Vertical Gardens are the trend we didn’t know we needed! They offer a gorgeous backdrop, fit in small spaces, and allow us to work at eye level rather than bending over. We made ours in less than a day, with no drying time or power tools, and it’s easily portable. The materials list is rather short with just safety pins, stapler, scissor, zip ties, and plant fabric. We used weed fabric that we sell right here at Parkview and we have 3 different widths to choose from so you can make this as big or as small as you like.
We opted for the 4 foot width of gardening fabric so our finished project would have pockets that are 2 foot long by 1 foot deep. We grabbed a 12 foot long piece and measured out 1 x 1′ squares. After we had marked everything out into a grid, we started to create the folds in the fabric. The folding technique we used is best described as accordion-like folds. We folded the bottom over to make a 1-layer pocket that will serve as a garden shear and gloves holder. After this, we pulled the fabric into an S shape until we had 3 layers that came together making the row of pockets.
We had enough fabric to create 3 rows of multi-layer pockets, a single layer for storage, and we used the last foot at the top to create a sleeve for a flagpole to run through for easy hanging. We used safety pins to hold everything in place in case we needed to make any adjustments.
Next, we wanted to seal the edges to keep the dirt inside. We folded over an inch all the way around the edges, except where the pole would go through and used this as a hem. We used our industrial stapler to go around the edge and fasten it off tightly. Then, we went through and cut slits through the fabric where we used zip-ties to close off the area. We fed the zips ties through and tightened them, so they were as flat as possible but not cinching any fabric.
After the pockets are created, it was time for our favorite part: planting in the pockets. We suggest using tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, herbs, small flowers such as marigolds, and even peas. These vertical gardens are a great and cheap way to bring gardening into everyday life! If you have any questions, please stop in and chat with one of our friendly experts.
