Gardening is more than just a relaxing hobby. It is an empowering way to help take charge of your health and your finances. Planting seeds costs just pennies on the dollar. Living harvests, where you cut what you need and it grows back (including lettuce, herbs and edible flowers) mean that for only pennies, you can eat fresh produce every day. Plants have a positive impact on our bodies and in our homes, as they help recycle and the air we breathe. There is no downside to gardening! The only issue is space. Let’s talk about the vertical garden and why it’s the solution you need if you live in a small space.
What is a Vertical Garden?
A vertical garden uses vertical space to make room for plating crops. These crops can be large (like terrace step gardens) or small (such as shelving in an apartment or baskets hanging from a balcony). Vertical gardens take many shapes and sizes. They can be created using DIY materials, or by purchasing plug-and-play units designed for easy seeding and humidity control.
Why Are Vertical Gardens So Innovative for Small Spaces?
• Accessibility: with a vertical garden you don’t need to worry about space. This makes them ideal for apartments, condos and even basement suites. If you have wall space or a balcony, you can have a vertical garden.
• Cost savings: food is expensive. With the aftershocks of COVID, disrupted shipping, droughts and inflation, food prices – especially for health foods – continue to climb. A vertical garden takes up very little room but creates a lot of wiggle room in your budget.
• Better health: it’s tempting to think that good health is reserved for those that can afford high-end grocery chains and gym memberships. This is not the case. There are little things you can do now that add up to a big impact. A vertical garden is one such step. Using a wall for a plug-and-play garden solution or creating a mini greenhouse with a plastic sheet and shelves, you can have fresh produce every day.
What can you Grow in a Vertical Garden?
Produce and flowers that don’t need a lot of soil or water, or that can easily take water from a plug-and-play solution/greenhouse structure are ideal for a vertical garden.
One of the most common things to grow is leaf lettuce. With head lettuce you usually need to harvest the whole “head,” which means a longer grow-back time. Leaf lettuce, on the other hand, can be harvested a few leaves at a time, leaving plenty behind for the next meal. Similarly, other leafy greens like kale, mustard and swiss chard are ideal for a vertical garden.
Herbs do more than enhance the flavor of our meals. They have tons of health benefits! Herbs are also perfect for a vertical garden. They grow well indoors with some light, or easily on a balcony that faces the sun. Some common vertical garden herbs include chives, thyme, wheat grass, mint, basil, parley and sage.
Vegetables work well for a vertical garden too. If you have fences outdoors, you can add netting or a trellis and let things like cucumbers, beans and cascading tomatoes climb. Anything that bears fruit on a vine is ideal for a vertical garden. Indoors, try planting your sprouted garlic segments, or go to the greenhouse for starter onion packs. These are easy to grow, re-seed, and grow again.
Let’s not overlook flowers! A cherry pop of color livens up a small space. Even better, edible flowers add to your nutritional profile. One easy-to-grow flower in a vertical garden is calendula. These are sometimes confused with marigolds or even called pot marigolds, so be sure to find a true calendula if you plan to eat the flowers. Calendulas are very hearty and thrive in little soil and with little water. They self seed and the more you deadhead them (snip the open buds) the more they will flower. The petals and leaves can be used in salads, the full flowers brewed into tea, or the extracts used in DIY beauty products.
So Many Reasons to Grow a Vertical Garden!
A vertical garden can be enjoyed by anyone. Very little space is needed to create one. DIY a vertical garden or buy a ready-made solution that includes grow lights and is set up for watering and seeding. With a vertical garden, you will save time and money, beautify your space and improve your health.