VERTICAL VEGETABLES: "Grow up" in a small garden and confound the cats!

''How to solve a problem like cats digging and toileting in the vegetable patch'''''', and growing veg in a very small garden. I needed a solution and the answer occurred to me after watching The CheIsea Flower Show on TV and seeing walls of flowers and herbs. The only thing I had to hand was a hanging pocket shoe store and I decided to use it to grow my plants in. I have included the dates I took the photographs to give readers an idea how quickly the veg grew.

Step 1: Materials needed

- Hanging pocket shoe organiser /store.
- Pole and attachments ( curtain pole or pipe fittings, screws).
- Strong metal saucepan or utensil hanging hooks
- Compost of a good quality moisture holding type.
- Selection of plants or seeds... e.g. mixed leaf salad, herbs,sorrel, peas, mini tomatoes.
- Piece of wood 2"x2" as long as the width of the pocket store to keep the base of pockets away from the wall.
- Trough planter to catch drips.

Comments

[Latona38]

Thank you so much for sharing your idea! I just moved to an apartment and have a small patio and couldn't figure out how I would grow a garden without taking up all of my outdoor space! I can't wait to try this!!

[simpiligno]

Great idea! I rent my house, so I can't tear up my yard to plant much. I used your instructable and added a solar powered drip irrigation system! https://plus.google.com/114468800925989264752/posts/Yw2hpsK7eMG

[simpiligno]

Great idea! I rent my house, so I can't tear up my yard to plant much. I used your instructable and added a solar powered drip irrigation system!

https://plus.google.com/114468800925989264752/posts/Yw2hpsK7eMG

[tincanz]

Super awesome Idea!!!

Is it alright with you if I add it to my "plants" group?

[pippa5]

yes thats ok

[teddy6]

Can i share your article into our website http://www.alagad.com.ph
here in the Philippines
attribution to you Pippa5 and instructables.com

[pippa5]

yes i am fine with that

[teddy6]

Good afternoon mam

I have posted your article in our website the alagad.com.,ph
alagad.com.ph/special-cross-sectoral-concerns/73-solid-waste-management-best-practices/604-hanging-vegetable-garden.html

With almost 900+ viewers and perhaps most of them have viewed this main link

Thanks and More Power

[foobear]

This is a good idea. It is three years later, how has it held up over time?

[beachmezz]

This is why read instructables. Innovative simple and elegant. Bravo!

[andrewsvan]

How do pepper plants do in this style of planting. I was considering upside down planting this year but this is very practical if peppers do well in this.

[SweetCarol]

Have to be careful nothing to leach into the dirt, like from plastic and no fire retardant in it that could leach into soil for any food products. Flowers would be fine. I am like you, I like the idea of growing food. Need to find something that doesn't have flame retardant and no plastic.

[iamoma]

What about using large (or whatever size fits) Ziplock food bags inside each of the pockets?

[SweetCarol]

Might drown the plants as watrer goes in and if can't leak out then the roots will get too wet and rot.

[pippa5]

i have not tried peppers but small variety may be ok
has anyone else tried peppers?

[iamoma]

Great idea! What about using large (or whatever size fits) Ziplock food bags inside each of the pockets?

[PoeDunkMae]

Does it matter what kind of shoe organizer you use?  Does it need to be "breathable" or can you use one of the kind that has the clear plastic pockets?  I am planning on doing this project this spring with my children, and I thought it would be neat if they could "see" the dirt and roots growing in the clear pockets, but I wanted to see if that would work first.

This is an AWESOME AWESOME IDEA I love it!! Now I feel dumb for tossing out our old shoe organizer! 

[femmepasseule]

The only caution I would make is that if you plan to use it for food plants, herbs, lettuce etc, be sure that the material will not leach harmful substances into the soil. If you are just using it for decorative plants, no problem whatever you want to use I would imagine.

[SweetCarol]

I was planning to put herbs in it but that couldbe a prblem then s if it is plastic, it might have harmful substance to leach out into the soil. If it is cloth, it might have flame retardant mateials in it which coud be poisonous to us. Any suggestions of how to get somethin that would be food safe? I love the idea. I don't have a decent sewing machine so can't get canvas or someting and make this.

[pippa5]

 hi You can use clear if you want but roots will tend to grow towards the dark ie into the soil. You will also get algae and other green weed seeds germinating and growing... educational perhaps. If you stick ( using duct tape) black plastic or cloth to some of the pockets then the roots are more likely to be visible when the black plastic is removed, or peeked under!! Or go creative and cut holes in the black mask and see what happens.
I used non breathable as it retained the moisture better . But have a go and experiment with what you can find and the children will be able to observe and learn . Good luck  You may not get vast crops but is a good way of saving space and sparking an interest

[fulgenteft]

http://bound-less.tumblr.com/post/18413090035/shoe-organizer-planter

Thanks so much! I had no idea what to do with the one sunny corner I have on my patio, and this is my answer! I couldn't drill into my patio wall, so I had to be really creative about how I hung the organizer. For those who can't mount a curtain rod or similar mounting hardware for any reason, I've found strap ties are strong enough to hold the weight of the plants and flexible enough to be bent into most requisite shapes.

