So many people have asked me questions about the wall. I thought it might be useful to post these questions. Perhaps they would answer some questions YOU may have. Feel free to leave any comments or questions you have that were not answered.
Q: What is the wall built of?
A: The structure of the wall is built of three things: posts to support the wall, wire (hogwire and chicken wire), and Typar. The posts were cemented several feet into the ground to support the large structure. On each side of the posts, a foot apart, the sides of the wall were erected. After the sides were thoroughly wired to the posts and to each other, the wall was filled dirt.
Q: How do you plant in the wall?
A: It is very simple to plant in the wall. You need three basic tools: a razor knife, a shovel, and wire cutters. I would recommend wearing gardening gloves because the wires can be rough on the hands. Simply cut the wires and bend them back making ample room for whatever you are planting. Then slit the Typar the appropriate size. Shovel out the dirt and gently place your plant inside. Within a few days your plant will begin to grow skyward. It is very exciting to see watch it grow up!
Q: How long did it take to plant the wall?
A: There are two walls at the farm, each is planted on both sides. It took me approximately 8 hours to plant each side. Keep in mind there were probably hundreds of plants for each side. Because there are more steps than normal gardening it does take longer. But it is well worth the effort when you see your final result!
Q: Is it possible to make a smaller version of your Vertical Garden?
A: Yes! It is very feasible to make a small Vertical Garden for those who don't have enough space or time. You could even build a small cube with the primary goal of growing salad greens. The possibilities are endless!
Q: What kind of things grow well on the Vertical Garden?
A: I found SO many things that grow well, particularly salad greens. Any sort of mustard, lettuce, kale, pac choi, etc. does exceedingly well. I have grown many herbs (Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley) and flowers. Petunias are perhaps the best flowers to plant in the wall. They do a great job of covering and flowing. Any climbing vines or flowers are fabulous! I haven't experimented AS much with vegetables, but tomatoes have done great, as well as Chard.
Q: How do you fertilize?
A: I have found it easiest to use liquid fertilizer (MiracleGro) and to pour small amounts into each hole using a watering can.
Q: How do you water?
A: We have placed a soaker hose at the top of the wall. Actually, I have found that the wall very rarely dries out. Because it is shaded it stays very wet. The top foot or so dries out but the soaker hose does a good job at watering that. As I plant I water them in to keep them from going into too much shock.
I think that covers the questions I am asked most often. Like I said, please ask any questions you may have. This IS experimental so I cannot garantee that I can answer everything. :-) We are also at the end of the season so there won't be a lot to post about between now and spring. But I am eagerly anticipating the planning for next year's Vertical Garden!
I was able to harvest some salad greens from the wall this past week. What fun!
Hi, your vertical walls are amazing. I work on a city farm in London and we have been researching growing vertically for a few months now, to grow salads on the side of our office - your design looks by far the most practical and fantastic! I have a few questions about your design -
ReplyDelete1. does the wall keep its rigidity, and all of the soil in because of the hog wire being very strong? Here in the UK I have never heard of hog wire...
2. Do you have any issues with drainage when watering?
3. Do you have any sketches of the designs I could look at?
Congratulations for building such a stunning vertical garden
Simon
Good afternoon. I agree with Simon, your vertical walls are amazing! I am going to try to construct one on a smaller scale. I am wondering about the wall construction. Did you attach the landscaping fabric & chicken wire to the hog panels BEFORE you wired the panels to the poles? I guess I'm thinking you'd have to as it would be nearly impossible to deal with chicken wire after the panels were put up, but I don't understand how you wired w/the fabric in the way. I would really appreciate it if you could clarify this for me. I'm getting the supplies this next week and I'm anxious to get going before it gets REALLY warm here. Thank so much. Blessings, Amy Smith
ReplyDeleteSimon, I apologize in my delay in responding. I only just now saw your comment! The wall has kept its rigidity very well. The key is plenty of wire to keep it in place! Hog wire is pretty much a larger and thicker version of chicken wire. Drainage isn't an issue, if you mean it getting too wet. If watered consistantly, it remains moist enough without being too wet. I think a lot depends on the type of soil you use.
ReplyDeleteAmy, thank you so much for your questions! A lot of the structure will depend on the size of your wall. If it is tall enough that there is danger of it falling over, it will need have posts in the center of the wall cemented several feet into the ground. If it is shorter and would stabilize itself, there is no need for that. We constructed the walls individually then wired them all together. We laid the hogwire on the ground , lay the chicken wire on top of that, then lay the fabric on top of the chicken wire. If you wire it in several sections it will all stay together. One of the keys to keeping it tight is to slightly bend the wires in a sort of U-shape then lay the fabric straight across. When you straighten out the wires as you put the wall up it will pull the fabric tight. After you have done each side of the wall you are ready to put it together. If you have those deep posts the first thing to do is to very tightly secure your sides to that. Another stablizing factor is to put a few smaller posts in the ground right up against your walls on the inside and wire it in order to secure the bottom of your wall. If you fail to do this, the soil will seep out of the bottom. Not fun! To prevent your wall from bowing, be sure to use plenty of wire. It is better to use too much than not enough. You asked how we wired our wall with the fabric in the way. It is a humurous story! Because our wall is so tall as well as thick, Isaiah (one of the main constructers) dropped himself into the wall and passed the wires through to me. It is a little inconvenient but it worked! Obviously, that's not necessary with a smaller wall. I hope this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please ask. Also, would you email me pictures of your wall when you have finished? (aknotinthyme@verizon.net) I would love to see how others are constructing their walls! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I would suggest those in drier climates using Water Beads mixed into the soil to help hold water, although I can see how water would tend to stay in this structure better than the higher surface area traditional gardens.
ReplyDeleteCoo! you make it in a very creative way. I love it. Why I didn't think of that before? Anyway, I also use soaker hose for watering my plants. I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing.
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