Whether you’re living in an apartment with only a small patio or your yard is 5x5 feet, growing upwards helps you capitalize on small spaces and increase your harvests.
There’s a type of vertical garden for everyone and every space. Some common types include trellised gardens, hanging grow bags, and containers placed on shelves. To get started on vertical gardening, follow these 5 steps.
1. Assess the Sunlight
One of the most amazing things about plants is that they convert light into food. However, this means that they require light to grow. Once you choose a place for your vertical garden, watch it for a few days to determine how many hours of sunlight it receives. If the area receives less than 6 hours of sunlight each day, consider growing plants that require less light. If you’re growing plants inside, you can always use a grow light to boost the amount of light your plants receive.
2. Choose What to Grow
After noting the amount of light you’re working with, it’s time to choose what crops to grow. If you’re dealing with low levels of light, consider growing crops such as lettuce, spinach, and kale. When determined what to grow, also note the amount of space you have. Plants such as tomatoes and winter squash will take up more room than lettuce and herbs.
3. Determine the Type of Vertical Garden
After you’ve figured out what you want to grow, it’s time to figure out which growing method will work best. One of the best tips for your first DIY vertical garden is to match your crops with growing methods that suit them.
Vining crops such as pole beans, peas, and cucumbers will grow well up a trellis made of bamboo or strings. Short crops including lettuce, herbs, and arugula will do well in hanging grow bags, vertically-stacked containers, or hanging baskets. To stop plants such as tomatoes and peppers from sprawling all over the place, encourage them to grow upward by supporting them with a wire cage or string trellis system. Companion planting is another great way to ensure healthy plants.
4. Plant Your Crops and Maintain Your Plants
Once you’ve planted your crops, it’s time to maintain them. This involves some of the same care methods involved with normal gardens such as watering, fertilizing, and checking for pests. However, vertical gardens might require some extra care such as training plants on trellises. When you plant in a hanging basket, grow bag, or container, the soil will tend to dry out faster than soil in the ground. So, plants in these types of containers might require extra watering.
5. Harvest and Enjoy
The last step is the one you’ve been waiting for: harvesting! It’s especially important to harvest fruiting crops such as tomatoes and melons regularly, as fruits can way down and damage plants. Another benefit of the DIY vertical garden is that harvests are easier since they require less bending.
Wrap Up
If you follow these 5 steps, you’ll be harvesting in no time. Even if you do have ample space to garden, give vertical gardening a try to add something different to your garden.