Vertical gardening is an ideal option for those staying in city areas, where agricultural land is limited. Plants can be trained for growing in vertical gardens by making use of vertical supports or frames. As plants grow upright naturally, training plants to extend upwards is not so difficult. The basic principle of vertical garden is more or less similar to hydroponics. In a vertical garden, the plant root system is supported with a fibrous material that is supplemented with plant nutrients. Watering the plants is done via the support material.
Vertical gardening can be implemented indoors as well as outdoors. Many times, vertical spaces are left in the traditional method of gardening. Let's take an example of a vegetable garden where wide spaces are left between the vegetable rows. These spaces can be used to plant crops or other vegetables by following vertical gardening.
Tips for Vertical Gardening
While opting for vertical gardening, the first and foremost step is to select a proper location. The location should be such, that it does not shade out other plants. There should be optimum sunlight for the plants in the vertical garden. Hence, considering these factors, you should orient the vertical support in a proper direction.
For long-term use, always opt for a metallic frame or support. Vertical gardening requires more water than the traditional way of gardening. In order to reduce moisture evaporation and retain water in the soil, it is always advisable to practice mulching. Mulching also helps in supplying additional plant nutrients.
Another basic tip is to train the plants, otherwise there are chances of the plants spreading in an unmanageable manner. If necessary, you can trim the plants without disturbing the root system. While doing so, also make sure that the overall growth of the plants is not affected.
In order to have an easy access to all plants in the vertical garden, you can make use of a ladder. This will help you in maintaining the plants and pruning (if necessary). When the plants achieve full growth, you can fasten them to the support or structure to prevent falling. Twine is a good option for tying the plants in a vertical garden. Few vegetables that can be grown successfully via vertical gardening are tomatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers. For decoration purposes, you can consider planting ivy plants.
Advantages of Vertical Gardening
One of the major advantages of vertical gardening is harvesting maximum products in a minimum space.
- Some of the highly spreading plants (e.g. vining winter squash) can be grown effectively in a vertical garden.
- This type of gardening is best suited for plants that require maximum sunlight.
- Plants grown in a vertical garden are less accessible to diseases and pests.
- Easy access to ripe fruits and vegetables; hence crop harvesting or cultivation is easier.
- It provides adequate aeration to the plants.
- Vertical gardening increases the beauty of the garden.
