The Vertical Hydroponic Garden Wall

I frequently go to a local coffee shop in my hometown of Oregon City, OR to write my AC articles. Yesterday while there, I noticed a new garden wall and large garden space being created behind the building. From the road I could see a huge green wall of growing plants and flowers so I parked and went to explore. The area was beautiful.

The back wall of the building has been transformed into a living wall of green and on the side, the entire length of the building is a growing green vertical hydroponic garden. Four huge columns, each one about 12 feet high and as big around as a fifty gallon drum have green plants circling the columns. It was a beautiful, tranquil area.

As I walked around the front again to go into the little coffee shop, I noticed a new business next door that had a sign that said it carried all the necessary equipment to make a vertical hydroponic garden wall so I went inside and spoke to the owner. The gardener outside was making vertical hydroponic hanging gardens in the area which was to soon become an outdoor café and an arts and crafts festival on weekends. This Sunday was the grand opening.

I asked about how the wall gardens were made and this is what I learned about the benefits of hydroponic gardening:

It's a garden that is environmentally-friendly, pesticide-free and needs less water that traditional gardening methods.

A hydroponic garden has reduced carbon emissions and higher sustainability.

It has year-round, balanced plant growth.

There is increased yield at harvest.

There is low maintenance and it is fun and easy to build and manage.

Any type of plant can be grown--flowers, bulbs, fruits, vegetables, herbs or a combination.

The tending and care of the garden can be done from a standing position. No stooping involved!

No soil is used so there is much less weight to hang on the side of a fence, your home or a balcony or deck.

It produces bigger, better and more productive plants.

There are many commercial systems available to buy but it is extremely easy and economical to build your own hydroponic 'grow wall'. To set up your own vertical grow system, choose a space on your fence or wall of your home or outbuilding where you would like to see a beautiful, green wall of plants and flowers. You can build a frame for your hanging garden or just mount the fabric directly to the wall or fence. Be sure to use protective plastic backing if the wall is part of your home or if a wooden fence needs to be protected. On a cement wall, you can mount the frame directly on the cement or blocks. A south-facing wall is best but any wall can be used. A north-facing wall should be avoided in cooler climates.

The system I looked at today was built on a very simple wooden frame. A large picture frame- type structure was very simply built and covered with fuzzy, wicking, felt-like gardening fabric (the kind used when constructing a garden pond). The fabric was wrapped loosely around the frame, covering the wood. This frame was then attached securely to the chosen wall.

Decide whether you want to make one very large frame structure or several smaller frames to attach to the wall or fence.Next, form small pouches or pockets all over the fabric using a staple gun to hold them in place. These pouches will hold the plants. The small plants will eventually adhere to the felt fabric and grow into it. All you will need to do is water and feed the plants with a good organic-type plant food. Ask your nursery for suggestions.

The fabric and little plants must be kept moist at all times and can be watered by misting with a hose, but the easiest way is to place a misting system at the top of the frame and let the water cascade down over the plants.

Each type of hanging garden has different watering and feeding requirements, depending on the light and type of plants (talk to a local nursery about the best plants for your wall), Most gardeners water their vertical gardens three times a day for 8 to 10 minutes. You will need to add organic fertilizer to the water to make sure the plants get necessary nutrients.