VERTICAL GARDEN: CHARACTERISTICS, WHAT IT IS FOR, ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The vertical garden is a system for growing annual plant species on a substrate supported by a structure that takes advantage of vertical space. It seeks to maximize the horizontal space available for cultivation, projecting the agricultural system vertically.

This type of garden serves to make the most of the space for agricultural production, by allowing more plants to be placed in the same area of ​​soil. This is achieved by establishing floors or levels for the cultivation of the different species.

Hydroponic vertical garden. Source: Bright Agrotech / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The advantages of the vertical garden system are the efficient use of space and the possibility of growing in small spaces. As well as establishing the cultivation near the centers of consumption, especially the cities.

Additionally, the vertical garden system entails a more efficient use of agricultural inputs, such as irrigation water and fertilizers. In the same way, better control of pests and pollution generated by agricultural systems.

While among its disadvantages are the high initial costs for the establishment of the system. As well as the inconveniences derived from installing them in urban areas, especially due to the attraction of insects and possible uncomfortable odors.

The vertical garden can be developed on a domestic scale for family consumption or on a commercial scale for the market. One example is the Comcrop company, which produces vegetables on rooftops in Singapore with systems of up to eight tiers of growing trays.

In any case, it is feasible to establish a vertical garden at home, if you have a minimum space and basic resources for its installation. In its simplest variant, once its management is established, it does not entail more demand than any other type of home garden.

Characteristics of vertical gardens

The difference between a vertical garden and any other garden is the management of the growing space from which a series of particular requirements derive, mainly related to the support infrastructure.

Support infrastructure

It must have a support that allows the plants grown on floors or levels to be arranged at different heights. This can be achieved with different systems ranging from walls with porous supports to shelves with pot holders.

On the other hand, the vertical garden can be developed both under the conception of solid substrate or through hydroponics.

illumination

The fact that the system extends vertically represents a problem for the management of the light that the plants require. The design of the orchard structure should avoid that the upper levels substantially shade the lower ones, optimizing the use of light.

This problem is approached in different ways, depending on whether it is to produce with natural or artificial light. In the latter case there is more control of the variables involved to solve the problem.

Ornamental vertical garden. Source: Benjamin D. Esham / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 US (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/deed.en)

The vertical garden can be established in a closed place, with a light source through a system of lamps. In this case, the lighting can be directed to avoid shading some areas of the crop.

To guarantee a good quality of light it is convenient to use LED lamps, although fluorescent lamps or combinations of these with tungsten lamps can also be used. In some cases, violet LED lamps are used, a product of the combination of red and blue light that provides optimal growing conditions.

In outdoor systems, levels must be properly arranged to take advantage of natural light. For this, a staggered sloping system with the plants facing the rising sun is best, mimicking the arrangement on a mountainous slope.

Irrigation

Another factor that requires particular attention is irrigation, because water use must be optimized and adequate drainage established. The plants being superimposed in levels, run the risk that the water that is drained in one level affects the lower one and generate a problem of excess irrigation.

The most efficient irrigation system in terms of using water and reducing surpluses is dripping. In any case, the system must include adequate drainage to collect and even reuse the wastewater.

Crops

Vertical gardens are mainly suitable for growing vegetables and leafy vegetables, not for fruit trees or cereals. You can grow kale, lettuce, tomato, onion, chives, various aromatic herbs, roots such as radish and carrot.

You can also establish an ornamental vertical garden, with species that are striking either for their flowers or their leaves.

Types of systems in vertical gardens

Vertical gardens range from technologically sophisticated to very simple to set up and operate systems. Some highly technical systems consist of a metal shelf where levels of drawers are arranged to cultivate fast-growing species.

These plants are provided with the necessary light by broad spectrum wavelength LED lighting. While the water is supplied by drip systems, all controlled by computers.

