One of the very best ways to expand your gardening space and get more produce each year is to introduce vertical gardening elements. There are many, many ways to create a vertical garden beyond the industrial-looking hydroponic setups you see all over the web.
It’s entirely possible for vertical gardening to look as great as it tastes. So we’ve collected a dozen awesome ideas for going vertical in your garden this year. First up, is what I call “the Egyptian:”
The Egyptian
The pyramid garden is a very cool-looking, very easy to maintain, and a great use of space.
Pumpkin Hut
I definitely didn’t think pumpkins could be grown this way. What a cool yard decoration to have when Autumn arrives!
Herbal Decor
Aside from looking great, does gardening get any better than this? An indoor herb garden with labels, and grown right near the kitchen where you need them. Genius!
The Salad Wall
Check out that wall of salad greens on the right, organized with panels of each type of green. I won’t kid you, that would take some work, but it would be worth it.
The "Restoration Hardware"
A wall of reclaimed wood can make for a beautiful and functional vertical garden, with individual boxes for each plant type.
The Onion Tower
This wouldn’t qualify as beautiful for most people, but it’s so awesome that I had to include it. An onion tower is one of the best vertical gardening ideas I’ve seen. Onions are relatively cheap, so it’s a great way to get a lot of them without consuming lots of garden space.
The Spiral Garden
A spiral garden allows kids of different ages to participate in gardening. You could make this larger or smaller as you see fit, and could certainly grow veggies in it. What a great idea!
The Chest of Drawers
Many people have an old dresser that they’d otherwise throw out, but this is a great way to recycle it. It’s a very neat way to kill two birds with one stone.
The Hanging Herb Garden
Good-looking and very expandable, this hanging garden can accommodate anything from herbs to salad greens to vining plants.
The Crate Garden
This version of a vertical garden is sleek and modern looking, yet sturdy enough for larger vegetables if that’s the way you want to go. You could also make it from reclaimed materials.
The Mini
Here’s another vertical herb garden that you could keep right near the kitchen, and it takes up very little space. Everyone has that odd corner that’s only occupied by spiders, so this could be a great addition.
The Ladder
If you have a spare ladder, here’s an excellent use for it. With little work, you can turn it into a vertical garden. Ladders are sturdy and can take the weight of the plants, so this is a great recycling idea as well as a tasty gardening idea.