Grow a Thriving Vertical Garden With These Tips & Ideas

For any garden of any size, growing vertically will only benefit your space! Whether you want to plant an entire vegetable and herb vertical garden or just grow some of your plants on DIY trellises, there are far too many benefits to overlook this growing method.

I'm excited to share what I've learned about vertical gardening and give you tips on how to start your own amazing vertical garden.

What is a Vertical Garden

A vertical garden is exactly what it sounds like: a type of garden that utilizes vertical space to grow plants upwards. Using vertical planters or other supports, you can grow a lot of plants in a small footprint, taking up a minimal amount of ground space.

Probably the most common way to do this is to root plants in an in-ground garden, raised bed garden, or container garden and then support them with structures, garden trellises, or stakes that allow the plants to grow vertically instead of sprawling across the ground.

Benefits of Growing Vertically  

Vertical gardening maximizes efficient use of space by allowing you to grow more in less space. It is, at times, better than growing horizontally because growing out can be more cumbersome than growing up. For some people, space is at a premium, especially if the only available garden space is a balcony or patio, but they still want to grow their own food.

Harvesting is a breeze when plants are up off the ground, and improved airflow can dramatically improve plant health. Additionally, this growing style will bring unmatched beauty to your space.

Vertical Gardening Ideas (With Budget-Friendly Options)

One disadvantage of vertical gardens can be the expense. But you don’t have to let that hold you back!

Here are some tried and true vertical gardening ideas (including some very affordable options that actually work):

One of the easiest and least expensive methods of growing a vertical garden is staking. Also called a pole trellis, growing on stakes is very popular, especially for tomatoes.

You can use wooden stakes to keep it very affordable, heavy-duty metal T-posts to be economical (they are slightly more expensive but very long-lasting and durable), or bamboo poles for aesthetics. I've even made a pole trellis out of PVC with ladder rungs, as you can see in the video above.

Check out this guide on how to stake plants to learn more.

Garden Trellises for a Stunning Vertical Garden

Trellises are functional and add a bit of sophistication to your garden space, but store-bought trellises are not practical if you aim to grow maximum yields in your home garden. The cost becomes incredibly high when you buy pre-made trellises from hardware or garden supply stores.

A great way to keep costs low is to build your own trellises! That’s why I’ve shared my inexpensive DIY garden trellis designs, such as a straight-line trellis that uses vegetable trellis netting, a Florida Weave trellis, a DIY grape vine trellis, and more.

DIY Growing Cage For Tomatoes And More

Cage-style trellises are another easily accessible option for growing vertically in the garden, but store-bought tomato cages are cheap and honestly don’t work well. The solution? Make your own!

This old school DIY tomato cage will last a lifetime and actually hold up heavy plants laden with fruit. It can even support hefty indeterminate tomato plants that are growing well and producing.

Homemade Arched Cattle Panel Arbor

Who doesn’t want a beautiful arbor with fruit and foliage draping down from it? Whether it has melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, gourds, flowers, pole beans, or even small pumpkins growing on it, it is a majestic statement piece in the garden!

Building a cattle panel trellis arbor can make that dream a reality at a fraction of the cost of store-bought. This design is strong and very easy to assemble. Plus, everything is made of metal, so it will last you a lifetime!

Maximizing Harvests with Vertical Planters

Vertical planters are perfect for growing in small spaces. And you can grow a surprising amount of food in them, including vegetables, herbs, flowers, root crops, and more. I could not be happier with my GreenStalk Vertical Planters!

If you are limited by space or want to add elegance to a patio, a vertical planter is the way to go! As you can see in the video, I have enjoyed growing cilantro, citronella, thyme, rosemary, basil, mint, oregano, strawberries, lettuce, Swiss chard, cabbage, green beans, peppers, and more in my vertical planters.

I hope you are inspired to try your own vertical garden!