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Grow Up and Out: Setting Up Your Vertical Garden

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If you love tending to plants but you don’t have the luxury of an expansive space, gardening up is your secret weapon to satisfy your green thumb and get the most out of a small space.

Vertical gardening offers easy solutions for growing plants in a compact space. Although a relatively new concept, this gardening technique is becoming more and more popular among novice and seasoned gardeners alike due to the incredible benefits it can give. For one, it allows tending to several varieties of plants without taking up too much space. It also entails less soil preparation and digging and demands minimal water use. More importantly, unlike the traditional way of gardening (with long horizontal rows on the ground) where plants are susceptible to aggressive weed growth, pests and diseases, vertical gardening minimizes these common issues, thereby allowing plants to grow healthily.

If you’re ready to enjoy the aforesaid benefits, below is a simple guide on how you can set up your own vertical garden.

Pick a wall

Start by picking a wall for your garden. If you have a wall that has an ugly surface that you wish to cover up, this will definitely suffice for the project. Keep in mind, however, that your plant selection will depend upon the wall you pick and the amount of sunlight it receives. Thus, if you have a specific variety of plants in mind, pick a wall that can provide them with the best growing conditions.

Create a frame

The basic support system of a vertical garden wall is a panel composed of a main frame, plastic sheeting and fabric. Setting up a sturdy frame will make it easier for you to take down plants.

The best materials to use to build the main frame are PVC pipes and four way joints, as they are light and they allow water to shed properly. Avoid using metal as the additional weight of this material can put a strain on the wall, or wood, as it is susceptible to moisture and rotting. You can build the whole frame setup before hanging it on the wall or you can simply piece the parts together directly on the wall.

Lay the plastic sheeting and fabric

Once the frame is set, attach the plastic sheeting onto it. The plastic will serve as a backing for the fabric and will also prevent water from getting on the wall. Next, lay at least two layers of fabric on top of the plastic using galvanized screws or stainless-steel staples. You can use just about any type of fabric that can retain water without rotting. Since this layer is where your plants will live as it is responsible for holding the water for them, make sure that you secure it well on place so that it won’t come off.

Set up the irrigation system, fertilizer injector and water filter

In order for your plants to grow well on the wall, you need to have an irrigation system in place that will provide moisture to the fabric. You can create this system out of poly tubing with lock fittings and emitters, which you can purchase from an irrigation supplier. Place the tube on top of the panel and use the emitter to drip water down. When attaching the irrigation system, opt for stainless-steel hardware to avoid corrosion. Then, add a fertilizer injector, which is a simple valve that will send liquid fertilizer to the irrigation system, and a water filter to keep the circulating water clean. Connect the system to a power source to see if it is working properly.

Pick your plants

As mentioned earlier, when picking plants for your vertical garden, consider the amount of sunlight your chosen wall receives. Equally important is to consider humidity, wind and cold to ensure that you will be able to grow greens that can endure such conditions. If you are just starting out with gardening, pay your local nursery a visit to get an advice from a seasoned gardener about which plants are appropriate to grow on your vertical garden.

Insert the greens

The next and final step is to integrate the plants on the wall. Do this by making horizontal cuts on the fabric layer using a razor blade. Remove as much soil as possible from the plants’ root balls to prevent root rot before inserting each of them into the pockets you made. To secure the plants in place, staple the cloth to the plastic backing, making a semicircle around the root balls.

This gardening advice was written by Ericka on behalf of Steel Buildings UK www.steelbuildingsuk.co.uk ,Ericka is fond of home-related topics and tirelessly shares her knowledge by writing and publishing helpful articles online.






How To Prepare Your Garden For Winter

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As the days become shorter and the weather cooler, you know winter is not far away. Your thoughts will turn to what you need to do to prepare your garden for winter.

General Gardening Tasks

Weeding is a never-ending job. It is important to remove as many as possible before winter, otherwise you will have rampant weed growth in spring. Many weeds respond better to weed-killer applications now than at other times of the year.

Putting down a thick layer of mulch will suppress weeds and protects the roots of plants. Much of the mulch layer protection comes from providing more even temperatures that make sure roots are not stressed from an on-going cycle of freezing and thawing. It is best to wait until the ground is getting colder to do this in order to discourage any mice from making their winter homes in the mulch.

