Whether you live in a city apartment or have a small yard that appears to be too small for a garden, worry not. There is an awesome space-efficient solution for you: build a vertical garden!
Vertical gardens don’t need much space. They are elegant and environmentally friendly, adding color to bland architectural designs. What’s more, they are easy to build.
In this article, we outline the crucial steps to follow when building a DIY vertical garden. Let’s get to it.
Consider the Conditions of Your Area
In order to choose the right combination of plant varieties for your vertical garden planter, you need to determine the climate conditions, rain density, sunlight availability and other surrounding factors that influence plant growth.
Be sure to research comprehensively the growth characteristics, size, and sunlight and water needs of various plants on a vertical surface. This will help you select the best plants for your vertical garden.
Decide on the Type of Garden
There are a variety of vertical gardens to choose from. The container-style garden is one of the easiest options. It involves attaching potted plants to a wall or displaying them in rows. You can also stack planters.
A pocket garden is another great option. It features plants tucked into pockets made from canvas or felt. Other options for growing a vertical garden include:
- Large plastic or wooden wall planters with panels or slots
- Recycled shipping pallets
In these two options, the soil is less contained. You might need to use wire mesh to prevent the contents from spilling.
For a wooden pallet, you need to also staple landscaping fabric to the back, bottom, and side of the pallet. Then, you can fill the inside of the pallet with soil and grow plants in the slat openings.
Decide on the Location of Your Garden
You can place a vertical garden virtually anywhere, outdoors or indoors. But the type of sun exposure that your plants require should help you determine the appropriate location.
If you are looking to grow succulent plants, such as cacti, for example, you should choose a space that has partial exposure. Succulents may not thrive in a place with full shade or full sun.
Select Your Plants
There is a wide range of options when it comes to choosing the right plants for your vertical garden. These include succulents, vegetables, herbs, native perennials, ferns, and trailing varieties such as philodendron.
However, it is important to consider the flexibility of your desired plants since you will be growing them vertically. Herbaceous plants would make a better choice than woody ones. Namely, herbaceous plants are somewhat more flexible in the way they fall.
Conversely, woody varieties, such as shrubs, vines, or trees, have rigid, wooden stems. Instead of drooping down or flowing up, they will grow parallel to the ground and stick out.
It is advisable to mix plants with the same growth habits. Generally, you will want to choose all-shade or all-sun plants. You also want to use plants that have the same growth rate. If you grow a plant with a slow growth rate next to one with a faster rate, the more aggressive variety may overpower the other.
Choose the Best Irrigation System
You want sufficient water running through your vertical garden to ensure that your plants grow properly and mature in time.
A drip irrigation system is normally the best choice for a vertical garden. At first, your garden may need more maintenance than an ordinary in-the-ground garden. Vertical gardens are more compact and hence have less soil.
That’s why they usually need to be watered more often. Watering them can also be a challenge, especially with larger vertical gardens. Drip irrigation systems ensure that water is evenly distributed in your garden. These systems range from sophisticated ones with hoses and timers to simpler ones with holes in the bottom of planters that allow for water to drip down.
Conclusion
Vertical gardens are beautiful and impressive. They are an excellent way to maximize space in a small garden space, especially in urban dwellings. They are also simple to build. You just need to follow the above steps to build a vertical garden in your home.
