The Vertical Gardening Guidebook Read online

  THE VERTICAL GARDENING GUIDEBOOK

  HOW TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL VERTICAL GARDENS, CONTAINER GARDENS AND AEROPONIC VERTICAL GARDENS AT HOME

  TOM CORSON-KNOWLES

  Copyright © Authentic Health Coaching, 2012-2013. All Rights Reserved.

  This detailed book will teach you everything you need to know about vertical gardening! Whether you want to build your own free-standing vertical garden, a wall garden or a vertical aeroponics garden, this book will teach you everything you need to know!

  Here’s a picture of one of my vertical aeroponics gardens at home!

  Join us on Facebook to join the Vertical Gardening community online and share your insights, experiences and get your questions about Vertical Gardening answered. Join us at: http://on.fb.me/HmllNU

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Introduction

  Chapter 1. What is Vertical Gardening?

  Chapter 2. Why Plant a Vertical Garden?

  Chapter 3. How do You Plan a Vertical Garden and Prepare the Soil?

  Chapter 4. How to Build a Free-Standing Vertical Garden

  Chapter 5. Maintaining Your Vertical Garden

  Chapter 6. How do You Grow Year-Round with a Vertical Garden?

  Chapter 7. Composting for Your Vertical Garden

  Chapter 8. How do You Start Seeds for a Vertical Garden?

  Chapter 9. How do You Control Common Pests

  Chapter 10. How do you Water a Vertical Garden?

  Chapter 11. How Do You Grow An Aeroponic Vertical Garden?

  Chapter 12. The Joys of Vertical Gardening

  Excerpt From The Urban Gardening Book

  Special Facebook Group

  About The Author

  Other Books By Tom Corson-Knowles

  Introduction

  Gardening is a topic that is very popular these days, especially with the down economy and skyrocketing food prices. For many people, gardening is a way to save money and eat healthy. Unfortunately, not a lot of people have acres of land or even a yard to introduce a garden. Over the years, there’s been talk about converting to sustainable lifestyles, even in urban areas. This concept has grown into something that many urbanites thought unthinkable – urban gardening.

  Vertical gardening isn’t a brand new concept, but it is one that is being reintroduced to the modern world. For most, it is an opportunity to grow organic food and live a healthier lifestyle, even with limited space.

  The purpose of this eBook is to enlighten individuals who are new to the concept of vertical gardening. It is a style of gardening that can be done on acres of land or a few square feet of space. Hopefully, you will find this book to be educational enough to help you start your own vertical garden.

  Let’s start gardening!

  Tom Corson-Knowles

  A beautiful salad prepared from my vertical garden at home on my balcony.

  CHAPTER 1. WHAT IS VERTICAL GARDENING?

  If you’re new to the world of gardening, or just recently found out about this unique way of gardening, you may be curious to learn more about how it all works. First, to clear things up for those who don’t know, vertical gardening is just as it sounds – growing plants upwards. But don’t all plants grow upward?

  Yes, but in a vertical garden, the vegetation isn’t planted horizontally like with most gardens. Instead, the plants are grow up the side of an upright structure, such as a PVC board, trellis, wire fence or other supporting material.

  Some people even use walls, which work by having a sideways garden. This consists of a tray with soil that is attached to a wall vertically. You can transport plants into its soil once they have sprouted.

  Other common names for vertical gardens are green walls, live walls and sky farms. Just as you would think, these are walls that were filled with all sorts of growing life. Some people intentionally plant vines around their walls, so that they can sprout and grow along the walls, giving their property a nice design.

  Above is a picture of a small green wall on the side of a house.

  However, green walls aren’t the only form of vertical gardening. There are many different types of ways to grow a vertical garden. Sky farms are usually found as part of a building and are located in urban areas. Some sky farms are edible, while others are only for decoration. Either way, they make for spectacular views.

  Vertical gardening is a simple way to create space in your garden, whether it’s in your backyard or on your rooftop. It’s a great form of gardening for older people with back problems, since they don’t have to bend over to tend to their garden. It also keeps your plants away from most pests, digging pets, weeds and rot.

  Who doesn’t love the idea of having a beautiful garden without having to till and do other back-breaking garden work? In fact, this is one of the main reasons homeowners all across the world are turning to vertical gardening for a new way to enjoy gardening with a lot less work (but more on that later).

  Some people may think that vertical gardens can only be used for vine plants, but this isn’t true. You can grow everything from tomatoes and onions to spinach and mustard greens. Perennial and annual flowers can also be planted in this style.

  You can get creative with your vertical garden, making it out of just about any materials you can find around your property at local home improvement store. You can even buy some pre-made structures for vertical gardening at specialty stores and web sites include modular trays, mobile living walls, frames, wire cages, gazebos, arches, tripods, netting, poles, hanging pocket shoe organizers and tube planters, which are all great for décor.

  You can even get a vertical gardening aeroponics system for about $500 with only 10 minutes of maintenance a week! More on that in Chapter 11 on aeroponic vertical gardening.

