/size]
[size]
You can also do the same thing DIY with some plywood, landscaping cloth, a pallet, and a staple gun. Staple the plywood to the pallet, then wrap the back, sides, and bottom with landscaping cloth. Use a lot of staples as shown in the bottom row of the picture.
Fill with soil and lay flat, then put in seeds, or preferably seedlings, into the slats. Once the plants are well established (at least two weeks for seedlings), they should stay stable after hanging up the pallet. Great for getting spring planting started then freeing up space for summer crops after hanging.
[/size]
[size=36]Hardware Cloth Frame[/size]
[size]
Here’s an example that uses hardware cloth and a frame to create a very sturdy trellis for tomatoes. Find instructions on how to make this project here.
[/size]
[size=36]Bottle Garden[/size]
[size]
Here is an example of an herb garden using recycled bottles They’re suspended on strings for easy maneuvering. While some of the plants wouldn’t reach their full size due to the small container, there’s enough plants to get herbs for a family.
[/size]
[size=36]Florafelt System[/size]
[size]
For those who like to make living walls and want an all-in-one system, you can’t go wrong with Florafelt. These recycled nylon felt units come with easy to use pockets for root-wrapped plants. A built-in drip irrigation system runs along the top of the wall to water the pockets. Leftover water falls into a drain line at the bottom. A major distributor of this system is PlantsOnWalls.com.
[/size]
[size=36]Succulent Gardens[/size]
[size]
This may be more art than a food garden, but living walls can help reduce the amount of cooling needed in a house. Succulents are very low-maintenance plants and could be hung inside of the house as an attractive feature. Just mist the board from time to time.
[/size]
[size=36]Freestanding Garden[/size]
[size]
If you’d like to build your own structure, here is a good idea. Build a small raised bed, then put in these vertical angled supports. More information about this model can be found at superplanters.co.nz.
[/size]
[size=36]Pyramid Garden[/size]
[size]
Here is the same concept taken up one step further. This type of garden would be great for smaller plants like lettuce and strawberries. Plans for this structure can be found on indulgy.com
[/size]
[size=36]Another Pyramid Garden[/size]
[size=36]Pallet Planter[/size]
[size]
Here is an alternate pallet system using the back side of the pallet. Notice the other boards nailed under the crossbeams to hold up soil, turning this pallet into a bunch of row boxes. Placement of this type of design would be crucial due to the shade that is created, but it’s perfect for these succulents.
[/size]
[size=36]DIY Wall Planter[/size]
[size]
Here’s the same sort of design, but with much better solar options. The bins are four inches thick. You could fill in the entire bottom and fill with soil or put in four inch containers and rest them on the cross sections as shown here.
[/size]
[size=36]Beam Planter[/size]
[size]
If you’re a woodworker and have some extra beams, you could also hollow out angled sections as shown and put in potting soil. The same could be done by putting a solid back and sides on a pallet, removing the sections, then filling the unit with good soil.
[/size]
[size=36]Stair Garden[/size]
[size]
Here is an old staircase transformed into a wonderful vertical gardening system. The stair steps provide a good way for excess water to drain off down the unit.
[/size]
[size=36]A Shoe Organizer[/size]
[size]
Finally, you could always hang a burlap sack on a nail and fill it with dirt. Or you can make canvas pouches or use an old shoe organizer and get something very similar to florafelt. You can learn more about this design here.
[/size]
[size]
By now your head is probably buzzing with all the ideas of how you can build your own vertical gardening system.
As long as you stick to the principles of gardening, plants are pretty happy to grow wherever you can get enough dirt, water, and sun. You can ask any plant growing out of the crack of a sidewalk.[/size]
Today at 9:01 am by Proven
» utube MM&C 4/26/24 Iraqi Dinar - US Treasury Exchange Rates- Focus - Banking Partnerships - Rate C
Today at 7:46 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/28/24 Iraq Dinar - IQD - Banks - Merge Regionally - Water - Labor -Jobs - Dinar Value
Today at 7:45 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The water situation in Iraq is not in the best condition.. Aboul Gheit extends an invitat
Today at 7:34 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese advisor explains... Has the 2024 budget entered into force?
