8 Reasons for Vertical Gardening

MonkeyPots Vertical Patio Garden

Vertical gardening is one of my favorite gardening subjects. I think it’s because growing vertically  offers solutions to such a wide array of gardening challenges. More people are implementing vertical gardening for a number of reasons. You might have heard about the rooftop gardens a growing number of restaurants are implementing. Or maybe you’ve even seen one of the wall gardens that are showing up in metro areas all over the world. 

  

1) Maximize Limited Garden Space

By far, I believe the most important and common reason to grow gardens vertically is to use the space you have available.   This is why vertical gardening is a top Intensive Gardening technique. More and more people simply do not have the space for a traditional, in-ground vegetable garden in their backyards. As a matter of fact, a growing number of people don’t even have a yard to really speak of and are left with trying to grow veggies and herbs on their balconies, steps or rooftops.

2) Keep Pets Out of Your Vegetable Patch

Deck Rail Planters

Maybe you have area for a small raised garden bed, but your neighborhood cats think it’s a litter box!  Or does your pup love how easy it is to bury her treasures in the loose soil? With a small amount of space to garden, you certainly can’t afford to lose a portion of your plants to animals. If you have the option to increase your garden space by using vertical space such as walls, deck rails or fences then your garden becomes out of reach to your little fury ones.

3) Minimize Insects and Diseases

Cucumbers Growing Vertically

Cucumbers Growing On Ground

Most plant diseases are initially contracted from direct contact with the soil. By training vining plants to grow vertically or in hanging planters, not only do you keep the vegetation and fruits off of the ground, but they also benefit from more air circulation. Air circulation helps keep fungal and insect infestations at a minimum, if not prevented altogether. Since plants growing vertically tend to be healthier, they will grow larger, more lush and produce a greater bounty.

4) Less bending over to pick your fruits and vegetables

By knowing how high a plant will grow and planning accordingly, you can save yourself from bending over to pick your fruits and vegetables. I know in my family, my two little boys grab the low hanging fruit while I get the eye level ones. Believe me, they pick it pretty clean so I don’t need to kneel and pick very often. 

6-Square Foot Garden Table

Cedar Elevated Garden Table

For folks that have mobility challenges,  hanging baskets, deck rail planters or trellis trained plants can offer gardening opportunities without needing to bend and kneel. Elevated garden planters are becoming more widely available as well, so that even wheelchair confined gardeners can still enjoy tending to a healthy garden.

5) Hide unsightly portions of your landscape

There are many structures that are essential in maintaining your home and yard, such as a tool shed, chain link fence, waste cans or an outdoor compost pile. An open compost pile may be essential in maintaining your garden, but surely is a subtraction to a beautiful landscape. By using trellises and/or arbors, you can create a beautiful living wall of plants that will hide these unsightly areas and add to the beauty to the rest of your landscape.

Trailing Nasturtium

Of course, I’m a real fan of focusing on growing as many beneficial plants as possible. Beneficial can be edible and/or attract beneficial insects to help in pollination of your other flowering plants. Instead of growing ivy, what about grapes?  Or maybe consider planting flowers like Trailing Nasturtium, which not only has edible leaves, flowers and seeds, but also repels certain harmful vegetable insects and attracts black aphids away from veggie plants. Wow! A plant that performs 3 different duties – beauty shield, pest control and food. Planting as many different types of plants, especially those that can perform double or triple duty, adds to the biodiversity of your garden and, ultimately, our neighborhoods.

6) Defining boundary areas within your landscape

Arches and arbors not only support heavier type plants like grapes, but also make breathtaking entry points leading into your garden or walkways. They can also support hanging baskets for added beauty and bounty.

7) Privacy Wall

Many urban and suburban homes are built so closely together that you can literally see into your neighbors windows from inside your own home and vice versa. Many also have very little privacy in whatever backyards we have to enjoy and would like to find a way to create the needed seclusion. The same technique of  using trellises and arbors to create a beautiful living wall of plants that will hide unsightly areas can also be used to create a secluded area within your landscape.

8) Increase the value of your home

A well thought out landscape with defined boundaries, private settings and the beauty and softness that growing plants vertically affords can bring a little piece of country to a city home. Creating a peaceful retreat like this can substantially increase the value of your home – especially if the plants you choose offer more than just a show.

 

 

Roof Top Garden Bed with Trellis

 

Related Articles

• Vertical Gardening – An Intensive Gardening Method (urbangardensolutions.wordpress.com)
• Companion Planting – An Intensive Gardening Method (urbangardensolutions.wordpress.com)
• Vegetable Garden Planning – Intensive Gardening Series Finale (urbangardensolutions.wordpress.com)
• 25 Sky-High Gardens – From Lush Vertical Gardens to Skyscraper Forests (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)

Advertisement