  To sum it all up, when it comes to vertical gardening you have the option of either building your own from scratch (for you crafty types!) or buying one that is easy to assemble and use. It’s never been easier to start a vertical garden!

  It’s very likely that you’ve seen vertical gardens before. They can be found growing in various establishments, including museums, corporate buildings and other architectures that have gorgeous living architectural designs.

  How do Plants Grow Vertically?

  Some plants grow vertically naturally, such as with certain vining plants. There are some that need a bit of help to get started. If you’re planning to grow grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans and similar vegetables, then you can easily grow them vertically.

  All you need is a trellis or other upright platform that will direct the plants north. Vining plants are commonly found creeping up the side of walls, even without the intervention of humans. Imagine how great your garden could look by directing your vining plants to the areas you want them to grow!

  Cucumbers and other vining plants naturally love to “climb” and will happily grow and fill up your vertical garden.

  For the non-vining plants, all you need is a simple setup that allows you to grow them vertically. This can be a setup that involves shelves or trays with soil that allows you to insert plants. You can find many different designs for vertical gardens

  Remember, you can either build your own or buy some pre-made kits, depending on the scale of your vertical gardening dreams!

  Your entire gardening space can have towers, trays or walls filled with vertical gardening specimen. It’s important that you know which types of plants to grow together, because some can be more beneficial than others – especially when it comes to attracting certain bugs (More on that in Chapter 9 on pest management).

  Likewise, having the wrong plants near each other can cause enemy bugs to attack your precious plants. Your vertical gar
den can be used to grow anything you want, including flowers, plants, herbs, vegetables and fruits.

  The concept of a vertical garden isn’t hard to comprehend. Once you see how a vertical garden is set up, you’ll see that it’s exactly like a horizontal garden, but a lot easier to start and maintain. Plus vertical gardens take up a lot less space!

  CHAPTER 2. WHY PLANT A VERTICAL GARDEN?

  There are many reasons why people choose to grow a vertical garden. Whether they’re intrigued by the style or require additional space for growing, vertical gardens are definitely an answer.

  One big reason why folks choose to plant a vertical garden is because they lack sufficient space. If you live in an urban or suburban area that has a very small yard or no yard at all, you can use vertical gardening to produce a massive amount of food and beautiful plants where conventional gardening may be impossible

  Urban Living

  If you live in a city, you can still enjoy vertical gardens! Here’s how:

  Vertical Gardening on Your Balcony or Patio

  Don’t fret if you have a small condo or apartment in the city that has no green space. The beauty about vertical gardening is that it can be built anywhere you have enough space. With a vertical garden, a foot of space is enough to start a garden!

  Vertical gardens work great in small places and you will be surprised how much food you can grow in a tiny space when you grow vertically!

  If you have a balcony or patio that has free space, you can transform the entire area into a vertical garden. A lot of people in urban areas have taken to this idea. Just take a look at many of the balconies that you find in major cities throughout the United States. You may see all types of plants growing on them.

  In fact, I personally have a Tower Garden® by Juice Plus+® vertical aeroponics system (learn more in Chapter 11) growing on my balcony. It turns my otherwise “dead space” of a concrete balcony into a massive food-producing haven. In just a 2 foot by 2 foot area, my balcony vertical garden produces fresh, delicious, organic tomatoes, mint, purslane, lettuces (4 kinds!), strawberries, cucumbers, watermelons, parsley and snap peas!

  That one vertical garden has saved me about $50 a month in grocery bills too!

  Vertical Gardening on Your Rooftop

  If you weren’t lucky enough to get an apartment that has a balcony or patio, then you may be able to use the rooftop. Make sure to speak with the management of your building to make sure that it’s alright. If so, you can begin planning out an area of the rooftop for your vertical garden.

  In fact, rooftop gardens are cropping up in urban areas all over the world - both for fun and commercial use.

  Video Extra: Check out this video of a chef in New York City who uses Vertical Gardening on the rooftop of his restaurant to produce several TONS of fresh produce every year! You can watch it on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=72rtc2EaMQA

  Suburban Living

  If you live in the suburbs and have a small yard or larger, then you have even more options for vertical gardening!

  Small Backyard Space

  Do you live in a suburban area with a small yard?

  Maybe you already have a garden and lack more space to plant additional vegetables, fruits and/or flowers. No matter where you live, you can put vertical gardening to use even if you only have a small amount of space to work with.

  It’s 100% Eco-Friendly

  Individuals who are looking to plant a garden in an economical manner will find vertical gardening to be a great option. These ingenious garden plans can also be very eco-friendly. The benefits of vertical gardening are quite extensive, which is why so many vertical gardens are popping up all over the world.

  Vertical Gardens are Environmentally Friendly

  One of the best factors about vertical gardening is that it doesn’t have a negative effect on the environment. There are various reasons why vertical gardening can be even friendlier to the eco-system than conventional gardening.

