Upcycling to create a vertical container garden

Choosing planters for a vertical garden is a serious business. Some gardeners prefer to grow in individual pots so that if one plant succumbs, another is waiting in the wings to take its place without too much disruption to the entire display. The best growing medium for vertical gardens is a loose commercial mix that suits your planned plants. However, you can also use the same growing medium as for other containers. Ultimately, you are looking for an open mix that allows in air and is freedraining. One of the most common reasons for ailing vertical gardens is that the mix lacks these qualities.

You can also create vertical container gardens from a range of upcycled materials, such as cut-down PET bottles, lengths of spouting and plastic drainpipe, and large tin cans – all with drainage holes made in them. Fix these items with kitchen S-hooks to a grille of reinforcing iron that is suspended on twine against a wall, attached to wall brackets, or permanently attached to a wall using screws.

Old fabric shoe holders, wardrobe organisers, pots, boxes and baskets filled with potting mix can also be used as vertical planters, as can wooden pallets adapted to hold growing medium. A ladder leaning against a wall creates instant vertical shelving, as does a bookcase or a set of drawers with drawers pulled out to create staged growing spaces. consider how high you want your planters to be positioned. Although watering can be done with an extendable hose attachment, is it safe or practicable to use a ladder each time you need to refertilise, trim or harvest? In some circumstances, height can also be a problem in windy situations – unless shelter is available.

WHY GROW VERTICALLY?

• You can grow flowers and vegetables when you don’t have any land at your disposal (such as on a patio or balcony).

• In indoor environments, they can help add humidity to otherwise dry living spaces.

• Vertical gardens can be managed by those who can’t bend or kneel to attend to plants.