Often , bud nurseryman will think they need the perfect while of state to start growing , but that is n’t the case at all . I cognise this because my own veggie garden is contained to a little , rather leftover opus of dry land . I had to get a second creative with how I built it . As I could n’t move out , I had to grow it up . Here ’s my unique vertical garden and tips for create your own . You ’ll never believe how much food can be grown in a small space until you see my singular raised garden bed !
This post has been a long time in the qualification . It ’s take heap of trial and error to come to this point , but I hope this information is helpful and inspiring to those of you with little spaces or uniquely shape garden .
For me , this evoke bed planter is a unique result that was bear out of necessity . This area is an awkward small space , but now you would n’t believe how much food it produce !
This harvest all came from my vertical garden bed.
Update ! This vertical garden was exit behind for the new householder in my previous garden , but it was one of my favourite creations .
permit me show you exactly how my vertical garden bed all came together !
Why I Created This Unique Vertical Garden
allow me back up and explain how I arrive to this point with my vertical garden set up . antecedently , the vegetable garden place was situated on a farsighted strip of dirt that is the only part of the garden that gets full sun .
The original set up only allowed for 20 sq ft of garden space which is not nearly enough for me . Now , the garden has more than doubled that square footage by using creative vertical get up bed !
The garden in my abode was design without much intellection for the sun . A Confederate States - facing backyard has always been my dream garden , and yet , with this space , it has been an ongoing challenge .
Is n’t that always the case ? You in the end get that dream garden and it has its own exercise set of unique issues .
Gardening in the Sun vs the Shade
I like to have the sun on my plants and shade onmy fair , freckled cutis . I get pretty ardent in the summertime months when it get hot , and so I ’m always seek out the spectre .
When I move into this home I apace realized that the existing design in the garden was the opponent of that . The sunny garden layer on the south side of the belongings were establish with trees . They did n’t do anything to shade the lawn andthe upper deck of cards which got red-hot blaze sunshine all day long through midsummer but create deep tint in the garden . UGH .
Why I Made a Vertical Garden
The designing in my backyard had a 20 foot by 5 metrical unit section of the garden for growing vegetables . This would have been just fine except thatthe sphere is also elevated . This particular area is raise off the ground by 5 foot . There was no fencing material around the edge of the garden and the premature owners had a raise plank in the middle of the seam to reach both sides of the veggie garden .
suppose you ’re five foot up from the flat coat with no fence and you ’re now raised an extra 6 inches up on a platform reaching down to get it the vegetables below .
It was not only a little act heart - wracking to garden in the blank space , but it did n’t take long formy back to achelike crazy .
So , I came up with a design that had two long raised beds along either side of the garden with a crushed rock walk in between .
That still did n’t give enough outer space to plant vegetables . Each bed was 20 ft longsighted and about 12 to 18 ft wide . In a hearty human foot garden that mean about 30 - 40 plant life .
I could n’t go out any further , so my only option was to acquire up , reverse one bed into a three - level raised bottom . This gave me an extra 40 straight understructure of veg garden , essentially doubling the infinite .
How to Build a Vertical Garden
First , let me introduce by sayingbuilding a three - tier raised bottom that ’s 20 feet farsighted is not easy . I ’ll take it was not cheap either . However , the toll and movement were more than worth it for the finished product .
Each box is 12 in wide and 20 in long . To make installment as gentle as possible , they werebuilt in 10 - foot - long sectionsthat were then plug in together .
To support the raised garden bed , I havemounted copper supportson the close of each as well as in the middle where the two 10 - foot - long bed are connect . The beds are alsobolted to the fencebehind , where my neighbour grows a grapevine — all this to say that the vertical garden bed are very uncompromising .
How to Care for a Vertical Garden
Let ’s talk about how to care for the plant develop in a vertical garden like this one , because there are particular consideration if you use this design . There are challenge with sunlight , water , and airflow that I have needed to overcome .
Sunlight Needs for a Vertical Garden
Just over one-half of the seam getfull Sunday . The top of the three tier gets full sunshine all summer long . The south - look parting of the bottom two tiers also get full Lord’s Day . And the single layer on the other side gets full sunlight .
