Countless people refuse to consider growing a vertical garden as they assume their cramped living space is too small to grow anything nutritious. However, vertical gardening was specifically designed for apartments, condos and other diminutive spaces. Vertical gardening is similar to container gardening yet it requires even less room. Below, we shed light on how to best go about starting a vertical garden in an apartment or small home.
Grow Your Own Garden in a Vertical Container
Vertical container gardens are now available on the web and in stores throughout the United States and beyond. Be sure to select a vertical container with slats to permit efficient plant growth. The next step is to obtain large window boxes that connect to the frame with ease. If you prefer to simply purchase a vertical gardening setup complete with each of these items pre-made on your behalf, you can pay a premium so all the work is done for you but for the actual growing.
Consider the Types of Vegetables to Grow in Your Vertical Garden
Vegetables of all different varieties can be grown in your vertical garden. Examples include but are not limited to
- Carrots
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
- Beans
- Cabbage
- Parsnips
- Lettuce
This is not to say you can grow every single one of these vegetables in your home’s vertical garden. Rather, you should whittle down the field to a select few vegetables you desire the most and start planting.
Find the Right Location in Your Home
Vertical gardens can be placed just about anywhere in your home. From dividing walls to balconies and elsewhere, even the smallest apartment or condo has enough space for a vertical garden. If you are especially short on interior space, consider using the outside of your apartment or home for your vertical garden. Alternatively, if your neck of the woods has temperature extremes, you can shift the garden outdoors when the temperatures increase and bring it back inside when temperatures dip down low.
Soil Quality Matters
The vegetables you plant in a vertical garden require high-quality soil in order to grow in a timely manner. If the soil is not top-notch, the vegetables won’t be able to absorb nutrients from the soil. Only select the best possible potting soil for your vertical garden’s vegetables.
Begin Planting
Starting the plants begins outside of the vertical garden. Keep in mind that your vertical garden has gravity that pulls it downward. It will be challenging for truly healthy roots to form unless the vegetables start out in traditional indoor soil. Once the plants are thriving, transition them to the vertical garden.
Mind the Watering Schedule
Plants have fairly shallow roots due to the inherently limited growing space available in the vertical garden. Furthermore, there is not much soil surrounding the plants, making it difficult for them to absorb water/moisture. This means the plants in your vertical garden will struggle to hold onto water for an extended period of time. Consider adding a water irrigation system to keep your vertical garden properly hydrated, ultimately facilitating timely growth.
Fertilizer is Necessary
Plants within vertical gardens are incapable of pulling nutrients out of the soil as the soil is not planted in nutrient-rich ground. This is precisely why your vertical garden needs fertilizer for the proper nutrients. Adding liquid fertilizer by way of a spray bottle will prove quite easy.
Be Patient
Give your vertical garden time to grow and it will not be long until you have edible vegetables and herbs from the small garden that conveniently hangs along the interior or exterior of your living space.
