The purpose of vertical beds, their advantages and disadvantages, popular designs and technology for their construction, garden maintenance. Vertical beds are multi-tiered structures for growing vegetables and berries. In most cases, they are built on small plots of scrap materials. We will talk about the rules for creating an unusual garden in this article.
Features of vertical beds
This method of growing field crops is used involuntarily, when there is not enough land on the site. Perhaps, on a large allotment, multi-tiered gardens are irrelevant, but in small areas you cannot do without them. The height of the structure is unlimited; even five-storey structures can be built. In addition, their unusual appearance gives the landscape a piquancy, attracting the attention of neighbors and passers-by.
In most cases, such gardens are small containers located one above the other, or structures of various shapes elongated upward.
A variety of containers are used to create them: barrels, boxes, plastic bottles, bags, nets, etc. Small items can be hung on the wall. Massive beds are placed on the ground.
During construction, you will also need the following materials:
- Sand, crushed stone - for the organization of drainage;
- Fertile, infertile soil and organic matter - to create a nutritious soil;
- Wire or chains - for hanging the structure;
- Pipes or special systems for irrigation.
The principle of falling asleep prepared beds of any type:
- The first layer is drainage (drainage);
- The second layer is organic residues;
- The third layer is the soil that you have on the site;
- The fourth layer is a specially prepared nutrient soil.
The beds contain very little soil, which is not suitable for all crops. For example, planting potatoes or melons will not lead to a good result. And small plants, on the contrary, will take root in such conditions. To understand if such a garden is suitable for your site, make one or two beds and compare them with the harvest in the main area.
The technology of growing crops has its own characteristics: it is necessary to organize high-quality watering, regularly apply additional fertilizing and fertilizers to the soil.
General recommendations for arranging vertical beds are as follows:
- There should be no drafts in their location.
- Keep the soil moist and loosened.
- Transport large structures disassembled to their original place.
- Place areas with greenery closer to the kitchen.
- Allocate sunny areas for berry crops.
- Before making vertical beds, study the requirements of each seedling for the composition of the soil. A vegetable garden needs a mixture of soil and organic fertilizers.
- Decide in advance how to protect the plants in winter - with insulation or bring them home.
Advantages and disadvantages of vertical beds
These gardens are an alternative to standard horizontal plots.
Users highlight the following positive qualities of unusual structures:
- Their undeniable advantage is their compactness. A similar garden can be placed even on the balcony, using plastic bottles for construction.
- The seedlings are easy to care for. The construction turns out to be quite tall, so you do not have to bend low for weeding and harvesting.
- Plant roots are located high above the ground, they are not eaten by small rodents and insects.
- Saplings are less likely to get sick and are less attacked by pests.
- There are almost no weeds in the beds, they just have nowhere to grow.
- The structure looks very beautiful, so not only adults but also children love to take care of it.
- It can be used to decorate unsightly barn walls or a fence.
- The structure can be easily moved to another place without harming the seedlings.
Design flaws that owners should know:
- Plants often die from lack of moisture. You can avoid trouble by investing additional funds. One of the solutions to the problem is to add a hydrogel to the fertile soil, a substance that accumulates moisture in its excess and gives it back if necessary. The second way is the arrangement of drip irrigation. This is an expensive but very effective method of supplying water to the seedlings.
- Not all plants can be grown in vertical beds due to the small size of the structure.
- The roots in small containers freeze in winter, so structures must be insulated for the winter, which is problematic. A more common option is to plant crops every year.
- When using boxes or tires, you will have to carry out a large amount of construction work.
Vertical bed technology
There are a huge number of structures for this purpose, and more and more of them appear every year. Below are some ideas for installing vertical beds without a significant financial investment. Some of them are universal, others are suitable only for certain types of plants. For manufacturing, you will need inexpensive building materials and improvised means.
Barrel vertical bed
Consider the technology of arranging a vertical bed from a barrel. This example shows how all the main problems that arise when creating such a garden are solved - providing watering, preparing high-quality soil, etc.
Features of the work:
- Find an unnecessary barrel of medium diameter (40-60 cm), the material does not matter.
- Make holes in the walls for the seedlings. Make the slots in rows horizontally. The distance between the holes and between the rows is 20 cm. They should be 10 cm up from the bottom, and 15 cm down from the top edge.
- For irrigation, you need a pipe with a diameter of 4-6 cm. It should protrude 12-15 cm above the top. Make slots with a diameter of 4-5 mm in the tube with a vertical and horizontal step of 2 cm. Close the bottom hole with a plug or a wooden stopper. Leave the top open, a funnel with a volume of 10-15 liters is inserted into it for easy watering.
- In order for the water pipe to be securely located in the main element, weld a crosspiece for it from the fittings. Wrap burlap around the tube to keep dirt out.
