Vertical gardens are a great way to grow your own produce. They are also a great way to conserve water. We’ll be going through what a vertical garden is , what you’ll need to begin one, and what you’ll need to maintain one.
By definition a vertical garden is “A garden that grows in vertical space. The area that is planted can be on a single plane or multiple shelves.” Because of this these gardens can also be referred to as Green walls. or Living walls.
What makes vertical gardening successful is the full use of vertical space in order to grow plants and reduce the amount of soil needed to grow plants. This has become increasingly important due to soil’s degradation and drainage problems, not to mention cleanup costs.
Vertical gardening is also a good option for homeowners wanting to garden year round. As with any gardening project, the keys to successful vertical gardening are proper planning, preparation and the right design.
What is a Vertical Garden?
A vertical garden is a garden that is placed on an existing structure such as a wall, fence, balcony, etc. A vertical garden allows water to drain down to the ground as opposed to being held in planters or tray.
Advantages of vertical gardens – Because you are growing your garden on a vertical surface, you are free to pursue many options in design and style. Decorative walls and features can be added to your garden.
Disadvantages of vertical gardens – If you want a garden that produces food and gives you the most yield for your area, then you may want to choose another option. Vertical gardens are perfect for beauty and visual grandeur, but may not be ideal for growing large amounts of food.
Types of Vertical Gardens
Vertical gardens are a great way to beautify your home and they’re not as difficult to maintain as they might seem. There are many different types of vertical gardens that you can consider installing in your home.
Self Watering Vertical Gardens
The easiest type of vertical garden to maintain is a self-watering vertical garden. It is important to consider how much space you have available in your home when you are choosing a vertical garden for your home.
Containerized vertical garden systems
Containerized green wall systems allow plants to stay in the pots that they’ve grown into. They’re popular because they offer multiple benefits:
- It’s easier to replace plants, for example if you want poinsettias during the holiday season, you can easily remove the pots currently holding other plants and replace them with poinsettias.
- It’s easy to swap out the arrangements of your plants. Just move them around and they’ll suit whichever spot they land in.
- It’s easy to replace plants when they need more or less water in their pots since they’re in pots already.
- With this type of green wall, you can change out the planters really quickly without affecting operation time.
Benefits of Vertical Gardens
Not only is vertical gardening visually appealing, but it has a lot of benefits as well. It’s a great way to grow and enjoy your favorite flowers and vegetables, and the vertical approach benefits both your garden and the plants.
Vertical gardens are a great way to save space and promote healthy living. They are also an effective way to decrease air pollution. They are also a great way to save space and promote healthy living. They are also an effective way to decrease air pollution.
Grow More in Less Space
When you grow plants on vertical supports or in containers, they take up less space. This means you can grow more plants in a closer area, like your balcony or backyard.
Grow in less common places
There are many advantages to vertical gardening, one of which is that you can make use of any space you have where you can’t actually grow anything – like on walls or fences. In addition, plants in pots can be placed anywhere there’s sun. Options include a sunny driveway, hanging from a balcony or even on a rooftop.
Add both beauty & privacy to an area
Vertical gardening is amazing for any garden – growing up instead of out will bring joy and visual interest to your yard. Structure & supports can be used in beautiful ways to create privacy, hide less desirable areas, or even divide sections of the garden into ‘rooms’.
Easy To Maintain
Vertical gardening is a great way to grow a garden quickly. One of the best reasons to do it is that you don’t have to take care of it as much- you can concentrate on other aspects of your business. Another perk is that there’s less risk of problems like weeds, pests, or diseases in your vegetables.
How I Built My Vertical Garden
I was inspired by a neighbor’s vertical garden and I wanted to learn how to build a vertical garden myself. I went to the hardware store and bought a few pieces of wood and some nails.
Here’s my step by step guide on building a building vertical garden:
Choose the wall for your plants
Before you start planting your vertical garden, consider what costs more: plants costs or a large wall? Either will work for this kind of garden but there are certain challenges associated with both.
In other words, is your main consideration just to cover a particular wall, or would you rather grow certain types of plants?
For example, if you want to grow plants that love the sun, look for a wall that’ll give them as much sunshine as possible. On the other hand, if your selected plants prefer shadows and indirect light, you should look for somewhere shielded from direct sunlight.
Set Up the Vertical Garden Frame
Once you know what type of plants you want to grow and where your vertical garden will live, set up the frame.
You have a few choices here. Solid metal is sturdy and durable, but also heavy and expensive. Wooden frames are durable and lighter to carry, but they’re porous which means you’ll need to seal them every year if you want to protect their quality for a long time.
Keep in mind that your metal frame will be attached to the wall of your garden, so make sure it will be able to hold the weight (especially once you start adding other heavy items that might hang on it).
Attach a Backing Layer
The next step is to attach the backing layer to the frame – it’s one that will serve two purposes.
There’s a few steps we need to take in order to get this done. Primarily, we’ll create some empty pockets at the front of the planter using an inner lining. When that step is done, we can then get started on filling out your planter with your choice of plant and soil.
Second, the wall will also help protect the water your vertical garden is exposed to if you’re watering each day.
Attach a Fabric Layer
Next, attach the fabric to the front – this is going to be what people see and it’s where you’ll put your plants.
This process is flexible. You can use any material, depending on how waterproof it is. If you want a high-quality wall, you can buy ‘drywall’ or mortar for this – but if your finished piece will be filled with plants, there’s no need to go for expensive materials just yet.
Install the Irrigation & Fertilizer Systems
You’ll quickly realise that, unlike regular gardens, giving water to a vertical garden is no easy task. You could use a hose, but there are simpler ways to do it. Installing an irrigation system that’s designed for vertical gardens will allow you to conserve your time and effort.
If you don’t have one yet, you should really get an irrigation system. They automatically water your garden for you and will probably be the best way to go.
Once you’ve chosen your system for water (irrigation), you’ll need to purchase a fertilizer injection system. Many options are available at the store.
Attach The Frame To a Wall
Once your frame is set up, you will need to mount it on the wall. You can choose to have it stay there permanently or build it so that you can easily detach it.
The beauty of a movable garden is that it allows you to grow only the plants that will thrive in the current climate – during cold months, you can take it down and store it somewhere warmer, like in your garage
Installing a vertical garden permanently probably means it will last longer. In addition, the size of your vertical garden can also be a factor as removing larger plants might not be practical.
Add Your Plants – Get Creative!
Your vertical garden is done. All that’s left is to add the plants.
To make pouches for your plants, cut small slits in the fabric with a sharp knife. Gently shake the dirt off the roots of your plants, then place them in their new homes.
Once you’ve put the plant in the pot, fold the plastic back to create a space around each root and punch lots of neat little holes with a stapler.
Vertical gardening is the best way to create a space for yourself or your family’s needs. You can now make your own garden from scratch and choose from different colours of plants and leaves to show off your creativity.
One thing is for sure—once your vertical garden is set up it will be the centre of attention at any house party you throw!
Conclusion
We’ve done our best to make sure you are up-to-date on what you need to know about vertical gardens, including the different types & styles as well as how to make your own at home.
I really hope that you like this post and comment your thoughts below!
