Gardening is a favorite pastime of many people, especially those who are keen to growing their own food. Whether you are fond of cultivating ornamental plants such as flowers, or useful plants like vegetables and fruit, gardening is an activity enjoyed by people of all ages. However, not everyone has space to plant a bountiful garden. For people with small outdoor living spaces or no yards, vertical gardening allows them to create the garden they want, with the space they have.
What is Vertical Gardening?
Vertical gardening is a creative way to use structures to maximize growing space and crop production. By utilizing either both vertical and horizontal gardening in a larger area, or using vertical planes exclusively, you can not only grow more plants, but add layers, color, and, dimension to the overall design of your outdoor living space. Vegetable cages are one of the most common vertical gardening structures as growing vegetables such as tomatoes are very common. Plant cages allow plants to grow up, whereas wall mounted planters allow plants to cascade down.
So what are the benefits of vertical gardening?
Increased Accessibility
Plant cages allow plants to grow up, making them easier to reach for fertilizing, watering, and pruning. Plant cages also make it less difficult to harvest your fruits and vegetables when growing useful plants. Not only is it easier to reach within the plant itself, but by growing up, instead of out, you can spare your back pain by having to bend down less.
Healthier Plants
One of the biggest benefits your plants reap from growing vertically is being up off the ground, improving air circulation. Better air flow generally results in less pests and fewer diseases. Vertical growing also expands the surface exposure to sunlight, and that, coupled with better air circulation, results in a heavier crop.
Enhanced Visual Appeal
Adding dimension to your garden, patio, or outdoor living space can exponentially improve the curb appeal of your residence. Plant cages, decorative garden stakes, and window boxes add variety to the colors structure of the design. Trellises and lean-tos are vertical gardening structures than can be used to hide unsightly objects or area on your property, enhancing the overall look of the garden. Vertical gardens can be placed in front of windows to provide a decorative, yet functional, curtain to the sun and neighbors.
Maximized Space
Not only does vertical gardening enable gardening in small spaces, but it can also contribute to being a more diverse garden. By maximizing your space with garden cages and yard stakes for plants to grow up, you free up space to add more plants. The more vertical growing plants you have, such as pumpkins that can be trained to grow up, the more room you have for different plants, or a larger number of the same crop.
Gardening with plant cages can help you transform your small outdoor living space into a green oasis. Vertical gardening allows you to grow a larger number of healthier plants, in a smaller place.