65 Clever Vertical Garden Ideas for Your Small Space
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Even if you are short on growing space, you can still have an amazing garden. Vertical gardening is a great way to make use of what space you have, so you can have the garden of your dreams even if you don’t have a lot of property to use.
Vertical gardening can also transform plain, boring walls into living works of art, provide an inexpensive space to grow food for your family, or even just add some green to your home.
Check out these great ideas for vertical gardening. There’s one for every style, budget, and garden!
1. Tin Can Fence Garden
Ciera, of cieradesign.com, provides easy instructions on her DIY tutorial for creating an easy tin can fence garden.
If you’ve got a fence and some tin cans, you can create an eye-catching vertical garden.
The key to success is putting holes in the bottom of each can, and giving them a fresh coat of paint for eye-popping design. See her tutorial here.
2. Plastic Bottle Garden
If you don’t have tin cans, but you do have a plethora of plastic bottles, you can build your own vertical plastic bottle garden.
This is a great way to upcycle old bottles and build your garden, too. You could use two liter soda bottles, smaller water bottles, or any miscellaneous plastic bottles you have in your recycle bin.
Just keep in mind, that if you’re going to be growing food, you probably want to stick to food grade plastic and avoid using bottles that originally held toxic chemicals. See it here.
3. Pallet Vertical Garden
The pallet craze is still going strong. If you have a nice, sturdy pallet, you can turn it into a vertical garden with a few sheets of landscape fabric and a staple gun.
If you’re going to be growing vegetables, then using an untreated pallet is best so chemicals do not leach into your food. You can find the directions to this quick gardening project here.
4. Pallet Hanging Garden
Even if you don’t want to plant directly into a pallet, you can still use one to create a stunning vertical garden.
You’ll need a pallet, of course, some pots, and some hose clamps that fit the pots.
The hose clamps will hold your pots on the pallet so you can create a vertical container garden that suits your needs.
5. Easy Garden Obelisk
A garden obelisk is like a glorified tomato cage. This sturdy structure gives you lots of vertical space for growing and can be painted to match just about any color scheme. Find out how to make your obelisk here.
6. Window Box Garden
If you’re making use of any available vertical space, why not try some window boxes? You can purchase inexpensive plastic ones or make your own, like shown here.
7. PVC Pole Garden
If you have a really skinny space, you can build an irrigated pole garden. This is a little bit more of a complex build, but totally worthwhile for the small footprint that it makes. Found the tutorial from HGTV here.
8. PVC Hanging Planters
If you have a porch or balcony, you may prefer hanging planters to grow your veggies or flowers in. Here’s a modern take on hanging PVC planters.
9. PVC Hydroponic Garden
Hydroponic systems are great but can be very expensive. This tutorial shows you how to make a vertical hydroponic system that won’t break the bank but will grow you lots of great veggies. Find the tutorial here.
10. PVC Pipe Garden
A boring indoor or outdoor wall is a great space for a vertical PVC pipe garden. You can use their design or even create your own.
You’ll both liven up your space and create room to grow that you didn’t know you had. Read the information here.
11. 5 Gallon Bucket Strawberry Tower
Strawberries are a welcome addition to just about any summer garden. Fresh, sun-warmed strawberries taste so good!
But strawberries take up a lot of space, unless you decide to grow them in a strawberry tower. Here is a DIY version that you can create with a few 5 gallon buckets.
12. Plastic Crate Strawberry Tower
If you’ve got old milk crates sitting around, put them to work to build a plastic strawberry crate tower.
This system allows you to grow a lot more strawberries in a small space and provides great drainage for the plants. You can find the original how-to video here:
The original creator made some improvements to her design, you can see that video, here:
13. Wooden Strawberry Tower
If you prefer something a little more classic, this pyramid design on a vertical strawberry tower might just fit your needs.
Although you’ll need some lumber and carpentry skills to get this job done, you’ll find everything you need to know in this DIY tutorial.
This design would work for a salad garden, flower garden, and a number of other gardening applications.
14. PVC Pipe Strawberry Tower
When space is an issue, grow up. And when you want to grow strawberries, you might try growing them in something as skinny and tall as PVC pipe.
This tutorial will give you all the directions you need, but you may want to do a little bit of customization so the project fits your space.
These towers can be easily secured to railings, trellises, or walls with some zip ties, hose clamps, or brackets. Check it out here.
15. Rain Gutter Garden
If you have a long, narrow space, you might try a rain gutter garden. This is a great way to upcycle those old gutters you have lying around.
These lightweight structures make long, narrow pots. They aren’t very deep, so you’ll want to choose plants that don’t have large roots.
