GrowinG up the wall

How to grow food in vertical

places, on roofs and in small spaces

Sue FiSher

Introduction 7

PART ONE:Planningyourspace

Practicalities 24

Ediblelivingwalls 50

Greenroofs 91

Largercontainersforsmallspaces 107

Choosingyourplants 114

PART TWO:Plantdirectory

Vegetables 124

Fruit 144

Herbs 151

Edibleflowers 163

Resources 171

Index 173

ContentS

1.2.3.4.5.

6.7.8.9.

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Chapter 2

edible living wallsWhile good old window boxes and hanging baskets have been popular for balcony and courtyard planting for centuries, now container gardening meets grow-your-own with a truly twenty-first-century twist, as diminishing ground space encourages the growing trend for vertical edibles. Well-planted walls,

fences and other verticals can look fabulous just with edibles: a comb-ination of beautifully shaped and coloured leaves, handsome herbs and a scattering of jewel-like edible flowers. There’s a wealth of oppor-tunities to be creative, both with the containers themselves and the planting.

The size of your wall, fence or any other vertical feature is the only limit to the number of containers that it can hold. A surface can be packed with some of the more ‘traditional’ ones mentioned later in this chapter, or take the idea further and cover the whole area with plants. There are now many commercially available products for this purpose, or you could use these for inspiration to make your own: troughs on frameworks, for example, perhaps combined with trellis so plants can grow up as well as out or down; or troughs in diminishing sizes, stacked up to create plantings that are both beautiful and edible.

Growing plants on the vertical A wealth of ingenious container solutions which can be home-made, recycled or bought ensures that any vertical space can grow a feast of scrumptious fresh produce. While ready-made can be tempting, espe-cially in terms of looks and convenience, inevitably it comes with a price – quite a high one in some cases. In these days of tight budgets and an increased awareness of environmental issues, budding ‘vertical gardeners’ will be relieved to know that there are plenty of recycled and home-made options. There’s a range of my favourites in this chapter, but the great thing about plants is that anything that can hold compost and have drainage holes made in it can be turned into a plant con-tainer. Keep this thought in the back of your mind all the time and a whole world of planting possibilities starts to open up.Flat modular panels can be combined for large displays. Photo: VertiGarden

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Modular panels: with planting pockets

Tiered panels made of rigid plastic are fixed to a wall or fence using wood or steel battens. (This type of unit is pictured on page 2). Plant-ing pockets protrude out from the panel and hence have two advan-tages over the flat modular panels: it is easy to replant while the panels are in situ and plants have a larger rooting area.

Individual panels are approxi-mately 60cm (24") high, and a number of panels can be fixed adjacent to each other to create a seamless ‘living wall’. Black is the most common colour, but white and terracotta are also available. Irrigation (usually optional) can be installed out of sight within the system. The ‘Minigarden’ design also includes base trays to catch the surplus water, so this design can be used indoors or out.

Stacking planters

As an alternative to fixing units to a vertical surface, choose containers that can be stacked so, although attached to a vertical support for stability, the lower ones can take at least some proportion of the weight, rather than the building, wall or fence. For a long, trough shape, the Modu-wall by VertiFlora (pictured overleaf) is a sturdy design made of thick, rigid plastic. Inside the unit a thick layer of foam holds a reserve of water for plants to use. The slenderest type of planter is the Polanter, a cylindrical design made of rigid plastic, in a range of colours, with planting holes and incorporating a porous hose for watering. The rooting area is sufficient to grow salads, herbs, straw-

Brackets attach unit to wall

berries, or small trailing tomatoes. Several planters can be placed on top of each other to form a tall cylinder. This design is not self-sup-porting and does require fixing to a vertical surface.

Framework fixed to wall for

stability and also takes

some weight

Lowest trough sits on the ground to take some weight

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Beans, dwarf

Height: 30cm (1')Minimum soil depth: 15cm (6")

Neat and low growing, little bush beans can produce an excellent summer or autumn harvest of slender and delicious pods over a number of weeks: most often green, but there are yellow and purple-podded types that look especially ornamental. Although frost tender, beans are quick and easy to grow from seed, so it is worth starting off a few pots on a windowsill. Start sowing under cover in small, deep pots in early to mid-spring to plant out after the frosts have passed, sow outdoors from mid-spring through summer. Beans do best in rich, moisture-retentive soil and in a sheltered spot: these compact plants can be grown in any upright container or site that offers a sufficient depth of soil.

Varieties French beans: green-podded good croppers include ‘Delinel’ AGM, ‘Laguna’, ‘Montana’, ‘Nomad’ AGM and ‘Primavera’. Yellow-podded varieties include ‘Concador’, ‘Golden Teepee’ and ‘Sonesta’ AGM. Purple-podded ones include ‘Amethyst’ and ‘Purple Teepee’. Bush runner beans: ‘Hestia’, ‘Pickwick’.

Beans, climbing

Height: 1.8m (6')Minimum soil depth: 30cm (1')

More productive than bush beans due to obvious reasons of larger size, runner, Borlotto and climbing French beans are productive, pretty, easy to grow and give excellent crops over a long period. Their tall growth does need a greater depth of soil than bush beans: either in containers or in the ground – and a wall, fence or framework on which to grow. Runners produce larger pods and perform better in cooler conditions, while French beans have long, slender, finer-textured, thicker pods and prefer warmer summers. Both are frost tender: sow/plant as for dwarf beans (see left).

Varieties Borlotto: ‘Lingua di Fuoco’ (Tongue of Fire) has pods brilliantly streaked with red. French beans: ‘Blauhilde’ and ‘Violet Podded’ are purple, ‘Cobra’, ‘Hunter’ and ‘Isabel’ bear heavy crops of green pods, ‘Goldfield’ and ‘Golden Gate’ are yellow.Runner beans: ‘Celebration’ AGM, ‘Painted Lady’, ‘Streamline’, ‘White Apollo’ AGM, ‘White Emergo’. ‘Moonlight’ is a cross between a French and runner bean and is self-pollinating.

Beetroot Height: Up to 15cm (6")Minimum soil depth: 10-15cm (4-6")

Grown mainly for their roots but also for attractive leaves, which are a

The bushy runner bean ‘Hestia’ is ideal for tubs.