Vertical Gardening Roundup

I learned about vertical gardening very early in my gardening “career” when I planted my first set of pole beans tee-pee style. I had a wonderful gardening neighbor and she knew a lot about the best way to grow things. Together we planned and harvested our garden for several years and she shared her knowledge. I learned to love growing food from her.

I also learned that you can grow a surprising amount of produce if you will grow vertically and that there are all kinds of vegetables that can be trained to grow up a trellis. In addition to trellising you can stack pots, create vertical planters from pallets and utilize fences to hang pots and gutters. It really is only limited by your imagination.

While all these trellises, obelisks and tee-pees still have a place in my garden I’ve started to incorporate another way to maximize my space with The A-Frame Pallet Planter. It’s my new answer to maximizing my space with vertical gardening. I can fit 20 feet of sturdy growing space in 3.5 feet of garden. Nice!

As you begin planning your garden for the coming year, make use of some of these ideas I’ve gathered from my blogging friends. This vertical gardening roundup will inspire you to get creative with your vegetable garden and make the most use of your space.

There are two types of tomato plants – determinate and indeterminate. The determinate ones are fantastic for getting a big harvest, all at one time, that you can use for canning and preserving. These plants typically reach 3 to 4 feet tall, produce their crop and then they are finished. Indeterminate tomatoes will keep growing, growing, growing, and can reach up to 7 feet tall. Can you imagine a traditional tomato cage being able to handle that? Here are 3 ideas for growing indeterminate tomato plants vertically.

Grow tomatoes upside down with this idea from Attainable-Sustainable

Make an indestructible tomato trellis with this idea from Petite Farmstead

How to grow tomatoes up a rope trellis from Plant & Plate