The Benefits of Growing Plants Vertically

Growing plants in a vertical position is often healthier for plants that grow vines. Typically, the vines continue to grow throughout the growing season. When these plants are grown vertically, they reach upward into the sun allowing for a healthier growth. When they are grown horizontally, they can tumble along the dirt that is often damp or bug infested. Several benefits accompany the vertical method of home gardening.

Growing Plants Vertically: Saving Space

Growing plants vertically is an excellent strategy for home gardeners who have small yards or limited space that can be used for growing plants. It is an easy strategy to overlook though since most gardeners have grown up viewing the traditional garden that grows along the ground or in horizontal fashion.

When crop-producing plants are grown straight up rather than along the ground, it saves quite a bit of ground space. Many yards in urban area are blocked in with fencing, garage walls, or sheds. Using these surfaces to support your growing plants is an excellent strategy that allows you to make the most of limited spacing.

Growing Plants Vertically: Avoiding Diseases

Since plants that are grown vertically are kept away from the ground, the leaves, fruit, or vegetables are less likely to fall victim to ground-born diseases. Quite often, vegetable plants that are left to their own devices without the benefit of support via garden stakes, netting, cages, or trellises, fall over and begin to grow along the ground, putting them at risk of disease.

Vertically-grown garden plants are less likely to fall prey to insects and the resultant damage that can occur.

Since the vegetable plants are grown upright, more of the leaves are exposed to sunlight, air, dew, and rain. Therefore, your vertically-grown plants should be healthier and produce better crops for you. Additionally, it is easier to monitor the plants for any sign of infestation or disease since they are standing upright with virtually all parts of the plant exposed to the naked eye.

Growing Plants Vertically: Visual Beauty

Every gardener loves to see the lush green foliage and the bright colors of the produce growing in a home garden. Growing your plants vertically enhances the beauty by allowing you to see more of it, especially from a distance. Vertically-grown gardens add another dimension to the home garden that can be quite satisfying.

Although you might not consider shade to offer any visual beauty, plants that are grown vertically on trellises or garden stakes can provide shade that might not have been available otherwise. A small concrete garden bench or lawn year placed in this new-found shade can offer a nice resting place for gardeners as well as visitors.

Growing Plants Vertically: Crop Selection

Typically, most vegetable plants that produce vines rather than stems are good choices for vertical gardening. Plants that produce smaller-sized or slender vegetables or fruits are excellent choices for vertical growing. The small size of the fruit minimizes drooping along with an excessive need to tie your plants to the support system.

Cucumbers, beans, peas, zucchini, miniature pumpkins, miniature gourds, small squash, and indeterminate tomatoes are excellent choices when it comes to vertical growing.

Growing Plants Vertically: Easier Cultivating, Watering, and Harvesting

Cultivating vertically-grown plants usually requires less effort since less ground is used. Cultivating gardens grown vertically takes less time as well, allowing you more time to actually enjoy your garden.

When plants are grown in an upright position, it is a simple matter to water the plants directly at the base of them. The roots are clearly visible and accessible, allowing gardeners to water efficiently by watering the roots directly. Plants that are properly watered thrive more easily than plants that do not receive enough water.

Harvesting produce from vertically-grown plants is easier on the back. Instead of hunching over or crawling along on your knees, you can simply stand and walk along your plants. In many instances, plants grown vertically produce a larger crop since they are healthier and less prone to disease and bug infestation than horizontally-grown crops.

Since most of the produce and plant are exposed to the sun, crops are often early with vegetable plants that are grown vertically.