Vertical Grow Systems 101: What It Is & How It Can Help Optimize The Gardening Experience
Posted on
In the wildly, wondrous, and quite often unpredictable world of nature, it stands to reason why so many people in this day and age are jumping on board with the art of sustainable gardening – i.e., vertical grow systems. All in all, innovative concepts like vertical grow systems and tower gardens have become a spearheading way to live an off-the-grid lifestyle, enhance growth productivity (especially indoors with precise environment control) and exceed garden space saving goals along the way.
Psst…tower gardens and vertical grow systems will likely become the way of the future; As the human population continues to grow, fresh produce will need to kick up a few notches to accommodate it without taking up more arable space.
But here’s the zinger - As valued as vertical grow systems are at Lucy Bell's Garden, the term itself can still pose some questions for those aspiring to enter the sustainable gardening scene. Because of that, below is a comprehensive overview of what vertical grow systems are, what those amazing gardens have to offer, and how you can use them to finally jumpstart your garden space saving game.
What Are Vertical Grow Systems & How Do They Work?
First and foremost, let’s dive into what vertical grow systems actually are. In a nutshell, vertical grow systems is a fancy term for producing herbs, plants, and flowers on a vertical surface. This means that instead of growing on a traditional single level that takes up ample space, you use a stacked/layered setup to optimize gardening potential across the board – especially for those with smaller, in-door gardening areas to work with. Basically, the goal here is to produce much more food and flowers per square meter.
That being said, vertical grow systems are made up of four main criteria: the physical layout itself, lighting sources, the growing medium (tower gardens or stacked), and of course, sustainable gardening features. The intent is to choose the right layout that best fits the space you are working with and intertwin the ideal levels of natural and artificial lighting that can reach all layers. As for the sustainability aspect, consider using soil, aquaponic, aeroponic or hydroponic growing mediums instead of soil. Coconut husks and peat moss are also very common when it comes to vertical farming as they can help offset gardening energy costs and require much less water to maintain than old-fashioned soil.
The Key Vertical Grow System Benefits
✔️ Reliable & Sustainable Gardening – You might be wondering how vertical grow systems and avenues like tower gardens are sustainable. Well, they are for several reasons, starting with the fact that you can grow quality produce and flowers all year round – thanks to monitored indoor environments that can give any gardener the peace of mind they’ll yield programmable results every season.
✔️ Garden Space Saving – Attain high-quality produce with less space? That is what vertical grow systems are all about! Generally speaking, most gardeners don't have endless indoor grounds to work with. But going with concepts like a tower garden, you can easily condense 10- 20 soil-based acres into one vertical farm acre. In summary, it doesn’t matter how big or small your space is, you can accentuate productivity and sustainably by building upward instead of outward.
✔️ Excellent For The Environment – Vertical grow systems may help gardeners on a granular level, but they also come with a much larger, big-picture focus as well. Cutting to the chase, sustainable gardening in this light has a fundamentally positive impact on the environment. The reason is that vertical grow systems help reduce the demand for more land and resources, require much less water and fertilizer, reduce emissions and gardening fossil fuels, void the use/need of harmful pesticides, and improve biodiversity since it does not disturb land surfaces.
Awesome And All, But What Can You Actually Grow Using This System?
Covering the nuts and bolts of vertical grow systems and all things sustainable gardening, the next burning question you likely have is – “What can I grow using this system?” And the answer is quite literally anything! From herbs, flowers to fresh produce, you can easily begin soaking up the perks of this diversified process and perhaps even extend your inventory now that you have the space to do so. That said, some of the more common things gardeners enjoy growing vertically include:
- Tons of different herbs such as sweet basil and chives
- Gourmet, butter, and Romaine lettuce
- Mustard greens
- Kale
- Spinach
- Cherry tomatoes
- Climbing peas
- Radishes
- Ferns
- Orchids
- Pansies
- Verbena
….and much more!
In Summary – Gardening Smarter, Not Harder
From one passionate gardener to another, there is nothing quite as zen-inducing, wildly exotic, and downright beautiful as sprightly tower gardens/vertical grow systems filled with all the vibrancies of nature. From leafy greens, herbs to flowers all harmoniously complementing each other in these spaces, it collectively makes the vertical grow system much more than just a garden space saving practicality, but one that can truly help you feel connected with the earth around you. This is why Lucy Bell's Garden uses vertical grow systems along with the intrinsic layered space theme – using 100% organic seeds to produce seedlings in-house and carefully transplanting them into these systems for optimized gardening results.
In the end, anyone who loves gardening can succeed with this space-saving design, and it all starts with recognizing that sustainable gardening is certainly not as hard as it may sound on the surface. All it takes is understanding vertical grow systems, knowing what produce/plants will thrive, and injecting splashes of green thumb passion. Nail all that down, and you are already halfway there.
Contact
2704 N Doublegate Dr Albany GA 31721
donna@lucybellsgarden.com
About us
Where nature, innovation, and
passion collide. Home to the freshest leafy greens, herbs and edible flowers, Lucy Bell’s Garden is a publicly trademarked brand that has been raising the health and wellness bar since 2017.