As lovely as it might be to have a large swath of land that can be tilled for edibles and ornamentals, not every piece of property is appropriate for widespread gardening. That can be particularly true with log or timber homes, since many are built on terrain that isn’t suited to expansive gardens. You might be on a mountainside or tucked into a forest with plenty of grand views, but flat space and ample sunshine are at a premium.
Happily, there’s no need to ditch your gardening dreams, if you think up instead of out.
The concept of vertical gardening allows you to use smaller slices of land, while still putting plenty of plants in place. With some savvy strategies, you can grow a full garden’s worth of vegetables on the rise — and they’re easier to harvest, too. Try these tips:
Fine on the Vine
When you’re using trellises or columns, vining plants do especially well because you can “train” them to expand upward. Peas, grapes, cucumbers, zucchini or even hardy kiwi are great options.
If you’ve ever wanted to dabble in brewing your own beer, hops are an excellent addition to a vertical garden space. They can be lush enough to provide shade for a seating area, but still produce a sizable yield for home-brew efforts.
Stack It Up
Vining plants aren’t the only varieties that lend themselves to vertical gardening. Help our climbing-challenged friends along by placing containers into lattice, a potting wall or another existing structure in an area that gets a proper amount of sun.
For example, you might create a wall of herbs by affixing several hearty beams alongside an outbuilding, or even on the house itself. Pots can be arranged on these, but be sure to secure them so they’re safe during storms.
Another idea is to install three to four poles in an open space, such as one end of a porch, and then hang plants on them. This gives you the option of moving them around easily, especially if you have to bring some of the herbs in for the winter.
Try building your own terraced wall by stacking antique crates or boxes in an offset pattern, like building with blocks. Just be sure to provide some reinforcement so that they don’t come tumbling down.
You can even convert an old dresser into a vertical garden by staggering the open drawers. Just place it in a sunny spot, insert a drainage liner, soil, fertilizer and plants and voila! Instant garden — just add water.
Because these savvy and sustainable strategies rely on just a few new materials and/or on existing structures, a vertical garden can be done affordably and save you money on your weekly produce bill. This way, you can have the joy of watching your bank balance grow right along with your plants.
A Square Meal
Looking for another way to get the most fruits and veggies from a limited amount of space? It’s square-foot gardening to the rescue!
Developed in 1981 by gardener and retired engineer Mel Bartholomew, “square foot gardening” has become highly prized by folks with limited growing area — even city dwellers — because it allows for high productivity in very small spaces.
Start by building raised beds; a common choice is a 4-by-4 foot square, but many people also opt for long, narrow rectangles. Regardless of shape, build the bed to a depth of about 6 inches and fill it with a rich soil mix that drains and aerates well, rather than taking dirt from a surrounding area. Each section of the bed is divided into 1-foot squares, so you end up with a grid. Then you grow something different in each.
This method allows you to plant compactly instead of sewing seedlings in long rows, and you can configure your beds in any available space that has adequate light, rather than just in areas with flat terrain or the right soil conditions. Planting in packs also minimizes weeds, and using a variety of vegetation within such a tight space improves bed biodiversity — a strategy called “companion planting” that can reduce pests. The result is a bounty of plants that thrive.
See Also: Your Guide to Succession Planting
