Grow Up: The Basics of How to Create a Thriving Urban Vertical Garden

Living in the city doesn’t mean you have to miss out on growing your own delicious and nutritious food! A vertical garden is the perfect way to grow when your space is limited, but you want to grow an ambitious amount of food! If you’ve got a balcony… you can grow. If you’ve got a small kitchen window… you can grow. If you’ve got a tiny yard with concrete for soil, guess what, you can grow. All you have to do is grow up.😉

Why Vertical Gardens Are a Game Changer

Imagine picking fresh basil from your kitchen wall or harvesting cherry tomatoes from a hanging planter outside your window. Here’s why vertical gardening is the urban gardening hack:

• Space-saving: Make the most of your small space by growing upwards!

• Aesthetic appeal: Vertical gardens turn any blank wall or fence into a lush, green masterpiece.

• Easy on the back: Say goodbye to bending over – most vertical gardens are at a comfortable height for all that pruning and picking.

• Better plant health: With better air circulation and sunlight exposure, plants will thrive with fewer pests and diseases.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of setting up your vertical garden, let’s quickly cover the essentials. Here’s what you’ll need to make it happen:

1. Location: A patio, wall, balcony railing, or sturdy fence that gets good sunlight.

2. Planters: Vertical garden kits, hanging baskets, stackable pots, or DIY planters, which can be old pallets, shoe organizers, etc.

3. Soil: Use a lightweight, high-quality potting mix—you don’t want heavy soil weighing down your setup. The good thing about this is that you can customize the soil to match your plants’ needs by making it yourself or buying premade mixes.

4. Plants: Choose the right plants for your light conditions, space, and tastes. (Don’t worry, we’ve got plant suggestions below!)

5. Irrigation: A drip irrigation system or a simple watering can will work to keep your vertical garden well hydrated.

Step-by-Step: How to Create Your Urban Vertical Garden

1. Pick Your Perfect Spot

Look for a sunny spot. If you’re growing veggies or herbs, they’ll need at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day. Some plants, like tomatoes, cucumbers, and watermelon, prefer 8 hours. For shadier spaces, consider shade-loving plants like ferns or spinach.

Pro Tip: If your space doesn’t get enough sunlight, you can use grow lights to boost your garden’s growth!

2. Choose Your Structure

There are endless creative ways to create a vertical garden! Here are a few options you can consider based on your space:

• Pre-made kits: These are ready-to-go and come in various styles, like wall-mounted pockets or stacking pots.

• DIY Pallet Planter: Grab a wooden pallet, cover the back with landscape fabric, and plant directly into the gaps. This is a very inexpensive way to build a living wall in your favorite sunny spot. Pallets are Easy to find and usually free, so the only things you would be paying for are the soil plants and landscape fabric.

• Hanging Baskets: Perfect for balconies—these can be layered at different heights to create a stunning cascading effect.

• Trellises: These are great for climbing plants like cucumbers or peas, and they can be bought or easily made. Trellises can also be great ways to add a piece of art to your garden. Terrasculpture and Seattle Urban Farm Company offer beautiful trellises that can be mounted on a wall or simply placed in the garden.

• There are also wonderful structures that incorporate hydroponics and aeroponics to grow vertically. We will be trying a few of these products out in future posts so be sure to subscribe to our blog and social media to stay informed.

Grow up!

Epic Gardening offers a great stackable vertical tower by Greenstalk Garden that allows you to stack up to seven pots! This is a simple option for growing various fruits, veggies, and herbs in a small space. Follow the link above for this and plenty of other gardening products from Epic.

3. Select the Right Plants

So now that you know why vertical gardens are such a good idea, let’s get to the fun stuff: choosing the plants! Consider what you love to eat, the amount of sunlight you have, and how much care each plant needs. Here are some easy options:

For sunny spots:

• Herbs: Basil, oregano, thyme

• Veggies: Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers

• Flowers: Sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtium, lavender

For shady areas:

• Herbs: Mint, parsley, cilantro

• Veggies: Lettuce, spinach, kale

• Flowers: Begonias, ferns

4. Plan Your Layout

Think of your vertical garden as a work of art! Play around with your layout before committing. Consider:

• Height: Taller plants should be at the bottom, smaller or trailing ones at the top.

• Watering needs: Group plants with similar watering needs together to make maintenance easier.

Caring for Your Vertical Garden

Once your vertical garden is up and growing, a little TLC will keep it thriving. Here are some quick care tips:

• Water regularly: Vertical gardens tend to dry out faster, so monitor moisture levels. You can use your finger or a moisture meter to measure the moisture and soil.

• Fertilize: Use organic fertilizer to help boost growth and add nutrients to fruits, veggies, and herbs.

• Prune and harvest: Regularly pinch back herbs and harvest veggies to encourage new growth.

Pro Tip: Use mulch or cover the soil with straw to help retain moisture.

Final Thoughts

Creating an urban vertical garden is one of the most rewarding and space-efficient ways to bring nature into your city life. Whether you want to grow fresh herbs for cooking or create a beautiful green space to relax in, it’s all about working with what you have and having fun along the way. Remember—gardening is all about trial and error, so don’t worry if things don’t go perfectly at first. You’ve got this!

Got Questions?

We’re here to help! Comment below or contact us if you need advice or support for your vertical garden.

With Love & Gratitude,

Janet & Jennifer

Some products mentioned in our blogs have affiliate links, which means we get a small percentage of your purchase. We only recommend products we have personally tried and found useful for you and us.