Autumn is the ideal time to plant new shrubs and trees. Autumn and winter allow strong root growth to develop. The new plantings should be well established before the hot dry days on summer arrive.

As the leaves fall put them on your compost pile as they convert to great organic matter.

Any potted houseplants which have been outdoors will need to be moved back inside. This process should be done in a two-step process to order to protect them from climate shock. Give them a few days is a shed or garage before bringing them into the house.

If your area is susceptible to heavy frosts make sure you disconnect any garden hoses. This is to make sure fittings do not split due to frozen water.

Grass will have a head-start in spring if work is done to remove weeds such as dock. An application of a specialised lawn fertiliser now will also lead to lusher growth in the new growing season.

Flower Garden

If any plants are looking unhealthy or diseased this is an ideal time to dispose of them. Put these plants in the rubbish rather than putting them on the compost pile.

This is also the time to plant out any bulbs. Most bulbs need the winter chill so that they flower as expected the following spring.

Winter annuals can be planted before the soil temperature gets too cold. If you are well prepared then you can plant out seeds. However, the potted seedlings will probably have a better success rate. Good flowers for winter colour are pansies and stock.

It is good to cut perennials back, but do not do this before the plant heads into its winter dormancy. The plant needs to transfer energy through to its roots for the winter lay-over and if cut back too early, this won’t be able to happen.

Vegetable Garden

The vegetable garden becomes a lot less busy over winter. Pull out any old plants before winter so any eggs laid by insect pests don’t hitch a ride through to spring. This old plant matter can be worked directly back into the soil to improve the soil condition.

If you have winter crops planted such as parsnips, broccoli or leeks, they will benefit from staying in the ground. The winter temperatures convert natural sugars in these plants making them tastier.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://photodune.net/licenses/photo
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://photodune.net/licenses/photo

These tips were brought to you by Luis Simmons and Rhodium (rh-45.com) – Luis is a property blogger from London and loves to share is home improvement and interior design ideas.

How to Enjoy Your Garden in the Winter

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With the winter approaching, the bitter cold and darkening nights may see you spending more time indoors, neglecting your garden until the spring comes around again. But it doesn’t have to be that way! There are plenty of ways to enjoy your garden in the winter, so chuck on your boots, don your woolly hat, and venture out into the cold to enjoy a few of these enchanting treats…

Stargazing


There’s no better time than the crisp, clear nights of winter to gaze up to the sky and take in its breath-taking beauty. The Milky Way will sparkle brightly, the moon will beam more than you’ve ever known, and if you gaze for long enough you’re sure to see a shooting star or two. Wrap your arms around a loved one or your hands around a mug of hot cocoa while you gaze, mesmerised by what the night sky has to offer.

Bonfires & Fireworks

There’s no cosy a feeling as standing around a roaring bonfire with your close friends and family, sharing jokes and reminiscing over good times. Make a night of it and get a little merry, procure a folding table to rest your drinks upon, toast a few marshmallows on the fire, and finish the night off with a spectacular fireworks display.

Festive Decorations

The long nights can make your garden seem an unappealing, hard place. The flowers wither, the trees lose their leaves and the animals go into hibernation – but that doesn’t mean your garden can’t be a place of joy. Breathe life back into it with some seasonal decorations, string up a row of fairy lights and be filled with merriment every time you glance outside.

Year-Round Decorations

It’s not just festive decorations that can liven up your garden during the cold, winter months. Incorporate ornaments and evergreens into the landscape of your garden so that when the autumn begins its slow march into winter, your garden will remain vibrant and appealing. Build rock walls and paths, and place boulders and sculptures throughout to add a charm that lasts throughout the year.

Snow!

Everybody hopes for snow come winter, and our wishes usually come true, even if only briefly. As soon as the first flakes start to fall, put on your wellies and your winter coat, and prepare for some jovial frolicking! Build snowmen and snow-dogs, and snow-whatever-elses-you-fancy. Start a snowball fight with the mischievous neighbours, and when you’re tired out from that, collapse to the ground and carve out some snow angels!

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to enjoy your garden in the winter – and these are only a smattering of possibilities! Use your imagination and you’re sure to come up with countless excuses to get out the house, instead of whiling away your days in front of the television, waiting for the sun to return.

Bill Weston writes on a number of subjects including gardening furniture such as folding tables. You can find a folding table at http://www.gopak.co.uk/

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