Hi everyone! We recently were given a project to construct a vertical garden. Our goal was to create a display piece that could be secured to a wall or set on display at ground level. Below is a walk through of our build process. Enjoy!
Layout your materials as if they were a kit. This makes assembly much faster
and organized.
Take the 2 lengths of 32” wood and measure down from the top by 14” and up from
the bottom by 3 ½” and place a mark at each location. Now with the
three 15” boards place one at the very top one at the 14” mark and one at the 3
½” mark, these will form the body and compartments of the soil bed. With
the exception of the board at the 14” mark secure these in place with 1 ½”
exterior wood screws.
Take the piece of 19 ½” x 32” plywood and secure it to the soil bed frame
with wood screws. This will form the back of the vertical garden.
With the frame of the bed assembled let’s address the holes for the watering
inlets. For our purposes our drip irrigation system will be using ¾” PVC
pipe, one routed to each compartment. Use a 1” spade bit to drill a hole in the
top of the frame. This hole should be just off center.
Now take the middle support we didn’t screw in previously and slide it up and
flush with the top board.
Using a clamp to hold the board in place drill the hole for the lower
compartment. Clamping the boards together insures that the holes line up
perfectly for the PVC to pass through.
Remove the clamps and move the center support back down to the 14” mark (made
in step 2) and fasten it into place as you did the top and bottom.
The 32” long 1”x2” are drilled into place along the top edge of the soil bed to
give us extra surface area to support the face frame without adding a lot of
weight.
Repeat this with the 20 ¾” long 1”x2” along the top and the 15” long 1”x2”
along the bottom.
Before attaching the facing frame we need to line the bed with a moisture
barrier. This is to prevent wood rot and warping from the moist soil over time.
In this case we’ll be using 2mil plastic sheeting pond liner is also and
excellent option.
Line the top compartment with enough slack in the bed to allow soil to spread
without ripping and staple the over spill along to compartment edge. Once the
staples are in place cut the excess away carefully with a razor knife. Repeat
for lower compartment.
NOTE: At this point you have the option of drilling weep holes into the bottom
of the soil bed to let excess moisture run out. Be aware that if you do this to
place weed block over top the plastic liner in this area to prevent soil
escape.
We can now attach the facing frame, just be sure to align your screws so that
they embed into the 1”x2” supports we put in place back in steps 8 and 9. If
you plan on painting the facing frame remove it at this point, paint it and
allow it to dry.
Now with the bed and frame completed we can measure for the inset lattice. Take
measurements from the inner edge of the facing frame (ignore the lip of the
soil bed) to inner edge. You will want the take measurements for width from
both the top and bottom edges and likewise for the height from the left and right
edges. This assures you the best possible fit and finish for the lattice.
Just as we did for the facing frame attach the lattice work to the inner lip of
the vertical garden using 1” wood screws. Detach, paint as desired.
Before we add soil we need to add our irrigation. We used a simple PVC drip
irrigation set up.
Make “X” shaped incisions in the plastic liner at the 1” holes we drilled into
the soil bed in step 4.
Take the piece of 8” long PVC and push through the hole without the pass
through into the second compartment. When it’s about half way in attach the PVC
cap to the end within the box. Glue the 1 ¼” - ¾” reducing bushing to the
opposite end (this will be the water inlet). Use a small drill bit to place
drip holes along the length of PVC, rotating slightly after each one. Make sure
to get a hole as close to the bottom as possible to prevent standing water in
the line.
Repeat the process for the 19” long PVC line that runs into the second
compartment. Only drill the drip holes into the second compartment section of
pipe, leaving the rest solid.
Note: It’s not a bad idea to color code or label the water inlets so you’ll
remember which is top and which is bottom ;)
Fill both the upper and lower compartments with soil. You want them to be
pretty full so once you reach the top lip (where the lattice attaches) shake
the box to help the soil settle and add more as needed.
With the bed full, place a layer of weed block tightly across the top, and
staple into place.
Reattach the lattice.
Wait 2-3 weeks before standing up your garden to let the soil settle and the
plants take root.
Hang your vertical garden with the French cleat, or stand it up on its base.
Marvel at your handy work and check for any last minute fixes like soil shift
and repair as needed.
We hope you've enjoyed this walk through and as always if you have any
questions feel free to sound ask.
Cheers,
ChrisFixit
Hi, The project looks like fun and I was following along great until the end....where are the photos showing the addititon of soil, addition of plants and the most important the final photo? Please add more photos, step by step. Thank you.
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My idea of a vertical garden is much simpler and lets me recycle old building materials:
Gather discarded (or buy new) lengths of rain gutters and nail them slightly inclined one above the other on the side of a shed, alternating the end at which the opening for the downspout is located; fill with dirt and plant shallow-root crops such as lettuce, radishes, celery OR flowers and/or vines; water from the top and the excess water will seep down to each successive level to water them as well.
Love, love, love this idea! Do you have any photos? This would be great on the side of my shed...no wasted space!!!
Watch the video, people. It shows the planting and the end product.
I am in the process of making a vertical garding using an old pallet. I got it for free at a garden center. There's lots of videos out there for instructions on using pallets for vertical gardens. Once filled with the soil, these are very heavy, so try to place as close to their permanant place before you add the dirt.
I would love a listing of the flowers you used please.
I had NO video!
would have been nice to have the rest of instructions....
I would love to watch the VIDEO...but alas, there is no video to watch.
Can you post one please???
An amazing idea.This will be so very helpful to a lot of people. You all did a great job.Congratulations on a job well done. Have a great day