With the constant expansion of urban sprawl, gardeners and designers are looking up for new ways to add green spaces. As a result, living walls are one of the newest and hottest trends in outdoor design. They’re not only beautiful, they add the perfect link by providing new life in an ever-growing concrete jungle.
About Joe Lamp'l
Joe Lamp'l is the Host and Executive Producer of the award winning PBS television series Growing A Greener World. Off camera, Joe dedicates his time to promoting sustainability through his popular books, blog, podcast series, and nationally syndicated newspaper columns. Follow Joe on Twitter
Thank you for the step by step process involved in installing a vertical wall system. I would like to attempt an living wall for my house and really like the system used on the Maine house. Do you know the manufacturer of this system?
Thank you,
Mike Hoogerhyde
NJ Wildflowers llc
Waldwick, NJ
Michael, Here is a link for the company that manufactures the wall planters you asked about. https://www.urbilis.com/hanging-wall/ Happy planting!
I don’t see the show notes for episode 719, “Living walls and vertical gardens”. Where can I find them?
Jim,
Check the show notes for episode 221. https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/episode221. Let me know if you have more questions. Thanks for watching.
Joe, I have been gardening for about seven years and started out with 14 raised beds. Yes, I have planted them all and had a great harvest. I am now thinking that age is catching up with me and I am having so much trouble with the weeds. The bending is getting to my knees. I have just watched Episode #719. I am excited!!! This just may be the answer to my future gardening efforts. I am looking for the garden notes on how to build a vertical garden. Where do I find those notes. Also, am I limited to any one kind of plants in the vertical gardening? I like collard greens, cucumbers, green beans, and tomatoes. Can these be grown in vertical gardens? Also, where do we find the various panels shown on the show, the drip system really sounds great? I am wondering about the mounting surface. Does watering, a pallet, do damage to the house? Can one construct a metal frame and do a vertical garden. I want to get rid of my raised beds. Where can I find out more so I can get started. Thanks for such a wonderful and practical show.
Well glad I’ve lit a spark in your gardening enthusiasm Ms. Hayes! The vertical pallet system you saw is one that is more improvisation than refined, at least to the level we took this. What I can tell you is that if you are worried about the potential water damage against the wall of your house, you could mount the pallets with braces at the bottom that allow it to be freestanding. That may be better anyway since it is a bit more moveable if necessary. The drip irrigation system is ideal for such a system also since you can direct small amounts of water where it is needed and evey attach a portable timer so it is always getting the water it needs.
You can plant some of those favorite edibles you mention but the practical truth is collards get so huge, I don’t know how well they’d do in such tight quarters. But, you can grow dwarf varieties of tomatoes, and cucumbers and bush beans. And you can also plant the vining or trailing crops at the lowest level and allow them to run.
This is one of those systems where you just have to work with it and evolve along with it. But as a gardener, you know that trial and error is just part of the deal. So I say give it a go with the suggestions I mention and see what you can do.
Oh, and as for where to get pallets, check out a Home Depot, Lowes, large retail stores like Walmart, Feed stores, nurseries, etc. They are pretty much used everywhere. So once you start looking you should find what you need quickly.
Checking with a local landscape company who should have a plethora of left over pallets from sod installations is also a great option for free pallets. Especially because the sod pallets tend to be more of lightweight option than some of the heavier-duty ones retailers often use. The landscape companies can also be more willing to part with them at no cost.
While I try to watch this show every week, I found this episode could truly apply to me personally. I am in my sixties with bad knees and hips. I am also a single emptynester. I could garden like this without having to get down on my knees. It also appears to produce less which is good when you are gardening for one.
Nicely done!
Simple and wonderful idea. I will set one up for my daughter as she works full time with two boys and has not time to garden. This will be great outside the kitchen door.
Thank you for sharing.