  For starters, a lot of the manufacturers of vertical gardening supplies use “green” materials that are biodegradable or recyclable. Since vertical gardens help to keep away pests, less or no pesticides are required to keep them safe.

  In fact, some people build their vertical gardens themselves using PET plastic bottles that they saved around the house. The plastic bottles are cut in half and used to filter water that drains from the hanging plants. This prevents water from being wasted, another reason why it’s eco-friendly!

  Another way to use PET bottles is to cut an opening on the side of the bottle. Pour in soil and plant the seeds of small herbs. The PET plastic bottles can then be screwed into a vertical platform, such as a wall or board using a screw and washer. This can be a great design for an outdoor wall you have in the garden.

  Above is a picture of a “bottle garden” using recycled plastic soda bottles.

  PET plastic does not contain bisphenol-A but it may contain other hormone disruptors that can leach into the plants and your food so I avoid the use of it personally except for flower gardens.

  Surely, you can probably think of many other ways to grow the seeds for your vertical garden, using items like rain gutters and containers. There are many different eco-friendly designs that you can use for your vertical garden.

  Vertical Gardening is Economically Friendly

  Anyone who is worried about the high costs of starting a garden should rest at ease once they learn how easy and cheap it is to build a vertical garden. First of all, you aren’t required to buy a home with a lot of land in order to plant a lot of plants.

  If you design your vertical garden smartly, you could have a large garden even if you have limited amount of space horizontally. Whether you’re using a yard, balcony or rooftop, vertical gardens are proven to be easy on your wallet – and most gardeners find they’re saving enough money on their grocery bills to more than pay for their investment in building the garden.

  The amount of money you’ll spend on a vertical garden is far less than what you’d spend on a traditional in-the-ground garden. Since there’s no tilling of the dirt required, you won’t need all of the gardening equipment that is commonly needed.

  Then if you set up your vertical garden correctly, you could have it so that water isn’t being over-consumed. There are water preservation techniques that are easy to implement into a vertical garden. Simply place something at the bottom to catch dripping water and reuse it, saving you on your water bill.

  A common practice is to place a water capturing barrel underneath the rain gutters – which prevents excess storm drainage problems in urban areas. Then you can use all the fresh rainwater to keep your garden healthy if there’s a dry spell!

  How Many Plants Can You Grow?

  The design of your vertical garden is what determines how many plants you’ll be able to grow. It’s important that you utilize as much of the available space as possible – don’t leave any area untouched. For instance, you can hang plants on the walls and grow them in corners and rows throughout the garden space.

  The great thing about vertical gardening is that you get to be creative and you can always change things, add new layers and experiment with different designs and types of plants.

  The supplies for setting up your vertical garden are fairly cheap as well. You can try being creative and using items that you find around your home or you can go with eco-friendly vertical gardens that you can buy with easy assembly.

  You’d be surprised at what you can use that’s already lying around your house. There’s a lot of competition for vertical gardening materials, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding great deals for vertical garden setups. You should go for materials that are made from biodegradable and recyclable materials. And if you’re going to use plastics when growing food crops, I recommend food-grade safe plastic to prevent leaching of potentially harmful chemicals into the plants.

  So why do people create vertical gardens?

  Overall, they are ideal for urbanites and
suburbanites, and they’re perfect for people who care about the environment. It won’t break your bank account to start and maintain a vertical garden – and you’ll find the abundance of fresh food will cut down on your grocery bills significantly.

  The benefits of vertical gardening in terms of environmental friendliness, expense and output far outweigh those of traditional gardens, making them a must-have for many. You’d be surprised to know that even people who have sufficient land to garden are turning to vertical gardening methods to make maximum usage of their acreage because they can get better yields growing vertically.

  In fact, Dickson Despommier, one of the pioneers in vertical gardening, says

  “Vertical Gardening could be the only way to feed the world’s growing population without destroying more rainforest for farmland.”

  CHAPTER 3. HOW DO YOU PLAN A VERTICAL GARDEN AND PREPARE THE SOIL?

  Planning out your vertical garden can be a very fun endeavor that you should be a good bit of thought into. If you’re a beginner at gardening, then you will find this information to be very beneficial.

  Otherwise, planning a vertical garden is very similar to planning a traditional garden except that you may need to use some different supplies and landscape design to help your garden grow vertically.

  You can use the tips below to help plan your vertical garden project.

  Choosing a Site for Your Vertical Garden

  The first thing you’ll need to do is find an area that can be used for your vertical garden. The location of your vertical garden is very crucial. Having sufficient sunlight for your garden is a given, so make sure to time how much sunlight your plants would get per day.

  If there isn’t enough sunlight throughout the day for the types of plants you want to grow, then you should try to find a different location or consider using artificial lighting if there are no other options. Most balconies and patios receive lots of sunlight throughout the day, unless there is a tall adjacent building or structure that blocks morning and afternoon sunlight.