Vertical gardening

[green_pea]

Our patio garden at our new flat is I would guess about 14m2 in total, but as we have loads of upwards space (about 16ft to the neighbours window above) we're going to try out vertical gardening as much as we can.

Obviously we haven't started yet, but as we go on I'll post pics, plans and updates on this thread.

Has anyone tried it? Got any tips? I've got a few ideas of what I want to make container wise but any suggestions are more than welcome.

I've got loads of old milk bottles which I'm going to cut the bottoms off and use as pots by sliding strong wire or a bit of wood through the handles to hold them up in rows.

Got loads of tins too but not sure about using them for growing edible stuff in because of the rust?

Oh also, has anyone ever made DIY hanging baskets? Got two hooks for baskets attached to the house already but don't really want to buy baskets as they're a bit too expensive for good ones (ideally I'd like to have maybe 3 or 4 baskets hanging down one under the other in a tier).

Does anyone have any tips on growing squash (winter and summer: patty-pan, acorn, hubbard) in containers?

[MKG]

Sounds like you don't need that much help. I'll watch this with interest.

One thing to bear in mind, though, is anchoring. If you're going vertical to that extent, then in full production there's going to be a lot of weight hanging around. Screw eyes and heavy wire should be the way to go, but can you drill your walls? If you can, you'll be able to at least match the performance of a small horizontal plot in terms of tomatoes and beans, cucumbers (and squashes), even trailing nasturtiums (leaves are great in salads - caterpillars not so great).

Best of luck

Mike

[contadina]

I've always been quite impressed by pallet vertical gardens, which make great use of wall space. http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/ ... al-garden/

[green_pea]

Thanks MKG, and yep you're right about the anchoring issue! In the lower wall (about 7ft) there are already eyelets for wire, but the big wall hasn't got any that I've seen so that will be a bit of a problem. There are two hooks on the lower roof (11ft) which I can use too for that really thick chicken wire trellis-y stuff.

I'm toying with the idea of something maybe like this for where there aren't walls/is soil for the anchor pole to go into:



As the big wall is about 16ft tall but only 2 feet wide (the rest is our windows) might be better to do something more along the lines of making a 2 tier wooden planter with trellis attached to the back and just growing beans/peas/achocha or maybe train squashes up the trellis. I've got centiflor type toms for experimenting with in hanging baskets, and 4 other vine varieties for elsewhere.

Anyone any idea on sizes for containers for squash? I've not grown them in pots before, also as I'd be using multipurpose compost in the pots (no mud) would I need to manure it first still or would that be nutrient overdose?

[GeorgeSalt]

For support, if you're using a masonry wall look at shield eye anchors instead of plastic plugs and screw eyes. Until I switched to these I was replacing plugs all through the year - mind you, I have a heavy fig tree hanging off them.

[diggernotdreamer]

I did a tiny front garden once as a demonstration for food in small places using all available space. Buckets are quite good for the larger kinds of plants with a few holes drilled in. I used to cook in a pub and the amount of buckets and containers used in catering that are thrown out is awful. Mayo often comes in really good big buckets, I used to save the catering size tins of tomatoes and grow tomatoes in them just for a laugh, if you have a pub, cafe or restaurant near you, they will be glad to palm some containers off on you, it is a nightmare for them to get rid of. I worked at a family pie business and used to get all the catering bisto containers which were square and make more use of space as they stand side by side, blue trays that had mushrooms in that are throwaway items when lined with paper and filled with soil make great containers for oriental and baby leaf cut and come again crops, much deeper than a regular seed tray I saw something on Ebay which was a hanging vegetable basket a three tier thing made out of chrome which would work well as a hanging basket it only cost 7.99 with free delivery. Crystal lemon cucumbers will grow up strings or along trellis, jack be little or acorn squash would be suitable as the fruits aren't huge so they will grow upwards without too much weight of fruit being a problem.

[Annemieke]

I'm sure all of you must have heard of the Vertical Gardening blog? Just in case: see http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/about-2. Useful, interesting and lovely photographs.

Annemieke Wigmore, http://thoughtforfood-aw.blogspot.com

[green_pea]

DND: Good ideas, thanks. Have you grown acorn squash before? If so how many plants would you recommend for a decent harvest? I tried a few years ago but it was the year with the weird frosts so no luck.

I've been getting inspiration from the verticalveg blog already; I want to make a wormery now.

Contadina, just picked up a few pallets from a freecycler tonight but none were suitable for that unfortunately but they were free so can't complain as tomorrow I'll be making planters with the wood.

[diggernotdreamer]

I gew them a long time ago, and from memory they were very prolific, think I got about 5 or 6 from a plant, just the right size for two people and they stored very well.

[doofaloofa]

Sorry

I see Vertical gardening

but I read Uphill gardening

There must be something wrong with me

[diggernotdreamer]

Nothing wrong with a bit of uphill gardening, do it quite often meself

[doofaloofa]

Nothing wrong with a bit of uphill gardening, do it quite often meself

Well it is the 21st century after all

[green_pea]

[diggernotdreamer]

what are ye like, I live on a mountain

[Thomzo]

Good luck.

I've made a few hanging baskets from old wire lampshades. Turn them upside down and line with plastic (old compost bags are perfect). Then hang up using reclaimed electrical flex. If you want them to look pretty, leave the fabric on the outside.

Zoe