Papa Bear and I built a vertical strawberry garden yesterday. I got this great idea from Coach House Crafting. I believe she used hers in the greenhouse to grow herbs but I thought strawberries the moment I saw it and asked my neighbor to start saving their empty milk jugs.
We made ours about 4 foot wide to accommodate five 1 gallon plastic jugs on each side with a little spacing in between to allow air circulation. All in all it will hold 30 plants. I have only bought 10 strawberry plants to begin with. As the plants begin to grow runners I can put them in an opposite jug with soil so they can take root in a new jug. When they take root all I have to do is clip them from the mama plant and they will already be established in their own jug.. That's the plan! We placed it near the lattice fence in back in case I need to tie it off when we have high winds.
I did not put drainage holes in the bottom of the jugs. I put cone shaped coffee filters in the bottom of the jugs and then filled with soil. If they are watered too much or get too much rain I will unscrew the lids and let them drain.
I am thinking of putting a cucumber plant at each end of the top row until I get enough strawberries going. I think this would be a great project with those with small backyards or even a balcony that gets good sunlight to grow some small fruits and vegetables. ...and the best thing of all..NO WEEDING!
Very neat idea, I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks Duke... I am thinking of all kinds of things to grow in them. I may add one more row at the bottom and see if I can grow some loose leaf lettuce in them. Maybe the strawberries will shade them enough to have a small crop for salads before the temps crank up to 100!
ReplyDeleteMamma - jambaloney has been collecting plans like these from all over the internet for a couple of months now! we are going to do something very similar for our lettuces - although we will have to set the thing in concrete because of the winds that we get here. your design is awesome - thanks for sharing it! and good luck with the strawberries - and keep us updated on how they are doing. we are going to try alpine strawberries this year in a raised bed. nothing like a delicious, fresh strawberry!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
kymber...isn't it fun to find all of these creative people on the internet? I remember the days when we had to go to the library to pour through books and magazines to get new ideas!
ReplyDeleteAlpine strawberries are about the best tasting strawberry there is. I haven't had any in years but I remember what they taste like! Good luck with yours too my friend!