Buy simple poles you can set into the ground. Metal poles are better if you have dense or clay soil because they can be driven through hard ground. If your ground is loose, wooden poles will be fine. Stick the poles every few feet along a row of plants. As the plants grow, run a line of garden twine down one side, loop around the far pole, and tie off at the end where you started. Tie the twine to each pole along the way to support plants. Buy a trellis. Trellises are often made of wood. They are built in the shape of a box with a cross-hatched top and sides, allowing vines and plants to weave themselves through the gaps in the wood.
A tree. That’s right, you can train a plant to grow around a tree. The best type of tree for this is one with branches that begin more than 6 feet (1. 8 m) up the tree. Bamboo poles. Is there a stand of bamboo located near your home? Bamboo provides a sturdy base for a vertical garden, and it’s often easy to get it for free. If you don’t have bamboo, another strong, tall stick of some kind will do. Your deck. If you have a deck that extends several feet or yards above the ground, you can train plants to grow up the sides. A fence. Most any fence provides suitable structure for a vertical garden - the taller, the better!
Build a 2 foot (0. 6 m) square by 11 inch (27. 9 cm) high box from redwood, cedar, or pressure-treated 2 x 6s. Screw 8-foot pressure-treated 2 x 2s at the center and one corner in back, and 6-foot 2 x 2s at the other corner and 18 inches (45. 7 cm) from the back on both sides. Pre-drill, glue and screw 1 x 2s every 6 inches (15. 2 cm), starting at the top of the box. Extend the 1 x 2s at least an inch beyond each 2 x 2 to minimize the danger of splitting. Add platforms by screwing on 3-foot 1 x 2s, then screwing on 1 x 2s laid flat to create a miniature deck. Add one more 6-foot long 2 x 2 in the center at the front, and screw it to the crosspieces. Add a 1 x 4 crosspiece at the top of the two longest 2 x 2s. If you want, you can attach a bird house to the crosspiece. Fill the box with good soil, then plant climbing plants and train them up the lattice. Add other plants in pots and hanging baskets.
Grow scarlet runner beans, which attract hummingbirds and have red and white blossoms. Go with tomatoes, which must grow vertically in order to stay healthy and produce a lot of fruit. Your summer will be filled with juicy red goodness. Some varieties of squash grow vertically, too. Try trombetta squash, which produces pretty flowers. Cucumbers also grow well on trellises. Hops, which are the essential ingredient in beer, grow at least 6 feet (1. 8 m) into the sky.
Morning glories grow fast and strong, and they produce gorgeous flowers in many different hues. Wisteria, which blooms purple and produces a lovely scent, is a popular choice for vertical gardens. English ivy provides a pleasing green backdrop for more colorful flowers. Climbing roses will give your vertical garden a romantic touch.
Most vertical gardens do well with a lot of sunlight. Pick a spot close to a wall if you want your garden to eventually climb the walls of your house.
Use a post driver to push your metal or wooden posts deep into the ground.
Don’t tie the stems too tightly. This prevents them from growing properly and may actually damage the plant. As the stems begin to grow and wind around the structure, continue using ties to train them to grow in the direction you want them to grow. For vines like hops, tie a string to the trellis a few feet above the ground, and stake it to the ground near the plant. Train the plant up the string until it reaches the trellis. If you are using metal or other slick types of materials, run the string all the way to the top so the vines have something to grab onto.
