Vertical cultivation rises above the ground. Both useful plants and summer flowers can be grown vertically.
Vertical cultivation, i.e. cultivation in the height direction, is a great option if your own yard or balcony is small and there is no space for cultivation boxes.
The plant wall can also be used as a spectacular sight screen. On the other hand, a vertical garden can be built just for the eye.
Where to start if you are interested in vertical farming? We asked a garden designer for tips From Marja Kärje.
Think about where vertical farming comes in
The farm can set restrictions on the size of the cultivation, and the light conditions of the place for the plants.
The crop can either lean against the wall or stand up by itself. Its structure can be, for example, a fence, a wooden pallet, a planter box equipped with a planter, a wire mesh attached to a balcony box, or an arched gate.
If the vertical cultivation is placed on the balcony of an apartment or terraced house, check with your housing company what kind of weight restrictions there are for the balcony.
“A crop consisting of many pots or a large area of soil can weigh a lot when the soil is wet and the plants are fully grown,” Kärki reminds.
Build a vertical garden yourself or get a ready-made one
A growing wall equipped with pots is a functional solution when you want to plant summer flowers, perennials or herbs vertically.
You can build a cultivation or flower wall yourself from an old pallet. Alternatively, long balcony boxes or pots can be attached to the fence or sturdy trellis at different levels.
Check that the cultivation wall you made yourself feels durable.
“The cultivation wall must withstand all the weight that is applied to it when the soil has been wetted and a lot of plants have been planted on the wall.”
You can get a vertical cultivation in the yard by stacking pots on top of each other to form a pot tower. The flower tower, on the other hand, is also suitable for the balcony.
There are also ready-made planting wall solutions on sale, but when looking for one, you should pay attention to the size of the pots.
“Many ready-made walls have really small pots or compartments for plants. The soil space in the small pots is small, so the soil dries quickly and so do the plants.”
If it is possible to water the plants daily, even small pots will work, but if you only have time to water the plants a couple of times a week, there should be dozens of liters of mulch.
“Biochar may help with the irrigation problem and is light.”
Whether it’s a self-made or ready-made wall, Kärki recommends pots with holes in the bottom. In this case, there is no danger of overwatering, and the pots in the sky will not turn into swimming pools during heavy rain.
“But understandably, if the planting wall is on a balcony or terrace, it’s not nice that the water spills onto the floor. In a covered space, the pots can be without holes, but then the irrigator must be very careful not to overwater the plants.”
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Vertical farming: Plant selection
“You can grow almost anything vertically,” says Kärki.
The light conditions, however, influence the choice of plants.
For a sunny spot, Kärki suggests useful plants such as thyme, monthly strawberry, oregano, basil and lamb spinach. Among the ornamental plants, good options are rushes, bluegrass, ornamental clover, keto and garden carnation, fairy flower and diana.
On the other hand, ornamental plants such as ferns, sedge grass, ragwort, ivy, hardy sedge, wire vine and snow flake thrive in a shady spot. Beneficial plants produce crops better in the sun, but you can also try growing herbs of immortality, lettuce, chard, chives, parsley and basil in the shade.
If the vertical cultivation consists of pots in several layers, it is advisable to plant the plants on the cultivation wall in such a way that the lush growing and hanging plants are lower and the plants that require less space are higher, so that the plants do not start to cover each other.
A pot and a support are enough for the climbing vines
For climbing plants, a pot and a support are enough for the structure, along which it is possible for the plant to climb upwards.
Among the annual plants, bell vine, rose bean, climbing cress, sweet pea and black-eyed susanna grow like vines.
If there is enough space, you can grow a spectacular wall of plants from perennial plants, such as wild vine or Chinese patch vine, which also acts as a visual barrier.
Some useful plants, such as peas and pumpkins, form vines. Greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers form a high-reaching growth when a string is attached to the ceiling, along which they can grow upwards.
Small trees, sturdy bushes and tall grasses bring height variation
Vertical cultivation does not always require special structures. A change in height for a balcony or a small yard can be achieved with pots, when tall plants are planted in them.
You can try growing small trees in pots, for example Kurile cherry. In order to overwinter, it requires a sheltered place and warmth around the pot.
Rigid versions of bushes also work. For example, small-bodied lilac, purple hydrangea, autumn hydrangea, rowan rowan and myrrh willow are suitable for the balcony.
Decorative sauce, big bluegrass, mammoth and elephant grass bring a change in height. The sauce is the most winter-hardy of these.
Source: kotiliesi.fi
