As a gardener there’s something so satisfying about not only growing your own fruit and vegetables, but also being able to share your results with the wider gardening community.
Watch as Melissa visits a spectacular vegie garden that’s like no other. While it features a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, some of which are unusual and rare, it’s the use of smart applications and incredible beauty are what set this garden apart from the rest.
So, if you’re looking to start a vegie patch or just want to make your existing one more productive, join Melissa for some fantastic tips and tricks, and see down below the best vegetables for vertical gardening.
The best vegetables for vertical gardening
Vertical gardening is not limited to walls covered with lush foliage – if you allow your vegie patch to grow up, you’ll have plenty of space underneath to put in the more sprawling types of produce to feed your family. With strategic planning and planting, even a small plot can become highly productive – and your seasonal harvests will not only be impressive, they’ll also be delicious!
What to grow
The sky’s the limit when it comes to adding height to your patch!
Tomatoes, chillies and capsicums scramble up stakes if you secure them with soft garden ties.
Peas, beans and cucumbers will climb over a steel mesh ‘tent’. Pumpkins and other gourds are natural ramblers and opportunistic climbers. They’ll grow up a pole or even charm you by covering an arch.
The best vegetables for vertical gardening are as follows:
Squash, tomatoes and beans all thrive when allowed to grow high where they can harness the sunshine and get good air circulation. But they’re not natural climbers and need to be tied to supports such as stakes or climbing frames.
How to create your vertical garden
Raised beds allow you to use different types of soil to meet the different demands of plants. For example, root vegetables like sandy soil, while beans and broccoli prefer moisture-hugging clay soil where their roots get a firmer footing.
Plant cages have the advantage of allowing plants that like to sprawl a bit as well as clamber to follow their inclinations. The more sunlight falls on the leaves, the more energy is harnessed, meaning stronger, healthier and happier plants!
Arches, arbours, stakes, poles, teepees, A-frames, lean-tos, trellises and walls all take climbing and twining plants upwards, leaving space at the ground level for spreading plants. These structures also keep the fruit off the ground, reducing the potential for rot, disease and damage by pests.
By cutting off the lower foliage, you’re creating more space, more air is able to circulate the patch and the plants’ energies go into producing fruit rather than more foliage. Also, especially with tomatoes, lower leaves tend to get powdery mildew.
Tips for your vertical garden vegie patch
- Use straw mulch to protect low-hanging fruit from soil pathogens.
- Putting up solar lights helps to deter night-time pests such as possums, rabbits and bush rats.
- Spill over flowering ornamentals such as little daisies don’t take up too much space, but pretty up your plot.
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