Vertical Gardening. Great Spaces in Small Places.

Posted by Cathy England
July 30th, 2009
Filed in Garden Design
Tags: container plants, garden planning, trellises

Not every gardener has the luxury of expanses of land to till for their gardens.  In fact, some great gardeners have produced beautiful gardens on a patio or balcony.  They were able to do this as a result of smart use of vertical gardening.

There are many uses and applications of upward space in any size garden.  Most plants can be adapted to this method, even if it is not their natural tendency.  This method can double or triple the amount of space that a gardener would normally have.

Trellising and staking can be used in a small space in a garden, or can be used to contain sprawling, vining plants in a container.  There are a number of plants that can be trained to grow in an upward fashion instead of taking up valuable space in the garden.

Not a lot of investment is needed in order to create vertical space in your garden.  A trellis can easily be erected with wooden stakes, and some twine.  Small garden fences used for landscaping can be used to support the growth of a plant in a container, or an existing chain link or wooden fence can also be used.

Plants Well Suited to Vertical Gardening

• Cucumbers – A vegetable that is a staple in many gardens, cucumbers have historically taken over a large space in a garden.  This does not have to be the case as they can be easily trained to climb up whatever structure that you either create, or one that already exists.  Using this method makes it easier to find the cucumbers in order to prevent them from growing past a tasty eating stage, and keeps the cucumbers off of the ground, which prevents yellowing and rotting.
• Melons – Small melons such as sugar baby watermelons can be grown in a container with supports or trellises nearby.  As the vines grow longer and the melons larger, they can either be allowed to vine on the ground around the container, or the gardener can tie the vines up to the trellis.  Old panty hose can be used to make a supportive “cradle” for each melon as it grows.  This same method works with cantelopes as well.
• Beans and Peas – Vining varieties of both of these vegetables are usually best grown on stakes, poles, or trellises.  But, they can also be allowed to vine along the ground.  Allowing ground vining would take up an incredible amount of your garden space.  If you have a brush pile or some newly pruned trees, the branches can be stuck in the ground, and make perfect supports for both peas and beans.  It is an easy alternative to purchasing supports.

Materials to Have on Hand

It is important in vertical gardening to be prepared to give extra support to your plants as they grow.  Just when you think that you have given your plants all of the support that they will need, their continued growth causes them to droop and fall.  When you buy or repurpose items for vertical gardening, make sure to keep some extra items on hand.

These items include ties, twine, stakes, extra landscaping fence, etc.  Keep a watchful eye on your plants as they begin their climb.  They will require some training in order to start up the trellis or support of your choosing.  This may need to be done on a daily basis at the beginning.  All of these plants will grab onto anything nearby, including other growing plants.

The last thing to remember when using this method is that while it is great to utilize your space in the most efficient way possible, it may require more compost or organic fertilizer, particularly when using a container.  Plants can be spaced closer when grown vertically, and as a result make more demands on the soil.