When the land is not enough, and want their own vegetables and herbs, the hostess uses the third dimension – height. Its parameters are not limited, and it is possible to create at least a five-story structures for the cultivation of vegetable crops. Because of the shortage of land a smart man once invented the vertical garden. True, at first they were designed exclusively for flowers and it was used by the townspeople on balconies and loggias. But the idea was picked up quickly by savvy vacationers understand that in such structures can grow and vegetables. Moreover, an unusual type of beds gives the landscape a piquancy attracts the attention of neighbors and people passing by. Let’s try to understand in what ways you can quickly and easily create a vertical garden, and what plants coexist in such conditions.
The contents
Particular care for plants in vertical beds
To create a vertical garden with your own hands is not difficult, but you need to understand what conditions are waiting for the plants in such structures.
Positive aspects:
- For Housewives vertical design – great way to relieve your arms and back, because the vessels will not grow weeds (they just there is not enough space).
- Due to the lack of contact with the ground, the plants will be less likely to get sick fungal infections, and therefore treatments with chemicals will need less.
- In a period of frost or hurricanes a vertical garden can be moved to the time in the outhouse, thereby saving future harvest.
- By using containers you can decorate an ugly fence or wall of the shed, thereby improving the aesthetics of the site.
- Space saving: if you move a piece of the garden on the vertical rows, you will have enough space for the arrangement of recreation areas or flower beds.
Disadvantages of vertical garden:
- In containers, the root system of plants is restricted in the diet, as it contains a small volume of soil. Therefore, fertilizing with this method of cultivation is carried out more frequently.
- The earth dries faster, so water the plants often, and if in the country there are only a weekend, create a drip irrigation system. It is recommended that the soil be diluted with hydrogel, which retains moisture longer than soil.
- Long-term culture with this method of cultivation can freeze solid in the harsh winters. Therefore, creating a mobile design to hide the bed in the winter in the outhouse.
Caring for a vertical garden, the hosts don’t need to weed the weed and deal with pests, because of the lack of contact with soil they become much less
The darker the material the containers for vertical beds, the faster it dries in the sun, and thus require frequent watering
Options to create vertical garden beds for different crops
During the existence of the idea of vertical garden beds gardeners have invented many interesting designs, many of which require simple supplies.
Method #1 — growing in containers
Most are available for truckers method – fixing on the support of containers. Buy them ready-made in stores or made from planks. And you can gather up to create a vertical garden beds empty plastic bottles to make containers from them. If you use bottles, then closes the neck of the tube, and the top cut out an oval hole about 5 cm in length nail capacity in an artistic manner to wall or fence, filled with soil and planted seedlings.
All versions with capacities do not include drip irrigation, so adding in the ground hydrogel is a mandatory condition of a comfortable life for plants.
An old dresser can be a great container, if you pull it szuflady on a different level, and the white color will reduce the heat of wood
Method #2 is a vertically set pipe
When you create vertical garden beds for growing strawberries is most often build a design from the barrels and plastic pipes, which will last a few seasons. Consider how to create such «the hostel» for strawberries.
When you create a vertical garden for strawberries it is important to consider drip irrigation, because in the period of ripening berries require a lot of moisture
The course of the work:
- To create a single vertical structure will need two plastic pipes of the same length and different diameters. One – thin, to create a drip feed, the second is the thickest, what you will find.
- In a thin pipe using a drill newerlive many holes through which water will flow into the ground. The lower part (about 10 cm) leave a.
- In large tube spaced staggered apertures for future seedlings. Usually they are placed in three rows: a Central and two lateral (the back wall will be attached to the support). The bottom (10 cm) of holes to do.
- Nasverliv holes using a drill with a nozzle and a chisel. The diameter of each is about 5 cm (taking into account the thickness of the pipe).
- Bottom put on a wide pipe stub and attach the workpiece to a support (a fence, wall, grid, etc.).
- Thin tube for protection against the ingress of soil wrapped with burlap or non-woven material and rewinds the string.
- The lower end of the pipe zamatyvaem tape or rubber to keep the water out of the structure.
- Insert a thin tube in a thick, adhered to the inner stood exactly in the center, and fill the inner space until the first holes with gravel or expanded clay.
- Ready or hand made soil mix with the hydrogel and crushed foam. Foam beads will not let the soil be compacted and will provide free access of air.
- Prepared planted seedlings, the roots of which it is desirable to dip into a clay-dung talker, to better hold moisture.
- Fill the inner tube with water.
In the Northern areas it is possible to do a similar patch in the form of separate stands, linking three or four pipes in one frame. Then in the winter you can get a bed in the barn, so as not to freeze the roots.
Mount this vertical garden from plastic pipe fixed at house, you can always move the design to another place or hide for the winter
Method #3 — pocket garden
A very profitable idea is the creation of a pocket garden, i.e. vertical beds, resembling a piece of fabric with multiple pockets. This technology was invented by the agronomists and demonstrated it at one of the exhibitions. Material for the pockets is thin polysiloxane insulation. Due to the shiny surface reflects the sun’s rays and does not overheat the soil, and on cold days the polystyrene layer will be further retain heat, warming the roots. These vertical beds are suitable for cucumbers, beans, greens and strawberries the same.
The technology of creating «pocket garden»:
- Buy double insulation length. Ie, if you want to create a flower bed is 2 meters tall, then you need to take 4 meter of material.
- Fold the insulation in half and stitch a horizontal line at a distance of 5-7 cm from the top. This drawstring will need to hang a bed.
- Further astrachem all the edges and bottom of the insulation, creating something like a bag. The top 5-7 cm around the edges to zastrochit not necessary.
- Draw on the surface of the boxes of which will create the pockets. Preferably, a meter of insulation to do no more than 3 pockets to fit more soil.
- Stitch all the markup.
- Each resulting rectangle through the top hole, leaving a 3-4 cm away from the seam it is Desirable to carve in a straight and in a semi-circle to get on top of a kind of valve. On it when watering will drain into the pocket water.
- When all the pockets are cut, hung from a bed onto the support. This is inserted into the upper drawstring plastic tube with a string inside.
- Outside twine touted on the knot, making a loop. Hung for her to support the entire structure.
- Every pocket stuffed with nutritious soil mixed with hydrogel.
- Shed soil water, and plant seeds or seedlings.
Mobility tissue beds allows you to place it on any support, even at the entrance to a private cottage, locking the door with a few hooks
Pockets in a bed of insulation should not be too small, otherwise the plants will experience a lack of food and to dry up quickly
In polythiophene the pockets well grow only cucumbers and strawberries, but also flowers that in summer you can make on the street
If time to water the vertical garden, it is possible to achieve not only a good harvest, but also the lush vegetation, which will be a decoration for your site.