Salad greens, small flowers, and even succulents are ideal in these planters. They don’t hold much water, so you’ll need to water them often when it is hot.
But because they are so lightweight, they can be easily mounted on walls, trellises, or hung from chains. Check out the inspiration for this project here.
16. Planter Tower
If you only have a little space on a deck or patio, you might want to use a planter tower. These towers are specifically designed for plants such as strawberries, herbs, and flowers.
These planters are tall pots with many openings for plants. They aren’t expensive, so there’s no reason you cannot add a few to your yard or garden. See them here.
17. Trellis Netting Vertical Garden
Trellis netting makes an easy-care vertical garden. Just about any vining plant can grow up a trellis net, such as cucumbers, squash, and even pumpkins.
This tutorial will teach you how to build a frame for your trellis net and what supplies you’ll need to grow an easy, outdoor vertical garden.
18. Bike Tire Trellis Garden
Homesteaders love to upcycle. Here’s a little story about a family that upcycled some old bicycle tires into a great trellis frame for their garden.
This inexpensive project is a great way to practice reusing what might otherwise become trash. Check it out here.
19. Tire Garden
No one likes to see piles of old tires sitting around, but you can turn them into a practical and beautiful raised garden. You can hang old tires on the side of a barn for vertical pots.
Better yet, stack them to create a wall with lots of places to plant flowers. You can find more information about planting in old tires here.
20. Vertical Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkins are fun to grow, but they can take up a lot of space. Pumpkins need a lot of space, and according to the Illinois Agricultural Extension, pumpkins need 50 to 100 square feet of space per hill.
You may not have access to that much space, but you can grow pumpkins vertically. Here is a great story about a successful vertical pumpkin patch that you can try, too.
21. Vertical Watermelon Garden
Watermelons are a delicious summery food, but they also require a lot of space to grow.
However, you can grow watermelons in a 4 foot by 4 foot raised bed if you train them to grow up a trellis and support the melons with a makeshift sling. Read all about vertical watermelon gardening here.
22. Living Wall
If you need a privacy wall, why not make it a living wall, too? You can use these plans to plant any number of plant types with small root systems. This is a great project for a beginning DIYer. Check out the directions here.
23. Spiral Garden
Spiral gardens have a certain charm and grace. This version is compact and will grow lots of herbs or flowers of your choice.
This tutorial tells you everything you need to know about starting an herb spiral with stones or brick. Read it here.
24. Recycled Upsidedown Planters
Upcycle or recycle a few tin cans or old plastic bottles into hanging, upsidedown garden pots.
These can be pretty much any size, and you can hang them in a sunny window or from your back porch roof. These fun planters will add a touch of whimsy to any small space. Find out how to make them here.
25. Bookshelf Garden
There are a number of ways to use an old bookshelf as a vertical garden. The easiest is just to set the bookshelf in a sunny, safe location (you may need to bolt it to the wall) and then fill it up with pots of your choice just like this one.
However, you can fill up an indoor bookshelf with plants too.
26. String Garden or Japanese Moss Balls
These cute little mini-gardens are lightweight and can hang just about anywhere you can imagine.
These moss balls are made to grow in shady locations, so choose shade-loving, small plants to plant in them. Learn how to make these moss balls here.
27. Terracotta Tower
This country-style tower is charming and quaint, especially when filled with herbs or flowers. You’ll need a series of differently-sized terracotta pots to get started.
This planter could get heavy if you use large pots, so choose your location wisely. Find out how to make them here.
28. Indoor Wall Garden
If your DIY skills are a little sketchy, you might want to invest in an easy to use wall gardening kit. The folks at growediblewalls.com have made indoor growing easy. Check out their website for some great ideas for edible walls.
29. Self-Irrigating Vertical Garden Tower
This tall column makes a striking presentation on your patio or in your yard. You could fill it with succulents, herbs, or even strawberries. You can even adjust the size to fit your needs. See the tutorial here.
30. Ladder Garden
Part art installation, part garden is what makes these vertical gardens special. If you have an old wooden step ladder hanging around, you can turn it into an inexpensive vertical garden.
It can be as simple as setting pots on a step ladder, or you can make it fancy by painting the ladder a color of your choice and bolting wooden grow boxes to each step. Click here for some inspiration.
31. Cinderblock Planter Wall
If you can’t grow horizontally, try growing vertically with this wall made from inexpensive, easy to find cinderblocks. Paint them or keep them a natural color.
You can incorporate a seating area into your cinderblock wall, or some spots for containers, too. The sky is the limit with this tutorial.
