As summer rolls in and days are getting longer, it’s the perfect time to spend the day outside enjoying the beautiful Goleta weather. Starting a garden is a great way to grow your own herbs, beautify your space with colorful flowers, spend more time outside, or just have a fun project that the whole family can work on. Not everyone has access to a lot of space or a yard, but fortunately vertical gardens can yield hundreds of plants while taking up very little room. There are several different types of vertical gardens you can create at home, so find what works best for your environment. In this article, we’ll be going over how to make a hanging vertical herb garden out of an over the door pocket organizer or landscape fabric:
- Get all your materials together. You will need a shoe organizer, hanging pole (curtain rod), screws, hanging hooks, compost or potting soil, plants or seeds, a 2” x 2” piece of wood that is as long as the width of the organizer.
- Find your location. Choose a location that usually gets around 6-8 hours of full sun. This can be the side of the house, shed, balcony, or fence, as long as it can sturdily hold the screws and planter.
- Attach the pole. Screw in the pole to the side of your chosen surface. Make sure it is sturdy enough to withstand the weight of the soil, water, and plants, and high enough off the ground to allow for drainage or keep away from pets.
- Hang the organizer. Use sturdy hooks or wire to attach the organizer to the pole.
- Check for drainage. Pour some water into the organizer to see if it drains properly. If it does not, poke small holes in each of the pockets.
- Add your compost or soil. Fill each pocket with compost or good potting soil to an inch below the rim.
- Sow plants or seeds. You can put small plants in like thyme, rosemary, mint, mustard greens, spinach, mini tomatoes, or flowers.
- Place the wood. Place the 2”x2” piece of wood against the wall at the bottom of your planter to keep the pockets away from the wall.
- Enjoy!