Today at 7:23 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Central Bank announces the strengthening of banks’ external accounts by $260 million
Today at 7:21 am by Rocky
» Economist: The path of development is the first gateway to sustainable economic advancement in Iraq
Today at 7:20 am by Rocky
» The green economy and diversity... major projects and challenges that will reap their fruits later -
Today at 7:16 am by Rocky
» Behind the scenes of the state administration meeting: The regional government supports Sudanese wit
Today at 7:14 am by Rocky
» The Real Estate Registry begins activating the electronic restrictions management system program
Today at 7:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani confirms from Riyadh the possibility of cooperation with the German technology company (SA
Today at 7:08 am by Rocky
» On top of which is the path of development.. Al-Awadi announces the most prominent files that the Pr
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic receives the President of the International Labor Organization
Today at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: This week will witness funding the salaries of employees in the Kurdistan Reg
Today at 6:48 am by Rocky
» On an experimental basis... Justice announces the start of activating the electronic barriers manage
Today at 6:46 am by Rocky
» Obelisk Hour: The economic provisions in the strategic framework agreement need to be activated
Today at 6:44 am by Rocky
» Before self-sufficiency... 80 percent of citizens' need for gasoline will be met soon
Today at 6:41 am by Rocky
» A deputy reveals the features of the "five-year plan" to revive Iraqi agriculture
Today at 6:39 am by Rocky
» Deputy: We opened the Council of Ministers to decide the salary scale
Today at 6:38 am by Rocky
» Iraq doubles its investments in modern irrigation engineering by no less than 20%
Today at 6:36 am by Rocky
» Confirming to Shafaq News... The Sudanese arrives in Saudi Arabia to participate in the World Econom
Today at 6:31 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani announces that clues have been found leading to those involved in the Kormor bombing
Today at 6:29 am by Rocky
» Special: Deconstructing the mystery of the repeated targeting of the Kormor field
Today at 6:28 am by Rocky
» Increase in foreign remittance sales at the Central Bank of Iraq
Today at 6:27 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki: The salaries of the region’s employees are continuing, and there will be solutions to del
Today at 6:26 am by Rocky
» Minister of Resources: Iraq is one of the countries most affected by climate change
Today at 5:29 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani arrives in Riyadh to participate in the World Economic Forum
Today at 5:27 am by Rocky
» An Arab call to the countries neighboring Iraq regarding the share of water
Today at 5:26 am by Rocky
» IMF: Poor productivity is responsible for 50% of the decline in economic growth
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic stresses to Barzani the importance of focusing on construction, recons
Today at 5:19 am by Rocky
» Will Iran lose the Iraqi market? 20 million dollars is threatened with loss
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Economy: Parliament will extend the legislative term to approve the budget
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» The price of the dollar is close to 145 thousand dinars؛ how much is $100 worth of transactions؟
Today at 5:13 am by wciappetta
» A factory for producing electric cars
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We have launched strategies to improve the conditions of workers
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Economic prospects from America to Türkiye
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Al-Rayes: The path of development is the first gateway to sustainable economic advancement
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Days after announcing the connection with Jordan, an almost complete absence of electricity in Ramad
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» A Kurdistan delegation meets with the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad to discuss “revenues and implem
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Economy reviews files and the importance of Sudanese’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki talks about postponing the Kurdistan Parliament elections and says that salary transfers w
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» The President of the Republic and Barzani discuss the results of Sudanese’s visit to the United Stat
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» The Ministry of Finance is "dizzy"... An expert points out a "lapse" in the budget schedules: Februa
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Sudanese Advisor: The 2024 budget has entered into force... and there is no need to send its schedul
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi dinar is recovering against the US dollar in local markets
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Iraq.. The claim that OPEC’s decisions affect oil derivatives only and not crude is “inaccurate”
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Al-Bawi: Erdogan failed in his promises to his people and seeks to plunge Iraq into its conflict wit
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese and his battle against corruption.. Where is the fault with the government or with the
Today at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Amnesty International criticizes Iraq's implementation of 13 death sentences
Today at 4:34 am by Rocky
» The ambassador is very angry with Parliament: The homosexuality law obstructs the government and har
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Al-Mandalawi: There is no place for homosexuality in the Iraq of the prophets and saints, and that i
Today at 4:32 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the President of the University: Towards the strength and status of the Arab syst
