What to plant in a Vertical Garden
By Steve Kelley
Many people are unsure if vertical gardening is for them. Most are uncertain what the best plants are to plant in a vertical garden. Honestly, there are so many different varities of plants, perennials, flowers, vegetables, and herbs out there to choose from it can sometimes be overwhelming. The key things to be familiar with are the plants size, shape, and height. More importantly is whether the plants you choose prefer full sun or full shade or a sun/shade mixture.
All of these factors play an important role in the layout and success of your vertical garden, or any type of garden for that matter.
Before selecting what to plant in a vertical garden, which I will get to, first we need to take a look at some key factors that will make a difference in our plant selection for our garden.
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First, you need to select an area where you will construct or set up your vertical garden system. Note how many hours of sunlight the particular area you select will be getting per day AND whether the area gets primarily morning or afternoon sunlight. Keep in mind that depending on the season this amount will change.This will be an extremely important aspect in our plant selection proccess.
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Next, we need to choose the type of vertical garden we want. Do we want it to provide fruits and vegetables, or is it going to mainly just have herbs for cooking and salads. Many people add perennials, vines or flowers to add beauty and color. Most likely you will be planting a combonation of all these things
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The type of plants you decide to plant will determine the size and style of your vertical garden system. If you are a DIY type, then Pinterest and Flickr will most likely be your best friend. There are thousands of ideas out there, and many different types of systems that can be constructed out of all kinds of material. Even if you are not that handy there are still plenty of options to suit your vertical gardening needs. I found this fantastic example on Flickr. The combination of solar panels and plants is fantastic. Follow our Vertical Gardening Pinterest board for more ideas for your vertical garden.
Now that we have selected the area, choosen the types of plants we want to plant, and decided to either build or buy our vertical garden system, we are now ready to go over what to plant inside.
What to Plant in a Vertical Garden
Depending on which type of garden you choose in the steps above will depend on the plants that will be selected for each paticular garden type. Consider the sunlight needs of your plants and the size of the structure you have selected. Here are some ideas for each of the plant catergories discribed above. They are broken up into catergories according to the plants sun preference. In any garden you must always keep in mind your plant hardiness zone. To check what zone you are in, view the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Fruits and Vegetables
1. Small plants, partial sun
Carrots, Potatoes, Lettuce, Green Onion, Garlic, Arugula, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts
2. Large plants, partial sun
Rasberries, Blackberries, Beets, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Collards, Cucumbers
3.Small plants, full sun
Strawberries are very popular. Peppers such as Chili, Jalapeno, Cayenne, Habanero, Bannana,Tabasco, Lemon drop, Chipotle and there are many more peppers.
4. Large plants, full sun
Tomatoes, Watermelons, Cantalope, Dew Melon, Kale, Artichoke, Asparagus, Pole Beans, Corn, Grapes, Bell peppers
Herbs
1. Small plants, partial sun
Lemon grass, Parsley, Sage, Chives,
2 . Large plants, partial sun
Cilantro, Ginger, Catnip, Mint
3. Small plants, full sun
Oregano, Dill, Basil, Savory, Thyme
4. Large plants, full sun
Rosemary, Lavender, Angelica, Horseradish, Parsley
Perennials, Vines, and Flowers
1 . Small plants, shade
Green ice gasteraloe, Furns, Hearts and flowers, Mottled spurge ,Impatience, Purple heart, Hostas
2. Large plants, shade
Ivy, Bleeding heart, Coleus
3. Small plants, partial sun
Liriope, Ferns, Crocus, Daffodil, Snowdrop, Ajuga, Daylillies
4. Large plants, partial sun
Lily, Black-eyed Susan, Chamomile, Clematis
5. Small plants, full sun
Iris, Tulip, Pansies, Mums, Avens, Babys breath, Coneflower, Dianthus, Geraniums
6. Large plants, full sun
Honeysuckle, Dahlia, Glaiolus, Aster, Blazing star, Blue beard
