Take your gardening vertical
Gardening space may become a scarcer commodity, but the trick is to think vertically and not just horizontally.
Vertical gardens, also known as living walls, take advantage of vertical space to grow flowers and vegetables alike, both indoors or out. The benefits go beyond the additional space. They can act as insulators to reduce noise, create habitats for birds and butterflies, cool the air and even offer a unique mean of artistic expression.
The sky is the limit with this type of gardening, which is a hot topic at major trade shows such as October’s 2018 Landscape Show in Orlando and the International Builder’s Show earlier this year.
While large installations can cost thousands, there are ways to try out vertical gardening on a shoestring.
Rockledge Gardens has hosted several pallet gardens workshops that recycles used pallets into vertical gardens.
“Pallets can be a cheap and easy way to create a vertical garden, but there are some thing you should keep in mind when selecting one for use,” said Kaydie McCormick, who led the Rockledge Gardens event.
Wooden pallets are treated to keep fungi and diseases from spreading. The two primary treatment methods use heat or methyl bromide. Pallets are required to have a marking indicating which method was used. The safer method is heat treatment, and pallets so treated will be stamped or woodburned with HT on the surface.
Check for termites, stains, wobbly wood and weird smells, because once the pallet is up, it is not going to be easy to change out.
To make a vertical garden from a pallet, attach weed cloth to the back, bottom and sides of the pallet using rust-resistant staples. A weed cloth will keep the dirt inside the pallet and the weeds out.
McCormick recommends Fafard potting soil to fill the pallet because it is light in weight. Add a small bag, or more, of perlite to the soil for additional lightness.
The plants can be plugged into the soil, but they will need at least a week to root before the pallet goes vertical.
“Use plants that will not grow too large,” McCormick said.
Small annuals, lettuces and herbs are good choices, she adds, but make sure the light requirements of the selected plants match the area where the pallet will go.
Watering can be an issue with pallet gardens, since plants at the top tend to get dry while those on the bottom are wet. The problem is solved with vertical garden systems available at sources such as Amazon, where gardeners can purchase a 36-pot self-watering vertical system for under $100.
The crème de la crème of vertical gardens may well be LiveWall, created by Michigan-based LiveRoof Global. The company manufactures state-of-the-art garden walls for residential and commercial applications, such as the one recently installed at Orlando Public Library. Success is pretty much a certainty with these systems and maintenance is almost nil..”
While low-end vertical gardens are suited primarily for the outdoors, LiveWall can be used indoors, where the plants can significantly purify the environment and release oxygen.
“It is very showy and it can be automatically watered,” Ponce said.
The company offers basic DIY kits for as little as $700, but the price can rocket into the thousands with installations that include all the bells and whistles and requires a contractor. LiveWall’s LiveScreen can be used to grow flowers, herbs and veggies in a freestanding application that can serve as screens between condos or apartments.
Researchers have proven that living with plants makes humans healthier and happier, so it makes sense to green up, horizontally and vertically.
Rockledge Gardens will host a workshop on pallet gardens at the beginning of next year. For more information, call 321-636-7662.
For more details on LifeWall, call 877-554-4065 or visit LiveWall.com.
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