While indoor gardening is a fantastic option for many, one of the biggest problems these types of gardens face is space. Indoor space is often very limited, and this can impact the amount of plants you can grow. Gardeners have worked to come up with creative ideas to solve this problem, and today we’ll look at one such solution, vertical gardening. In this article we’ll look at starting a vertical indoor gardening, why you might want to, and the options you have to set one up.
What Exactly Is a Vertical Garden?
First off, let’s look at exactly what a vertical garden is. Simply put, vertical gardening is the art of build gardens that take advantage of vertical space. This allows you to grow more in a smaller footprint by utilizing space up instead of out.
It can help to take a look at some examples, and we’ll have some in the next section.
You’ll notice the wide variety of vertical indoor garden options. While there are a number of pre-build solutions on the market, creative types can have a lot of fun customizing their space.
Why Start a Vertical Indoor Garden?
Next, it might be helpful to look at why you might want to start a vertical garden in the first place. Some of the benefits are pretty apparent, but others not quite as much.
Saves Space
Probably the most obvious reason is that vertical indoor gardens save space. Going up instead of out means you can fit more into the same space. This is the big draw for many urban gardeners, and means even a tiny apartment can have a relatively large garden.
Easier to Maintain
Depending on the setup, some vertical gardens can actually be easier to maintain than traditional gardens. Certain styles have a trickle down effect that allows you to only water the top most plants and have the excess water flow down to the lower ones. This helps reduce the time you need to water and can help make maintaining your garden easier.
Looks Great
Many vertical indoor gardens also have the added benefit of looking great. They often look striking and add a lot of flair to a room. For those looking for a plant based focal point for a room vertical gardens are one of the best options that are sure to impress guests.
Setting Up
Now that we have a basic understanding of vertical gardens let’s look at some examples.
Pocket Garden
If you’re looking to start this type of garden there are a lot of pre-made solutions available. You can also build your own using fabric or even shoe holders.
Wall Planters
A big concern here is dripping water. While you can likely catch water dripping from higher plants with those below, you’ll need to provide a way to catch it at the bottom or take care to prevent sitting water.
Pallets and Shelves
These take on a more “traditional” garden feel, but do end up saving a bit of room on the ground. Shelves are a low effort way to get a bit more out of a small space.
Other Systems
Outside of that, there are tons of other options for vertical gardens. For those looking to really get into it there are numerous examples of complex wall gardens that work in watering and feeding. These look great, and once built can reduce the time it takes to maintain your garden.
For those not looking to take on a big project there are tons of pre-built solutions that are great. These can range in price and complexity to cheap and easy up to very expensive.
Choosing Plants & Maintenance
Lastly, it’s important to consider what types of plants you’re looking to grow in your vertical indoor garden. In general, you’ll want to look for plants that have shallow root systems as these grow best in smaller containers. Depending on your garden this might not be a concern, but for many it will be.
This leaves the door open to most herbs, certain veggies like lettuce or kale, and a wide variety of decorative plants. Deep root plants like many larger fruits and veggies however are generally not great choices for many vertical gardens. They simply require too much space to grow.
For plant care you simply want to follow the same procedures you would for the plants you’re growing while keeping a few things in mind. For one, depending on your system you may be able to recycle water or fertilizer from the top on down. This means plants getting residual nutrients don’t need to be cared for as intensely as a lone plant would be.
The other thing to keep in mind is the size and type of your container. Smaller containers will naturally grow smaller plants which in turn need less nutrients. You don’t want to water a plant growing in a small pocket like you would one in a large pot. You also want to be sure that whatever container type you do use to make sure it either drains well or doesn’t keep root containing soil too moist. This will help you prevent issues with root rot.
Vertical Indoor Garden
Hopefully the above has inspired you to give vertical gardening a try. It truly is a unique way to garden, and can really be a huge space saver.
Let us know your thoughts and whether you’ve tried vertical gardening. Did we miss your favorite type of favorite vertical garden? Let us know!
