When someone mentions home gardening, what is the first thing that comes to mind? A large empty lot that has been cultivated to perfection with row upon row of plants? Is gardening synonymous with “big backyard” to you? If so, what if I told you that you could grow as much delicious, fresh produce as you want even if you live in an apartment. You might think I was crazy. In fact, you can grow as much as you want, even from an apartment by using vertical gardening techniques. Interested? Vertical produce gardening relies on minimal space to maximize the production of fresh fruit and vegetables from the comfort of your windowsill or balcony. Did you know that with the right technique you can have tomato and cucumber vines covering the exterior walls of your apartment? It’s true, as many successful gardeners can attest. Read on for some tips on how to maximize the effectiveness of your own vertical garden.
The main principle behind growing produce vertically is to use pots and other containers to hold and suspend soil on top of each other instead of spreading it out as in traditional gardening. When you hang pot upon pot of soil, you have a hanging garden that can support many times more plants than is normally possible for a given square meter of floor space. Gardening for vertical products relies on the suspension of not only pots, but also growing plants! This means you need to read up on potting and plant hanging if you really want to maximize the efficiency of your own vertical garden. Imagine covering an entire wall with vine upon vine of cucumbers, tomatoes and peas. All of this is possible with gardening with vertical products!
Another principle you need to consider is the nature of the area where you live. There are garden zones suitable for a given vegetable. This means that some vegetables will grow better in your area than others, and many vegetables will grow poorly in your area, if only because of the climate. Before you begin your home gardening quest, it’s a good idea to make a list of possible vegetables you’d like to grow at home and then do a little research on each item on your list. You will find that some of them are well suited to your area’s climate, while others need a different climate to grow properly. It’s always good to work with nature as opposed to against it, especially when trying to get nature to produce for you!
Gardening with vertical produce isn’t much different from traditional horticulture in this regard, except for the fact that you may be growing a lot of your produce inside. This will give you a bit more flexibility when it comes to climate as plants grown inside will always stay a bit warmer than those exposed to the outside environment.
