Have you wanted to start a beautiful garden but lack the space to do so? Maybe you’re residing in an area where you have limited space or in an upper floor apartment that has no yard. Be that as it may, that doesn’t mean you should give up on growing your own vegetables and fruits, due to a lack of space. How about this – what if you took inspiration from city architects and started vertical gardening?
Vertical gardens have become increasingly popular in recent years. Growing upwards and not outwards permits you to take full advantage of a restricted space to maximize your crop of fruit and veggies. It is easy to transform a porch, a balcony or the inside of your home into a stunning, garden masterpiece. You get all the advantages of conventional style gardening, but without the space constraints.
Keep reading to learn more about vertical gardening.
Assess How Much Sunlight You Need
Firstly, you need to check whether the sunlight in the chosen location is ample enough. Based on how much sunlight the site is receiving, you can come up with a list of plants that can be grown under the prevailing conditions. If you have already decided the crop you’re going to grow, and it requires a great deal of sunlight, you need to find an area that’s capable of providing that. If your options for locating your plants is limited and the area available does not receive enough sunlight, there are many plants that will grow successfully in low-lighting situations.
Decide What You Will Grow
After checking the sunlight conditions in your garden, it is now time to decide the plants that you want to grow. If your intention is to start a garden under low-light, winter crops and green leafy veggies are your best bet, since they can withstand the duller conditions. But if the garden has an ample supply of sunlight, there’s no limit to the possibilities at all. You can start growing almost anything in your new vertical garden.
Decide What Vertical Garden Type You Want
Now that you’ve decided on the crops you’d like to start growing, it is time to decide on which type of vertical garden to have. Will it simply comprise of airy, hanging baskets or be more substantial? You could use untreated, old pallet timber to fashion out vertical planter boxes. You may also install shelves around your house to create a a vertical bank of growing containers. Another effective method is to use trellises to grow naturally vining vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers. There are few limitations on how creative you can get.
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Plant Your Garden and Care for the Plants
Vertical gardening and regular gardening don’t differ much here. You have to plant the crops and then feed and water them regularly – just as you would do with normal crops. As a matter of fact, watering has a greater role to play when you’re using hanging baskets or containers as the plants lose moisture quicker. This is especially true for hanging baskets as the air will dry out the roots. You need to water plants grown in baskets more frequently compared to those growing in traditional conditions.
Harvest and Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor
When everything is done and the fruits and veggies are ripe for plucking, it is time to start harvesting and enjoying your bounty! Some gardeners believe that vertical gardens are more efficient compared to traditional ones due to more abundant yields and fewer dead plants. A vertical garden can also reduce infestations from slugs and other ground-dwelling pests. Obviously, this will reduce the quantity of pesticides needed for tending your crops.
In Conclusion
By adopting vertical gardening and building an awesome environment in a limited space you can easily get around any environmental constraints and transform your dreams into reality. You just need to start with a plan and implement it!
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