Vertical Gardening

People everywhere are getting back to nature for a variety of reasons. Some enjoy working outdoors, others enjoy actually producing food they can put on their table. Whatever the reason, in these trying times a backyard garden can help save you money, and allow you to eat a little healthier.

A universal problem in most urban areas is the amount of space available for a garden. When laying out your plans for a garden, don't limit yourself by thinking how many square feet can I dedicate to this project? Let's say you can only spare a five foot by ten foot area. What can you grow in that amount of space? Think up. Plants need soil to grow, but that doesn't mean they have to be planted in the ground. A vertical garden can produce higher yields with a larger variety of plants in a smaller amount of area. There is also less work and fewer problems with things such as blight and fungus. It is simply, and can be done at a relatively low cost. Here's how.

First, mark off your bed on the ground. If you are building a raised bed, go ahead and build the borders and put a four inch post in each corner. The post should extend up approximately six to eight feet. At the top of the post add a frame so you now have a square frame directly above your ground level garden. On this frame you will hang plastic buckets. These should be either 2 or 3 gallon buckets, preferably 3 gallon. In the bottom of each bucket you will need to cut a one inch round hole. In this hole you will place a piece of Styrofoam. The Styrofoam needs to have a small slit cut from one edge to the center. When inserted into the hole the Styrofoam needs to fit snugly. Between two of the posts you will now insert three to four boards placed at approximately a thirty degree angel. In these boards you will cut four inch holes, as many as will fit between the posts depending on the size of your garden. Into these holes you will place four inch terracotta pots. The angled pots should fit into the hole snugly and will preferably be facing east.

On the opposite end of your garden you will secure a piece of lattice against the posts. At the base of the lattice you will want to build a slight extension from you frame extending out about eighteen inches and which is approximately six inches in depth. Once this is complete, fill the main bed, the buckets, and the terracotta pots with soil. Now you are ready to plant.

In the ground level bed you want to plant items which produce the largest fruit, such as pumpkins, watermelons, cantaloupe or lettuce. You may also want to plant items which require more soil such as carrots, onions, or potatoes. For the hanging buckets you will want to purchase starter plants. These plants will be placed in the hole at the bottom of the bucket and extend through the Styrofoam. The plants will grow fine upside down and will eliminate the need for weeding, and will make harvesting much easier. Items which will do well in these buckets include all types of tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini and many types of beans.

In the terracotta pots you can plant a variety of herbs. In the bottom row you can also plant strawberries. These small pots will yield enough herbs for the average family with plenty to spare. At the base of the lattice you can plant any type of vine, such as beans of peas. These should grow along the lattice and not interfere with your other plants. You will find the contained area is much easier to water, you will have fewer problems with weeds. Also, if you need to secure it from wildlife, it is a much smaller area to protect.

The plan above is meant to provide a vertical garden at a minimal cost. If you want to spruce it up a bit and build handsome wooden boxes rather than plastic buckets, that is your choice. However you make it look, you should find you can produce a larger and more varied crop from a much smaller small. Good luck, and good farming.