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Ayed Al-Hilali: All leaders are discussing “the finer details of Sudanese” tonight, and Barzani join
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» He announced the reception of offers from three alliances from international companies for the Baghd
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» During his meeting with the head of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate... Al-Amiri stresses the importa
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» During the launch of the Arab Labor Conference in its 50th session in Baghdad... Al-Sudani: We launc
Today at 4:24 am by Rocky
» Saudi Arabia announces an increase in direct flights with Iraq
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Resources: Government measures have contributed to improving the water situation in Iraq
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Al-Sadr: The voice of American universities calling for an end to Zionist terrorism is our voice
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» International organization: 50% of displaced Iraqis lack official documents
Today at 4:20 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The path of development will provide many job opportunities
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Parliament Finance: The necessity of converting tax and customs revenues to digital processing
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani announces that clues have been found to uncover those involved in the Kormor bombing
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» The start of the work of the Fourth Baghdad International Water Conference
Today at 4:09 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers will suspend official working hours next Wednesday
Today at 4:07 am by Rocky
» An almost complete outage of water and electricity in western Anbar
Today at 4:06 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary expectations of extending the legislative term to approve the budget
Today at 4:00 am by Rocky
» Education: The cost of participating in the electronic school will amount to 200 thousand dinars
Today at 3:59 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani arrives in Riyadh to participate in the World Economic Forum
Today at 3:58 am by Rocky
» A newspaper reveals a dark world that brings together bloggers and politicians
Today at 3:57 am by Rocky
» Al-Marsoumi: The bombing of the Kormor field undermined efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in gas
Today at 3:55 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/24/24 Support - USA- Turkey - Timing- Currency Value - Tabled
Yesterday at 2:18 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary efforts to transform Iraq into a global market for transferring Internet capacities
Yesterday at 2:07 pm by Rocky
» A parliamentary committee that enriches the political forces: Stop plundering Iraq’s wealth and work
Yesterday at 1:56 pm by Rocky
» Politician: Salem Al-Issawi is the most likely to assume the presidency of Parliament
Yesterday at 1:55 pm by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The world today is witnessing crises whose impact has been reflected in the global econo
Yesterday at 9:50 am by Rocky
» The Federal Court responds to an inquiry by Al-Sudani regarding the powers of the provincial council
Yesterday at 9:40 am by Rocky
» Among them are the Iraqis... a list of the most sought-after immigrants to America
Yesterday at 9:38 am by Rocky
» An expert talks about the "biggest barrier" and the positives of merging Iraqi and Arab banks
Yesterday at 9:29 am by Rocky
» The House of Representatives adjourns its session
Yesterday at 9:24 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary demands to expedite the legislation of the Eid al-Ghadir holiday law (documents)
Yesterday at 9:23 am by Rocky
» Parliament adds the paragraph “Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives” to its agenda
Yesterday at 9:21 am by Rocky
» Alsumaria publishes the text of the law against prostitution and homosexuality
Yesterday at 9:20 am by Rocky
» A parliamentarian reveals the reason for the failure of the Speaker of Parliament to pass during tod
Yesterday at 9:19 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government has launched many strategies and initiatives that will improve the reality
Yesterday at 8:42 am by Rocky
» International Business: Iraq has made progress in supporting businesses through investment and priva
Yesterday at 8:33 am by Rocky
» Association of Banks: Iraq is witnessing great development in the transition to electronic governmen
Yesterday at 8:25 am by Rocky
» The House of Representatives votes to add an item to its agenda (election of the Speaker of the Hous
Yesterday at 8:22 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary integrity: Combating corruption requires parliamentary legislation
Yesterday at 8:15 am by Rocky
» Al-Karaawi: America is trying to restrict Iraq
Yesterday at 8:13 am by Rocky
» The State of Law coalition moves to form the local government in Diyala
Yesterday at 8:12 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese and his battle against corruption.. Where is the fault with the government or with the
Yesterday at 8:11 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister's Advisor: We will see the dollar fall on the black market soon
Yesterday at 8:09 am by Rocky
» The Sunni blocs are resolute. The presidency of the Council is ours, away from Al-Halbousi
Yesterday at 8:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani discusses with a workers’ organization his government’s steps in this field
Yesterday at 7:58 am by Rocky
» Parliament holds its session in the presence of 170 deputies
Yesterday at 7:57 am by Rocky
» In the presence of Nechirvan Barzani and Al-Sudani... the State Administration Coalition holds an “i
Yesterday at 7:55 am by Rocky
» The UAE company ADNOC resorts to Iraqi oil. Find out the reasons
Yesterday at 7:53 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi Parliament votes to add an item to elect a president to its agenda
Yesterday at 7:52 am by Rocky