32. Galvanized Bucket Garden
There’s something rustic and charming about galvanized buckets. They are easy to find and relatively inexpensive and will hold up well to the elements.
So it is no surprise that these same buckets make a great hanging vertical garden. Check out the tutorial here.
33. Flower Tower
A little galvanized fencing, landscape fabric, and a pot is just about all you need to create a vertical flower tower garden.
You don’t have to stick to flowers, though, you can plant any number of vegetables, strawberries, or herbs in this type of vertical garden. HomeDepot shows you how to make one in this video:
34. MiniPonics
If aquaponics interests you, you might try a miniponics system. This DIY setup is small enough to fit in your living room and reuses items that might otherwise end up in a landfill. Check out this interesting DIY here.
35. PVC Elbow Joint Planter
This whimsical take on a wall planter is fun and easy. With a few PVC elbows and some paint, you can attach these DIY planters to a board, wall, fence, or any small spot. Find the original post here.
36. Vertical Potato Planter
You might think you don’t have enough room to grow potatoes, but with this vertical potato planter you might want to think again. This easy bin system will have you growing lots of taters in a little space. Check out this simple DIY here.
37. Vertical Flowerbed with Watering System
This vertical flowerbed includes a watering system to make sure all your plants get a necessary drink.
This easy DIY requires minimal supplies (the list is in the video description) and just a little bit of time. Find the video here:
38. DIY Salad Tower
You don’t have to purchase a fancy tower to grow salad- you can easily make your own.
- Grow a vertical salad with some leftover wire fencing or chicken wire and some plastic.
- Bend your wire fence into a tall cylinder and line it with plastic.
- Fill the plastic with dirt.
- You can cut small holes in the plastic anywhere you want to insert a salad plant.
Leaf lettuce works great for this type of growing system. Read more here.
39. Nutritower
If you’re an apartment dweller, you may have trouble finding any bit of space for a garden.
But this vertical garden growing kit makes it easy to grow food indoors from the comfort of your own home. This complete system is easy to set up and grow. Check it out here.
40. EcoSprout
If you are serious about hydroponics, you might want to try an EcoSprout kit. This vertical hydroponic system is a scientific breakthrough in home growing.
Although it comes with a high price tag, it might well be worth it to have homegrown food that you grew in your own kitchen. There are a different kits for different growing needs. Check them out here.
41. Cattle Panel Trellis
A trellis can add a lot of vertical space to your garden, which increases the amount of vegetables you can grow.
If space is very tight, consider turning a cattle panel into a simple trellis. This one takes up very little space, but offers plenty of growing room for peas, beans, and many other vegetables, too.
42. Cattle Panel Arbor
You can inexpensively add growing space to your garden or raised bed with a cattle panel arch. These sturdy panels will hold plenty of vining vegetables from cucumbers to melons.
43. Teepee Trellis
Grow beans and create a fabulous, shady spot for your kids to hide, too. All it takes is a few pots, a few sticks, string, and beans.
If you have the space, you could enlarge the idea for a bigger hideout, or make it smaller if space is tight. Click here for the easy, frugal directions.
44. Dresser Drawer Vegetable Garden
Upcycling an old dresser or bureau is a great way to grow veggies in a vertical space without spending a lot of money on an expensive gardening system.
You can use the dresser as is or remove the drawers, whichever suits your space best. Here are a few ideas you can use to garden in a dresser.
45. Garment Rack Garden
For an easy-peasy vertical garden, try a garment rack. You can make it as simple or as fancy as you desire.
You can often find old garment racks at yard sales and flea markets, or you can even purchase one on amazon with wheels.
Hang your plants from the garment bar in hanging baskets, hanging pots, or macrame planters.
If your rack as a bottom shelf, you can set your pots there, as well. See this post for some garment rack gardening inspiration.
46. Hanging Baskets
Hanging baskets aren’t just for flowers. You can grow plenty of fruits in veggies from traditional hanging baskets on your porch, making a fun vertical garden in a small space.
Strawberries and lettuce work great in these baskets, as do cucumbers. You can even grow sweet potato vines in a hanging basket and eat the leaves.
Check out some great ideas for a basket garden here.
47. Picture Frame Garden
When space is tight but need a little green, this picture frame succulent garden might be just the thing.
Although it is designed for succulents, you could easily adapt the idea to grow salad greens. Here are the directions.
48. Cedar Tiered Garden Ladder
This DIY tiered garden ladder is easy to make and suitable for any number of small spaces.
With just some wood and small supplies, you can build your own and customize it to the size and shape you need. You can find the tutorial right here.
