Vertical Farming

Growing within small spaces: The farming industry is exploring this on a grand scale, and this is something we can try at home. In vertical farming, fruits, vegetables, or herbs are grown upwards rather than outwards. From planning to implementation, there are several steps to consider. We’ll explain the most important points to you. 

Advantages of vertical farming  

• With vertical farming, you can cultivate significantly more plants than on an equivalent ground area 

• You can produce your own food and improve the carbon footprint by eliminating transportation  

• It's enjoyable to grow vegetables, fruit, and herbs. Even small successes count, and it tastes better to children 

• You don’t even have to bend down for gardening 

The basic concept of vertical gardening, or growing upwards, is to use the smallest possible area horizontally while making the most efficient use of vertical space. Plants grow hanging from top to bottom, climb from bottom to top, or are cultivated in multiple stacked layers. Vertical farming works on balconies, terraces, courtyards, and greenhouses, as well as indoors. 

There are ready-made systems available for this: 

• Stackable plant pots 

• Hydroponic towers, where plants are grown with water, without substrate 

• Troughs or pockets used as plant containers, for hanging 

• Ladder-like tiered shelves or plant steps 

• Hanging baskets and flowerpots 

Creative DIY ideas: 

• Gutter pipes or plant boxes mounted in multiple rows on the wall   

• Pipes drilled at the top for planting and at the bottom for water drainage   

• Plant towers made from stacked wooden crates or paving stones 

• Standing pallets repurposed as plant shelves   

• Trellises with hanging baskets   

• A homemade raised bed with storage space for gardening tools 

Since the amount of substrate is usually very small and must be permeable to avoid waterlogging, regular watering of your crops is even more important. After planting, you can water using a watering can or, more conveniently, with a drip irrigation system. With special irrigation techniques and a well-functioning control system, watering becomes less frequent, and the plants usually thrive beautifully. It's best to use collected rainwater, which you can easily retrieve from the barrel with the Bosch GardenPump. Unlike traditional vegetable gardens, vertical farming uses less water overall but requires watering frequently. 
Another method is hydroponics, where plants are grown without any substrate. Instead, they are supplied only with water and a nutrient solution. 

Where is the location of your vertical garden? Will the green wall be placed on a south-facing side, receiving plenty of sunlight, or will it also get some shade at certain times of the day? Choose a wall that is easily accessible and somewhat sheltered, as this will allow you to harvest frost-tolerant vegetables even in autumn and winter. 

Your crops need plenty of light to grow and thrive, but the stacked layers can create some shade. To ensure your plants receive adequate light, you can use additional lighting with LED grow lights. 

Before you start with vertical farming, it’s best to think about what you want to grow. Compact plants that stay small and don’t develop deep root systems are perfect for your vertical vegetable garden. There are also specially developed varieties designed to remain small and thrive in limited spaces. 

A colourful mix of lettuce, onions, kohlrabi, and beetroot is a great choice to start with, as they have shallow roots. You can’t go wrong with spinach, lamb’s lettuce, Asian salad greens, and radishes; they grow quickly, remain compact, and are easy to cultivate. Pole beans, peas, tomatoes, or cucumbers are also well-suited, as they climb or grow hanging. Herbs like basil, chives, thyme, parsley, cress, and marigolds thrive beautifully in small spaces too. 

If you want to grow tomatoes, courgettes, and peppers, then choosing the right varieties is important. 

• Small-growing tomato varieties: 'Aztek', 'Pinocchio Red', ‘Whippersnapper’ 

• Small-growing courgette varieties: Rondini courgette, 'Shooting Star F1', 'Gold Rush' 

• Small-growing pepper varieties: 'Tinkerbell Red', 'Midinor Red F1' 

In plant containers, troughs, or a pallet garden, you can also grow fruits like strawberries, blueberries, dwarf raspberries, and dwarf blackberries. Special columnar fruit trees are space-saving and grow only upwards. 

If you'd like to skip the sowing and growing period, you can buy young plants that can be directly planted into the planting pockets or containers. Bosch gardening tools will help you with this. 

Caring for vegetables and herbs in vertical farming, from planting to harvesting, isn’t much different from traditional growing methods. However, the plants are usually closer together and have less soil to grow in. Regular checks to ensure the vegetables look healthy and that no pests have taken hold will help keep the plants in good condition. Diseased or infested leaves and fruits should be cut away. 

If you'd like to know more about when to carry out specific gardening tasks, you can find the right times to do the important activities in our garden calendar.