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Vertical vegetable gardening is on the up and up
August 27, 2021
by Phyllis Elmore/Victoria County Master Gardener
Edited by Suzanne LaBrecque/Victoria County Master Gardener
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PHYLLIS ELMORE
Phyllis Elmore's vertical vegetable garden.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER PHYLLIS ELMORE
Carrot grown in a vertical vegetable garden.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.
Do rows of vegetables such as green beans, squash and tomatoes interest you? Do you look with envy at farmers market produce? Does the thought of vegetable gardening scare you? Do space limitations prevent you from being a farmer?
Well, your worries are over. Friends, you may be saying, “No way,” but I am saying, “Yes way.”
Gardening requires effort. I will exhaust myself to find and bake the perfect chocolate chip cookies. I just don’t know about vegetable gardening. However, the taste of a delicious tomato bursting with flavor beckons me.
I live in a home with a postage stamp sized yard. “Yeah right,” you may be thinking. How small is your yard? Our back yard measures 15 feet by 45 feet. Half of this area is paved with beautiful flagstone that exists solely to twist my ankle. So, I am very familiar with the challenges of creating a vegetable garden in a very small space.
Before we jump into “how,” let’s discuss the “what, why and where.” What is vertical gardening? It’s planting your crops to make use of growing upwards instead of horizontally. Thus, you maximize the space you have. Wherever you live, you can have a vertical vegetable garden.
Why would you want to attempt such a project? There is pride in growing it yourself. You are not limited by what you can purchase. Your vegetables can be free of pesticides or chemicals. Your vegetables will be allowed to ripen fully in the garden. You also will be contributing to preserving our Earth, because your produce will not have to be transported to the market.
Where in the world can you find out about vertical vegetable gardening? You can surf the worldwide web. I am amazed at what you can find on the internet. Your local library is also an excellent resource.
When I first looked into vertical gardens, I sought a premade version. These structures were pretty pricey. My inner cheapskate was challenged. How could I have a vertical garden on a budget?
What is your budget? Plant choice is very important. Smaller plants like lettuce and herbs are great suggestions. Consider your space, plant size, season, lighting and watering requirements for the array of plants you choose. Make sure they are compatible.
What do you plant? Planning is key. It is your preference. Don’t plant okra if you hate okra. What is your patience level? Because I am impatient, I chose plants rather than seeds for my vertical project.
Gardening is only limited by your imagination. The Victoria Educational Gardens has several terrific examples. You can use ladders, arches, trellises or hanging baskets. I had none of these choices.
So I dragged my hubby to the hardware store to brainstorm. He is free labor, smart and has a pickup truck. I chose cinder blocks and PVC gutters. I also used some plastic fencing to make a trellis. I had pots, soil and stakes. This project was doable for very little money.
I stacked the cinder blocks with lengths of the gutter in between them. I used foil to cap the ends of the gutters to prevent the soil from washing out. I added soil and plants. Next, I wired the fencing to the stakes in the pots. When I added plants to the pots, I became a vegetable gardener.
I was able to harvest some tasty produce. Some plants did not fare as well as others. I laughed at my “Barbie-sized” carrots. I learned quite a bit about vertical vegetable gardening.
You might want to give it a try. Vertical vegetable gardening is on the up and up.
ph: 361-935-1556
nancyk