Tips for Vertical Gardening at Home
When you think of gardening, you may picture long, sweeping landscapes with vegetable plots in the sun and flower beds lining the pathways that wind around a beautiful yard. Gardening at home, though, often means adapting that vision to fit your true surroundings. Maybe you live in an urban area, or maybe you have a large yard, but the thought of undertaking a large garden project feels overwhelming.
No matter what your reason, a vertical garden can be a fun alternative or a solution for gardening at home where there’s a limitation on space. It can also be a great way to introduce gardening to a small child in a smaller, more manageable setting or help a senior enjoy gardening even after they are unable to do traditional gardening.
Here are a few tips that you can use to get started planning your vertical garden:
You don’t need much space: Vertical gardening really is for the space-challenged, and you need even less space than you think. You need a space that’s only six inches deep and only about a foot wide to do some vertical plants.
Choose the right type of container: Herbs and onions grow well in a soft pouch, while plants like strawberries, lettuce and peppers do better with a more rigid container like a plastic bucket. Tomatoes will grow great in a pot that also has a cage to keep the plants from growing along the ground and bruising the fruit.
Hydrate your roots, but don’t drown them: Good hydration is one of the keys to a successful vertical garden. Some vertical gardening kits include a self-watering mechanism, but if you’re watering yourself, you’ll want to find a way to keep your plants hydrated. They need a way for extra water to run off, or the roots will rot in stagnant, wet soil. Perch your plants’ pots on a bed of rocks in a tray to provide a way for runoff, but without soaking the balcony beneath yours.
Good soil helps, too: Since it’s a small garden, spring for the good stuff. The best soil is less dense because it’s filled with peat moss, compost and perlite.
Explore the variety of vertical planters on the market: No matter what your tastes are or how small a space you have, there’s a vertical planter for you. From budget options to high-class models that will become the centerpiece of your garden, there are a lot of beautiful planters out there.
Gardening at home sometimes means getting creative with the space you have. Vertical planting stacks your plants to give you more space, but don’t forget to make room for Kincaid Plant Markers. Whether you’re gardening in an expansive bed or with a set of stacked vertical mini-beds, you’ll want the convenience of plant markers to help you identify what you’re growing. Check out our full selection!
