I am always looking for more fun ways to garden and this year, one of my new projects involves vertical gardening. We are building a cucumber arch!
New Project!
So, this project was super simple and super quick. Vertical gardening is a terrific way to grow many different fruits, vegetables and flowers, especially vining plants. It offers you the ability to grow more in a smaller area.
I actually employ vertical gardening in several areas of my garden, but this year, I decided to change up my plan a little bit. I always grow my cucumbers on some sort of trellis, but I just wanted to add a little extra whimsy. I’m a fan of whimsy!
Constructing the Planter
I began with what I had available. I’ve had these four pallet boxes laying around for about a year. I’ve just been trying to figure out what I was going to do with them. If you don’t have a crate for a base, you can very easily construct your own box or raised bed to complete this project.
My boxes were shallow, so the first thing I did, was raise the depth. It’s important that the roots of the plants have plenty of growing room. I attached two of the boxes, end to end. So, I ended up with two long planters. Next, I attached 2×4 lumber on the top edge, using 8 inch blocks inside the box as bracing.
Finishing out the containers
Once the boxes were constructed, my boys came through and painted everything to give it a nice neat finish before the next step. In order to make the vertical part of this vertical gardening project, we used 2 sixteen foot cattle panels.
The Redneck Way
The trailer was unavailable, so we had to go with our redneck roots to get the cattle panels home! It’s nice to have a beat up old farm truck around!
Putting the Vertical in Vertical Gardening
Installing the cattle panels was fairly easy. They are long, kind of heavy and cumbersome, but once you wiggle them into place between the two sections of planters, they pretty much hold themselves there. We did, however, attach them to the boxes with hand drive staples.
The last step is adding weed blocker and topsoil and then we are off and running!! Since I am really big on companion planting, these beds will house cucumbers as well as dill and radish, plus a little calendula here and there. I can’t wait to see them all grown and producing!
NEVER MISS A THING!!
We also, as a homesteading family, have a variety of blogs that might interest you. A Life on the Farm focuses on the more personal side of the homesteading life. We discuss subjects like family, parenting, relationships, homeschooling, cooking, canning and so much more.
Two Oaks Farm Talk concerns the more technical side of homesteading. We discuss subjects like gardening, food prep, and farm building and construction with lots of tutorials!
Farm Raised Family is basically a hub for everything under the Two Oaks Farmstead umbrella. You can learn a great deal about all parts of the farmstead there. The Farm Raised Family blog focuses on financial matters such as budgeting, saving, and more and on current events affecting families.
You can also have a more in depth look at all that we do by visiting our Two Oaks Farmstead YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss a thing!
Farm Life and Freedom is the new podcast we are in the process of launching! It is going to be so much fun! You could also check in with our Farm Life and Freedom Youtube Channel.
Two Oaks Farmstead is the farm store… the one that holds the umbrella! Check us all out and join us, not only on our blogs and Farm Life and Freedom podcast but come join the fun on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… wherever you get social!