[SweetCarol]

How do you use strap ties on this? I plan to put on my storage shed but not sure about mounting as has to be on 2 x 4's and not just the wall. I will silicone or caulk around the attachment. However, would like to know how you used the strap ties. Thanks/

[fulgenteft]

The strap ties are not attached to the wall by anything but gravity-- I can't drill into the wall, so they are just bent in a hook shape. The strap ties have holes for mounting hardware, and so I used heavy duty nylon twine to sew the strap ties to the fabric. It's held up well so far, but probably needs more support between the ties to keep it from buckling in the middle as much. There's a link at the top of my comment-- go there to see more images of what I did.

[lyeshea]

How messy is this?

In september I'm moving from a house with a yard to an apartment. I'm trying to figure out if I could modify this to be an indoor project and get some green inside my new apartment.

Thanks!

[SweetCarol]

Do you have a patio or balcony Why not against the apartment wall? need sun o grow light. Do have dripping on ground.
Good luck

[bbpiglet7]

Hello - fab to see great ideas come from Britain! Many forums/sites I come across are American and have brilliant information on them, but nevertheless, as a fellow Brit, I take my hat off to you and will definately be trying this :) Here's hoping for some sunshine........

[AEHaecherlSmith]

My husband and I just installed some of these in our back yard and we love it. We just mounted it with screws to our fence. We also pre-soaked our soil and it has helped a lot.

Thanks for the great idea!

[feeorin]

Marigolds are excellent pest control, also adding a mix of different herbs help, adding flowers help birds that like buggies find the place too. Plenty of options!

I am struggling since I moved to a totally new climate than I am used to. Most of my life in a desert, new how to grow there, or in the Military, but now I am in a condo, small lanai (porch sort of) lots of shade in my area. I have one pocket of sun however the homeowners association is so terribly picky about these things, so I am pondering how to make them happy, yet provide vertical growing space for me.

I dont have much for tools, might have to borrow, however I was thinking of making a "homeowners association" read: pretty enough to make the people that have naught better to do than pick on people trying to add beauty in plants and vegi's happy. Perhaps a wooden variation of this? if I could find enough scrap wood, perhaps I can paint it with some "green" paint that wont leech into the plants, then hope that will work. Not simple, but I have no other solutions *sigh* Plenty of space in the shadow area of the lanai but the veggies wont care for that so much.

[frozenkamote]

Awesome idea, i'm an apartment dweller with not much space at home so this is a swell idea to do, thanks for sharing, I have the exact same shoe organizer that I can upcycle to this planter

[tprobst2]

Great idea for hot area like Texas can move in and out when to hot, also great for the kids to do, homeschooling always looking for ideas, thanks. We will be getting back to you with pics when done, on facebook.

[aliceaod]

This is an awesome idea. Thanks for posting. I see shoe racks at the thrift stores sometimes. Next time I'm picking one up. I wouldn't grow any food in containers that are not food-grade plastic, such as this, but that's just me. Flowers, sure but not food. I'd be more inclined to stick plants in pop bottles and then put the pop bottles into this for vertical gardening.

[grammaelso]

wow--what a great idea--all I have is a balcony-- but I do have a wall to hang this on--I priced some pockets but they were costly--this looks great--thanks!!!

[frelnc]

Hello, Pippa. Had to sign up as a member here so I could congratulate you on your wonderful idea. I have one of those things hanging on my bathroom door with 3 pairs of shoes in it. The rest of my shoes are in a neat row in another room. Now I can use it for something useful in my postage stamp of a garden! Thanks so much for this brilliant idea - and the others that took root when I viewed your lovely little garden - ALL containers! I love that. Hope to see others posts from you. Thanks again! Fabulous idea!

M

[WUVIE]

What a wonderful idea, thanks for sharing!

[mrfoltz]

Great Ideal!!!! I'm trying this, this winter inside.. I got the shoe bag for $1 at the dollar store and I'm going to put plastic cups in them [so not to make a mess] I got 20 cups for 50 cents for 5....
I think it will come in handy to cover the outside of my brick fireplace that warms up the house in the summer too much???

THANKS for the great ideal.. I've passed it on to several people!!!!

[avaughan1]

wow pippa I just have to say your 1 smart cookie...I took your idea and ran with it... literally..I now have 6 shoebag planters hanging on my balcony wall///take a look..http://n0va59.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-shoebag-green-wall.html. Thank you so much for this "smart" green idea

[pippa5]

i had a look at your blog thank you for telling me about it. You really have gone to town with growing stuff and enjoying it too. thank you for sharing what you have done and good luck experimenting with what to grow
pippa

[LULUBUG53]

Hi pippa

Just wondering what the material is that your shoe organizer is made of ?
We have some plastic and some fabric. What would you suggest?

[kelia]

The tomatoes probably didn't work out so well since they have large roots and are deep water drinkers.. Rosemary should do well. This is a great idea. I have a gazebo who lost its canopy I hang planters filled with flowers and vegetables from it now

[Smaridge01]

I'm terribly late in finding your very excellent idea, but I wanted to add one more benefit of this vertical garden... INSULATION!  Each wall that you hang this on gets the advantage of insulation from the hot sun!

I live in Florida, and the idea of a living wall, to absorb the heat of the sun and add more green to the home, is not new.  But this is a new idea for ways to get it done.  I love it.  Good job.  

Now I am going outside to look at my hottest, most sun-exposed walls and ponder your vertical garden.