49. Chicken Wire Planter
A throwback to the days of tussymussies, these chicken wire planters are a quaint way to grow some herbs, veggies, or flowers. Hang them on a fence, wall, post, or anywhere you’ve got the space. Find the tutorial here.
50. Utility Cart Herb Garden
An inexpensive utility cart makes a great vertical garden when lined with coco liners or even burlap or landscaping fabric. Fill it with herbs or even salad greens.
The best part about this vertical garden is how mobile it is – you can bring it indoors when it gets cold, and roll it right back outside when the weather is warm. See it and other ideas here.
51. BooGardens Naturponics
If DIY isn’t your thing, you can still have a great vertical garden in a small space. These elegant bamboo gardens are made from sustainable resources and offer easy to sue aquaponic systems.
You can find out more about them at their website.
52. Lettuce Grow
This vertical hydroponic system will have you growing lettuce – and other veggies – in no time.
Select your size, select your seedlings, and in as little as three weeks, you can have fresh greens for your dinner table. Choose yours here.
53. Upside Down Hanging Tomato Planter
You’ve probably seen those topsy-turvy tomato planters, but did you know you can make your own? This is a great way to grow cherry tomatoes in a small, vertical space.
Here’s how to make your own upside-down hanging tomato planter.
54. Stackable Mushroom Grow Tower
If you’ve ever wanted to grow mushrooms, you can do it with this stackable mushroom tower made from buckets.
This easy DIY project will provide you with lots of shrooms without using up a lot of precious space. Check out the directions here.
55. Chicken Wire Wall
This DIY project serves as double duty. It makes a nice divider for a patio or privacy screen for a deck while giving you vertical space to grow flowers, veggies, or anything you like. Here’s the tutorial.
56. Mason Jar Indoor Vertical Herb Garden
This surprisingly simple herb garden takes on a country feel and gives you lots of space for growing fresh herbs in an indoor, sunny space. Everything you need to create this project is listed here.
57. Plant a Spice Rack in Your Spice Rack
For a unique take on a spice rack, try growing one! Keep fresh herbs at your fingertips by turning a spice rack into an easy-care herb garden.
Line the rack with burlap or landscape fabric and fill it with fresh herbs. Read the easy to follow tutorial here.
58. Wall Pockets
These fun wall hangers will turn any blank wall into a living garden. Simply hang up the planters and then fill each pocket with dirt and the plant of your choice.
They work both outdoors and indoors, if you have a sunny spot. Plant flowers, houseplants, or even some herbs and veggies. You can purchase them here.
59. Shoe Holder Vertical Garden
You can turn a shoe organizer into an easy and quick vertical garden. This upcycle project is so easy and inexpensive. You just hang your shoe organizer in any sunny spot.
Fill the pockets with dirt and plants instead of shoes. Depending on the fabric, you may want to line the pockets with plastic bags or pots. Check out the idea here.
60. Stacked Crate Garden
This is an adorable idea if you have lots of old wooden crates. Stagger them to form a wall, a several walls that form an outdoor room.
You can fill them with just about any type of vegetable or flower that doesn’t grow deep taproots. See this post for inspiration.
61. Ikea Cutlery Pots
Ikea is a great source of inspiration for vertical gardens. If you have a tall, thin space, consider growing herbs or salad in Ikea’s Kroken Cutlery Pots. Attach these pots to a wall, fill them with dirt, and plant your favorite herbs. See the inspiration here.
62. Upcycled Denim Planters
With a little creativity, this DIY planter idea could make a fun vertical garden with exceptional style. A few pairs of old blue jeans can be turned into planters. They can be attached to trees, fences, railings, or walls for a comical vertical planter. See the tutorial here.
63. Vertical Wooden Garden
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Amazon is a constant source of ideas and things to spend your hard-earned cash on. You may want to invest in this indoor vertical wooden garden. It will hold plenty of plants and is great for rustic décor. Order yours here.
64. Elegant Hanging Garden Stand
For a more modern, elegant look, check out this countertop hanging garden. It won’t take up much space, but is well suited for small plants such as succulents and herbs. Find one here.
65. Indoor Moss Garden
For a striking piece of living wall art, you might consider growing and installing an indoor moss garden.
While the moss won’t feed your family, it will provide lush green art and clean air for your living space. You’ll find the tutorial here.
Vertical gardening is a great way to grow a garden when you are short on space.
Whether you grow fruit, vegetables, flowers, or houseplants, there are a number of choices and styles that you can choose to create a garden you love with the physical space that is available to you.
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