The middle , back of the middle and bottom tiers , however , is a different story . These orbit get mostly shade from the box seat above but also the grape that develop on the neighbor ’s fence .
So when I ’m planning out my garden I ’m sure to let in my sun lovers in the cheery parts of the bed , andedible blossom , lettuces , and shade - tolerant herb in the second and bottom level .
Again , this all take some trial run and error to get correct . I originally plantedstrawberries on the bottom grade because it was a smashing top for my son to pick Chuck Berry from when he was untested . Sadly , the shaded berries were always bland and modest without enough hot summer Sunday , so they had to be relocate . Now , they are thriving once again !
How to Water a Vertical Garden
Watering is also a morsel of a challenge with the 2nd two tiers . Obviouslythey do n’t get rainfall , which is something that I enumerate on survive in the Pacific Northwest when it rains much of the year .
Truthfully , I do n’t do a lot of tearing in my garden in universal . Much of the gardens are established and drouth - tolerant . Of course , veggie and yearly postulate a lot of water through the growing season .
I tend to plan my vegetable garden planting so thatI’m planting seed and transplants the right way before it rains . This way , the spring rains really help to plunk up and settle the new plants .
Since the 2d and third quarrel do n’t get any of that pelting . I have to manage for those differently . If there ’s enough rainfall , the second seam will get a little turn of overflowdrip from the top prove garden bottom .
When there ’s a downpour , some of that overspill will even drip down from that 2nd bed into the third . However , in general , I need to have supplemental water all year roundfor the 2d and third rows if I desire to grow anything in the showery time of year .
I set up two unlike watering systems to support the beds .
The first was asolar - powered dribble systemattached to arain barrel . This is a great organisation because when the atmospheric condition is sunny and hot , it actuate the tearing system to go on mechanically with water collected in the rain barrel . The sunnier it is , the more it waters the garden . middling smart !
The only issuance with this system was that itbroke down after just a year . As it was quite expensive , it was n’t something that I wanted to keep repairing and working on every twelvemonth . alternatively , I ’ve runsoaker hosesthrough the layer and just change by reversal on the dribble system .
I use timersin the summer so that they can go on mechanically when they really need that spare pee .
Providing Airflow in Raised Garden Beds
This raised seam blueprint was meant to be open enough so that there were18 inches above the top of the soil for the plants to grow before they would hit the top of the next seam . This gives flock of elbow room for small shorter plant such as Viola and faggot , as well asedible flowers , baby lettuce , radish , and low - develop jet .
However , you’re able to never plan for ( or restraint ) what happens on the other side of your fence . My neighbor has some moss - covered window blocking the garden bottom .
In theory , I consider this is to keep our computed axial tomography out of her garden , but unhappily , all it does is cut back the airflow to the bottom bed . So far , everything has mature okay , but it ’s certainly something to study .
What to Plant in a Stacked Vertical Garden
Harvesting food from this garden is so simple and playfulness ! It ’s easy on my back , for starters . I often get need how I reach the upper beds , and the answer to that is dim-witted . I climb up onto the bottom seam and can easily arrive at the plants at the top to harvest the food .
In the upper bed , I usually plant cosmetic and short - growingpeppers , along with tumbling tomato plant or smaller - sizedtomatoes . I also put other sunlight - devotee up there , like eggplant andgarlic .
Because the beds are raised up , I do n’t trellis peas and noggin up . Instead , I let them grow down . I can then well blame them from the garden below ! This is one of my preferent ways to plant trellis veggies . you’re able to dothe same method in give ear basketstoo .
My preferred vegetables to grow in the garden are :
I get a great harvest by plantingallof these in the recruit garden bottom . This organic fertilizer , homegrown food will flow us for most of the summer calendar month .
Vertical Garden: a Fun Way to Garden in Raised Garden Beds
The vegetable garden is always a show plug when my garden is part of garden tours or when friends come over to visit . My friendTara Nolanwho compose the best - selling bookRaised Bed Revolution , pay off peculiarly excite when she saw it . She even took photos of it to share on her societal media .
Truly , despite all the challenges and campaign to arrange up , I have it away this space . I hope you did as well !
More Unique Vegetable Gardening Tips
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