How to grow and indoor vertical garden is a question we hear often. An indoor vertical garden, also known as a green or living wall, is a garden grown vertically against a wall. This is done using panels or stackable planters to hold the plants. The plants can grow in soil, in a substrate, along a trellis, or hydroponically in water. They are ideal for small spaces, as they take up no floor space. Yet vertical gardens still provide all the benefits that a large garden can offer. For example, they’re great for air purification, can provide fresh herbs and vegetables, and can be an absolutely stunning piece of decor.
Let’s go over the basics of how to grow your own indoor vertical garden:
What Will You Grow?
When planning a vertical garden, it is important to consider the specific plants you want to grow and where your garden will be located. Factors like sunlight exposure and plant weight need to be taken into account to ensure that your garden will be successful. Whether you are growing small herbs or larger vegetables, choosing the proper framework for your vertical garden can help you achieve optimal results. With the right combination of light, space, and structure, almost any type of plant can thrive in a vertical garden setting.
Using Vertical Garden Planters
Another very simple way to grow your vertical garden is to use vertical garden planters. You can DIY your own pots out of wood, use other upcycled materials, or purchase a pre-made vertical wall planter.
Pocketed Wall Panel
An excellent option is a pocketed wall panel to plant your garden in. They’re available in many different sizes and are usually stackable so you can customize the size with multiple panels.
When using these panels, consider putting a water-resistant layer of plastic between the planter and your wall. This will avoid any water damage to your home.
Pocketed Wall Panel
Another great option is a set of wall mounted hanging pots. Basically, these are just individual pots that are able to be hung on the wall. Your plants would require the same care in this set up as they would in a regular free-standing pot.
Pots grouped together on the wall can create enough foliage that the pots become hidden. This is how you create a “living wall” in your home. Some of these vertical planter kits are even self-watering, which means even less work for you.
Growing an Indoor Vertical Herb Garden
Herbs love sunlight, and you’ll often use these herbs while cooking. So, it only makes sense to grow your herb garden in your kitchen window. Windowsills offer limited space, so try using a hanging vertical design to get the most of that sunny real estate.
Upside Down Hanging Planter
There are plenty of DIY vertical garden ideas to suspend your plants in front of a window. One fun and unique option is upside down hanging planters. Suspend these at varying heights in front of your kitchen window. That way, you’ll be able to just reach up and pick your herbs as you need them.
Hanging Window Shelves
Another option is to place a hanging window shelf in front of your kitchen window. Simply pop your herbs onto the shelves in individual pots. This will save you windowsill space, while allowing you to grow a massive herb farm in a wonderfully convenient location.
Growing an Indoor Vertical Succulent Garden
How to Easily Frame Your Succulents
Creating a succulent garden within a picture frame can be a fun and gorgeous DIY vertical garden project. You’ll need a picture frame, a shadow box, a mesh wire screen, some potting soil, and various succulents or cuttings.
You can build the shadow box yourself and affix the mesh screen and frame with some wood glue and nails. Alternatively, you can buy a pre-made frame and just get straight to planting your succulents.
Once you have a completed frame, pack it with potting soil and start popping your succulents into the soil. Use a wire cutter to clip away pieces of the mesh screen where the succulents need more room. Make sure they are firmly in place so everything stays put when you hang it on the wall. Once your picture frame is completely filled with various succulents, hang your masterpiece. Then, give it a heavy misting of water from a spray bottle every few days.
Growing an Indoor Vertical Vegetable Garden
A vertical vegetable garden can be grown using any vertical garden technique. One interesting way to grow your tomatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, and squash is with the use of a trellis. Situate your pots on the ground, counter, shelf, or secure your pots right onto your walls at varying heights. You can buy trellis or netting. Or you can build your own DIY trellis from anything sturdy enough to support your garden.
Whether buying or making a trellis, you’ll need to ensure the staking is strong enough to support what you’re growing. Also be sure the pots are deep enough to support your plants.
Peas and beans will be very light and won’t need much support.
Tomatoes and cucumbers will need a fairly sturdy trellis to grow on and may need a little help with climbing. You can tie their branches to the trellis to encourage them to grow upwards.
If you choose to grow squash, it’s best to stick with the smaller varieties and still your plants may require some additional support from a nylon sling to support their weight as they grow.
Now You’re Ready to Grow Your Own Indoor Vertical Garden!
You can grow pretty much anything in an indoor vertical garden that you could grow outside in a garden bed. If your plants have ample support, light, water, and nutrients, there’s no reason they won’t grow on a living wall. If you don’t have sufficient natural light and you desperately want to grow light-loving plants, look into using grow lights for indoor plants and you’ll be able to grow almost anything you’d like.
