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Vertical Gardening, gardening with upright structures, like the our very own tiered raised bed, can be easily accessed by all individuals. Many structures, including bamboo fences, wood fences, arbors trellises and walls can be used to create practical and functional gardening spaces, as well as defining areas, creating boundaries and providing support for plants. Hanging basket planter and pulley systems can be used to make vertical gardening attractive and easy to get to. All can be naturally incorporated into any garden design. There are many advantages of having a vertical garden, including plants such as flowering vines and variegated vines traditionally grown on upright structures, can be used to create a very attractive garden.
If you are gardening with some limitations, there are several factors you need to take into account before selecting seeds, plants and the type of vertical structure you will be using (Adil, 1994):
Without some pre-planting mathematics, the results could be quite frustrating if your plants grow out of reach. Moreover, it's exhausting to work with arms raised for any length of time. A combination of planting methods may in fact be necessary (Andil, 1994). For example, if you have a 30" high planter box, pole beans cannot be planted as the beans will grow out of your reach. It may be more appropriate to grow a low growing crop in the planter box instead. It will be critically important to preplan your garden and assess your limitations, as it would be with anyone, so that you will have a successful garden that is completely accessible to you. Janeen Advil makes a wonderful suggestion in her book about location of vertical structures. Make sure the vertical structures are on the north side of the plant, particularly if you have sun-loving plants. Another suggestions is to have the vertical structure on the downwind side of the plants, so that strong winds do not blow over the plants, but push plants against the supportive structure. Hanging baskets are another great way to make use of limited space and create a vertical garden. Baskets can be hung on arbors or other vertical structures that can support them. If you have limitations in reaching high objects, ropes and pulleys can be installed so that you can lower your plants to be able to tend to them and then raise them to the desired height. With double or triple pulleys, you can make a miniature block and tackle system, applying some of the things you learned in physics class (or ask someone who was in a physics class!) to considerably reduce the strength necessary to raise and lower the basket. You can minimize accidents by tying a safety knot to become wedged in a pulley and stop a falling container, in the event control is lost. Selecting Plants for your GardenTaking into account what you want to grow and adapting plants that suit your needs and limitations, you can grow anything. There are many gardening resources to choose from, including the library, gardening centers and your own experiences. Plant what works for you. For an individual who may find traditional gardening difficult, there are some considerations that should be kept in mind:
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