- Level and tamp the pad under the barrel.
- Place a container on it with a water conduit fixed inside.
- Pour 3 shovels of clay on the bottom of the barrel, level and tamp it. Add rubble and compact as well.
- Prepare a substrate - a mixture of meadow turf (0.15 parts), peat (0.2 parts), two-year compost (0.25 parts), cow dung (0.2 parts).
- Also add an anti-compactor to the mixture, which will not allow the soil to be compressed. This material in the form of granules of 3-5 mm can be obtained by rubbing the foam packaging through a coarse mesh.
- Stir all the ingredients, then add water and repeat the procedure. A high-quality substrate does not crumble after being squeezed in a fist. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are grown on this soil.
- Pour soil into the container and plant the seedlings through the holes to a depth of 10 cm, with the roots up. When the soil subsides, the roots will be at the top. Cover the gaps between the stem and the walls with clay.
Plant a few bushes, such as tomatoes or eggplants, on the top open side of the barrel. You can weld rods to the body and pull the fishing line between them, thus building vertical beds for cucumbers.
Water your vertical bed early in the morning. To do this, place a funnel in the feeding tube and fill it with water. Through small holes, it will flow to the roots. The system is very similar to drip irrigation. After 2 weeks add nutrients (fertilizers) to the soil.
After each watering, the mixture will settle, so it is necessary to have a supply of soil, which is poured into the container as needed.
In the future, only the care of the beds is required - weeding as needed, loosening the soil after watering.
Vertical bed made of plastic pipes
Vertical strawberry beds are often made from large diameter plastic pipes. You will also need a small diameter watering tube.
The beds are created in this way:
- Drill small holes 2/5 of the length of the product in a small tube.
- Make holes in the large one, the diameter of which allows you to push the seedlings into them. Do not make holes on one side of the product.
- Dig it into the ground with the unperforated side.
- Place the water supply pipe in the middle of the bottom and fix it with pebbles. The first layer should not reach the bottom holes.
- Pour nutritious soil into the container and plant through the windows of the plant.
- Pour water into the inner tube. It will flow out through small holes just below the roots of the seedlings.
Another option for using a wide plastic pipe is to cut it lengthwise into two equal halves. Make small holes for the wire or chain on both sides for securing. Hang the product in a place you like, where there is no wind or draft - the structure sways a lot. Fill the container with fertile soil and plant the seedlings. Several beds can be attached to one chain. You can grow greens in a hanging garden, for example, it is great for planting lettuce.
Bag beds
Used to grow flowers and herbs. The product is easily mounted on a flat surface - a fence or a wall.
For the construction, you will need a fabric made of natural material that allows air and moisture to pass through well. Synthetic products quickly fail under the influence of the sun and atmospheric precipitation. Sew the sides and bottom of the bags additionally to increase the strength of the seams.
Sew a secure loop at the top of the product to hold the bag on the wall.
Punch a few holes in the garden bed. Fill it with fertile soil and hang it in the designated spot. Plant the seedlings through the holes in the bag and water them with water.
Mesh beds
It is good to grow flowers, strawberries, greens, etc. in such a product. Perform the following operations:
- Make a 90 cm tubular shape out of the mesh.
- Place it vertically.
- Pave the inside of the net with straw to keep the soil from spilling out.
- Fill this container with compost.
- Plant the first row of seedlings at a distance of 0.5 m from the ground. The distance between them is 10 cm. On top, pour a layer of soil 0.5 m thick and lay out the second row of plants.
- There are no restrictions on the number of levels and the height of the tower.
Lumber beds
Boards are the most common material from which vertical structures are assembled. Berry crops are grown in such facilities.
Schematic diagram of lumber beds: each subsequent tier has a smaller area, which ensures uniform illumination of all levels. The whole structure resembles a pyramid, which is created by steps with plants. Such structures look good near fences and walls.
Instead of boards, you can use wooden boxes, which are arranged in different ways. They are made of the same length (no more than 2.5 m), but different widths, in 30 cm increments. The lower element should be the widest, within 100 cm.
You can make square boxes with dimensions of 150x150 cm, 90x90 cm, 40x40 cm and assemble from them a pretty pyramid for growing strawberries.
Place the largest box on a level, weed-free area. Fill it with nutritious soil. Place the remaining boxes on top in turn and also cover with earth. Plant the seedlings and water them.
Watch a video about vertical beds:
On vertical beds, it is quite possible to get the same yields as on ordinary horizontal gardens, while the number of weeding and loosening will be an order of magnitude less. It is easy to build such a structure, but in order for the plants to grow healthy, many factors must be taken into account, some of which are described in our article. With all the guidelines in mind, it is possible to grow homemade produce from early spring to late fall.
