Using vertical space in a small garden
Mark Ridsdill Smith offers nine tips for growing vertical veg in pots
Do you find that you just don’t have enough floor area inyour small garden? It may leave you tripping over pots, squeezing into cramped seating areas and longingtogrowmuchmore in your outside space.
Yet, if you think vertically, the smallest space can offer an abundance of produce in pots if you make the most of your walls, windowsills and fences,saysMarkRidsdillSmith,creatorofverticalveg.org.ukandauthor of The Vertical Veg Guide To Container Gardening.
Ridsdill Smith, who runs workshops for new growers, found his passion for edible plants when he lived in London and only had room to grow plants on his balcony windowsills.HethenmovedtoNewcastlewherehegrewvegintheconcrete backyards of two rented homes before moving to his present house, where he has a container garden in his concrete front yard.
“Using containers is a brilliant wayofgrowingfoodinasmallspace, whether it be a balcony or even just a windowsill,” he says.
Here are his tips on maximising the potential of your vertical space.
1.Thinkaboutplatformsandprettiness
“If you’ve an old ladder or plant pockets or shelves to attach to a fence or wall, you can increase the amount of vertical space,” he recommends. Think about using the rungsasshelvestodisplayanumber of pots with different edibles. “If you just have space for one plantgrowingupawall,makespace for a hanging basket coming down filled with trailing edible flowers like nasturtiums and violas. “I love growing Orach ‘Scarlet Emperor’, a bright magentacoloured leaf which tastes like spinach and is really easy to grow, while chard has different coloured stems.”
2.Makeuseofclimbers
Veg like climbing French beans and climbing runner beans are ideal for growinginapotupawigwammadefrom three canes tied together at the top. Alternativelyusecoppicedsticksfor a more natural look.
“You can get a lot of beans from one pot,” he says. “They used to be grownasornamentalsbecausethey are really pretty. But they don’t tolerate frost, so start them outdoors at the end of May or indoors a little earlier.”
Attach string to your wall when growing vine tomatoes, squash and other tall plants which grow on one stem, which you can tie in as they grow. Blackberries would also grow in this way, he adds.
“Cherry tomatoes such as Gardener’s Delightaregood,butthey willneedsowinginside in spring, or you could buy plants for planting outside in June.”
For this to work effectively, you’ll need an attachmentpointabove the plant, whether it be screwing small eyes into the wall above, or finding an old nail to run vertical lines down to your plants.
You can even grow tomatoes in a pot on the windowsill if you tie the string to the top of the windowsill and then tie the other end loosely round the base of the plant,windingitaround as it grows.
3.Makeaverticalherb garden
“You can repot supermarketherbsintolargerpotstoencourage growth. Split plants like parsley andbasil,butyouwon’tneedtosplit mint. Alternatively go to a herb nursery. Herbs really are one of the easiestthingstostartwith,”Ridsdill Smith says.
You can put them in a row on shelving on your wall, grow them in window boxes or on a balcony and picktheleaveswhenyouneedthem. “Mostofthemdon’tneedverymuch sun, either.”
4.Startoffwithmicro-greens
“These are great for beginners. They grow really quickly, so you get a crop in about two weeks. Pea shoots are very tasty. Buy dried peas fromthesupermarketand sow them in a seed tray thickly and you’ll have pea shootsintwoweeks.They are better grown outside and are best grown at this time of year,” he says. 5. Trail veg from hanging baskets A bracket is all you needfromwhichtosuspendahanging basket, which will provide you with trailing tomatoes and salad leaves, he recommends.
6. Invest in fruits
“Theyrequirealongerinvestmentoftime,butyoucaneasilygrowfruitinapot,which will make use of your vertical space. Fruits like blackberries – there’s a thornlesstypecalledLoch Tay which fruits in July – will grow up a wigwam.”
7.Growsaladleavesinwallpouches
“Salad leaves are among the easiest things to grow. There are so many different varieties – mustard, rocket,sorrelandmanyothers.You can have this really mixed diversity of leaves which looks really pretty. Include some nasturtiums as the flowers look lovely and can be eaten,” he advises.
8.Usewaterreservoirs
If you have a sunny garden and want to save time on thirsty plants such as tomatoes and beans, grow them in containers with a reservoir, he advises. They are brilliant for sun-loving plants like chillies, aubergines and peppers. You may struggle with some salad crops in mid-summer which could run to seed (bolt) in the heat.
9.Andifyouhaveashadysmallgarden…
“Focus on all the leafy herbs and vegetables,kale,chardandspinach, plus woodland fruits such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and rhubarb,” he says. “They will be OK in three to four hours’ sun, but if not, concentrate on herbs and microgreens.”