Local food movements, organic fruits and vegetables at supermarkets as well as increased reports of GMO produce have collectively succeeded in stirring up awareness about the source and quality of our produce. The ingredients that go into our daily meals can’t be substandard, and fuelled by the added environmental benefits, we’ve noticed a trend of many urban dwellers maintaining both small and large kitchen gardens. An open garden space isn’t a luxury for most of us though, but you don’t need to be denied the benefits. Here’s our handy guide on how grow a vertical garden of your own.
WHAT IS IT
If you’re tied down for space, vertical gardening is the way ahead for you. The concept stems from using a vertical structure, such as a wall, to grow various plants. While a full-fledged green wall requires detailed planning and sophisticated irrigation structures, there are several hacks that are easy, inexpensive, and give great results.
Like any living organism, a garden too requires tremendous care and time, so make sure you’re well prepared to put in a few hours. Identify a wall you can use as a support for this DIY project – it could be in your balcony, on the terrace, or even a window-sill. The only pre-condition is that this wall needs to receive ample sunlight.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Bearing the wall as a support, you need to put together a structure that will hold the soil and plants in place. Depending on the size of your wall and the amount you are willing to spend, you can create various structures. No matter what structure you use, make sure it has sufficient holes to drain out excess water. See the pictures below for step-by-step reference.
Image courtesy AKA Design
– Using a basic frame made of wood, metal, or bamboo, you can line the back with a wire mesh and tie pots to it using jute rope. Alternatively, you could also inlay the frame with horizontal wooden planks and attach large pockets made out of recycled plastic sacks that are sturdy enough to hold the weight of the soil.
Image courtesy Country Living
– Repurpose an old chest of drawers or find a good bargain at a thrift sale and use it to give life to your garden. If you’ve got very little space, such as a window-sill, an old milk crate is a great option.
– Not only is recycling good for the earth, it can also add character to your otherwise drab balcony or terrace. Cut out a large opening in old cola bottles and hang them down using nylon or jute ropes. Alternatively, hang a shoe organiser and use its pockets to hold small plants.
Once you have your structure in place, your next concern is the soil. The medium used for growing plants is generally in a 1:1:1 ratio of soil, compost, and cocopeat. Red soil is most commonly available and can be picked up at any local nursery; compost is a decomposed manure that’s added to the soil to enhance its nutrients; and cocopeat is a byproduct of coconut husk that’s used to retain water. All three can be purchased individually at local plant nurseries or are sometimes sold as pre-mix.
WHAT CAN YOU GROW
Given our warm, tropical temperatures, you can grow a wide range of plants, vegetables, and herbs at home. If you have a slightly bigger structure, vegetables like tomatoes, chillies, okra, brinjal, French beans, and lime are easy to grow. Flowers such as aster, carnations, petunia, marigold, geranium and roses can be planted on a terrace or balcony. Home cooks will know the vast difference some freshly picked herbs can make to a meal, and varieties like basil, oregano, sage, and rosemary can be potted on a window sill as well. Local nurseries are sure to stock saplings, while seeds can be purchased on NurseryLive, Plantsman#39;s Seeds, Biocarve Seeds, and Kraft Seeds.
WHAT NEXT
Once you have the structure, soil, and saplings or seeds in place, get your hands dirty! If you’re using saplings, fill the structure with soil and create a small depression in the centre to gently insert the sapling. Add soil around it until the sapling stabilises. If you’re using seeds, create a hole in the centre, spread out the seeds and cover them up with soil. Water your plant daily under normal temperatures and during summer, you should be hydrating it twice a day while during the monsoon, you can touch the soil to determine if it needs to be watered. Use vermi compost about once in two to three weeks to keep your plants healthy. For organic pesticides, use a spray made by grinding neem leaves in water and straining on the plants.
With a little bit of patience and a whole lot of care, an abundant vertical garden is just a few steps away.
Local food movements, organic fruits and vegetables at supermarkets as well as increased reports of GMO produce have collectively succeeded in stirring up awareness about the source and quality of our produce. The ingredients that go into our daily meals can’t be substandard, and fuelled by the added environmental benefits, we’ve noticed a trend of many urban dwellers maintaining both small and large kitchen gardens. An open garden space isn’t a luxury for most of us though, but you don’t need to be denied the benefits. Here’s our handy guide on how grow a vertical garden of your own.
WHAT IS IT
If you’re tied down for space, vertical gardening is the way ahead for you. The concept stems from using a vertical structure, such as a wall, to grow various plants. While a full-fledged green wall requires detailed planning and sophisticated irrigation structures, there are several hacks that are easy, inexpensive, and give great results.
Like any living organism, a garden too requires tremendous care and time, so make sure you’re well prepared to put in a few hours. Identify a wall you can use as a support for this DIY project – it could be in your balcony, on the terrace, or even a window-sill. The only pre-condition is that this wall needs to receive ample sunlight.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Bearing the wall as a support, you need to put together a structure that will hold the soil and plants in place. Depending on the size of your wall and the amount you are willing to spend, you can create various structures. No matter what structure you use, make sure it has sufficient holes to drain out excess water. See the pictures below for step-by-step reference.
Image courtesy AKA Design
– Using a basic frame made of wood, metal, or bamboo, you can line the back with a wire mesh and tie pots to it using jute rope. Alternatively, you could also inlay the frame with horizontal wooden planks and attach large pockets made out of recycled plastic sacks that are sturdy enough to hold the weight of the soil.
Image courtesy Country Living
– Repurpose an old chest of drawers or find a good bargain at a thrift sale and use it to give life to your garden. If you’ve got very little space, such as a window-sill, an old milk crate is a great option.
– Not only is recycling good for the earth, it can also add character to your otherwise drab balcony or terrace. Cut out a large opening in old cola bottles and hang them down using nylon or jute ropes. Alternatively, hang a shoe organiser and use its pockets to hold small plants.
Once you have your structure in place, your next concern is the soil. The medium used for growing plants is generally in a 1:1:1 ratio of soil, compost, and cocopeat. Red soil is most commonly available and can be picked up at any local nursery; compost is a decomposed manure that’s added to the soil to enhance its nutrients; and cocopeat is a byproduct of coconut husk that’s used to retain water. All three can be purchased individually at local plant nurseries or are sometimes sold as pre-mix.
WHAT CAN YOU GROW
Given our warm, tropical temperatures, you can grow a wide range of plants, vegetables, and herbs at home. If you have a slightly bigger structure, vegetables like tomatoes, chillies, okra, brinjal, French beans, and lime are easy to grow. Flowers such as aster, carnations, petunia, marigold, geranium and roses can be planted on a terrace or balcony. Home cooks will know the vast difference some freshly picked herbs can make to a meal, and varieties like basil, oregano, sage, and rosemary can be potted on a window sill as well. Local nurseries are sure to stock saplings, while seeds can be purchased on NurseryLive, Plantsman#39;s Seeds, Biocarve Seeds, and Kraft Seeds.
WHAT NEXT
Once you have the structure, soil, and saplings or seeds in place, get your hands dirty! If you’re using saplings, fill the structure with soil and create a small depression in the centre to gently insert the sapling. Add soil around it until the sapling stabilises. If you’re using seeds, create a hole in the centre, spread out the seeds and cover them up with soil. Water your plant daily under normal temperatures and during summer, you should be hydrating it twice a day while during the monsoon, you can touch the soil to determine if it needs to be watered. Use vermi compost about once in two to three weeks to keep your plants healthy. For organic pesticides, use a spray made by grinding neem leaves in water and straining on the plants.
With a little bit of patience and a whole lot of care, an abundant vertical garden is just a few steps away.