View of a vertical vegetable garden. Source: Bright Agrotech / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The nutrients are provided by fertigation, that is, incorporated into the irrigation water, as in hydroponic crops and can be placed in confined spaces. There are also vertical garden systems with soil substrate, such as the Sky Greens implemented in Singapore, Thailand and China.

This system consists of a kind of 9 m high Ferris wheel that rotates slowly in a 16-hour cycle. This wheel carries the trays with the soil and plants and when it descends it receives the irrigation water, then it rises to receive the light.

Within the simplest systems, natural lighting and even manual irrigation and weed and pest control are used. These only require a support, which can even be a wall and containers capable of carrying the soil where to grow the plants.

What is it for?

Vertical gardens are used to produce food, aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants in conditions where there is not enough space. On the other hand, they allow greater control of production inputs such as water, light, nutrients, as well as the control of pests and diseases.

It is also well suited to develop organic farming, with organic inputs, generating a lower environmental impact. The latter above all because it is possible to have greater control of the waste generated in the agricultural process.

Vertical vegetable garden on a wall. Source: Benjamín Núñez González / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

On the other hand, by allowing the use of spaces not suitable for traditional agricultural production, it makes it possible to establish them in urban areas. Thus, the production of their own food or to generate food for a nearby market is made available to the inhabitants of the cities.

Likewise, vertical gardens are a means of bringing the city dweller closer to nature, with proven psychological benefits, contributing to the quality of urban life.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantage

• It allows cultivating in relatively small areas, thus optimizing the use of available space and it is even possible to have a garden in closed spaces at home or on the terraces of buildings.
• The cultivable space can be multiplied by 10 and thus, for example, 50 m ² are transformed into 500 m ² vertically.
• Brings food production closer to consumption or marketing centers, allowing lower transportation costs and supplying fresher products.
• It affects the reduction of the use of fossil fuels for the mobilization of transport vehicles.
• It facilitates a more efficient use of water and other agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers. In these you can consume 95% less water and 60% less fertilizer than a traditional orchard in the field.
• It offers a more suitable environment for the control of pollution generated by agricultural activity.
• It allows promoting organic and ecological agriculture and in closed systems of controlled agriculture, it allows food to be produced throughout the year regardless of environmental conditions.

Disadvantages

• It requires a high investment for its establishment, due to the need to build an adequate infrastructure.
• There are cultivated species that are not suitable for the vertical garden system, such as fruit trees, some roots and tubers. The same occurs with large shrub plants.
• Depending on the environment where it is established and the crops that are implemented, it can bring environmental inconveniences such as agricultural pests and unpleasant odors.

¿ How do vertical gardening home?

Below are two proposals for vertical orchards where it is necessary to take into account the requirements of substrate, amount of water and fertilization depending on the crop. Thus, a useful substrate for most cases is a base of sand and fine gravel and on this black earth.

Similarly, most garden species require going through a seedbed or seedbed phase. In this, the seedlings are produced that are then transplanted to the final container in the vertical garden.

Vertical garden in wall

1. You must have a wall or wall that is exposed to the sun at least in the morning hours. It can be in the courtyard of a house or on a building terrace or balcony.
2. Plastic containers such as plastic fruit transport boxes or large soda bottles are required (the bottles must be cut off a side area, shaped like a canoe).
3. Attach the boxes to the wall by using a drill and screw anchors, placing each one on top of the previous one. They should be kept a distance of not less than 70 cm in order to avoid shading one another.
4. The fastening of the boxes is completed by connecting them by means of strings at the front and finally tying the strings to the upper part of the wall. Drainage holes should be made, but avoid large spaces so as not to lose substrate.
5. Fill the boxes with the prepared substrate and transplant the seedlings from the seedbed or carry out direct sowing of seeds, depending on the crop.

Vertical garden on mobile support

This type of structure can be moved from one place to another and to build it, the following steps must be followed:

1. Get a large container to be used as a base, no less than 25 to 30 cm in diameter and 30 cm in height. This can be a planter or the bottom half of a cross-cut plastic bottle of mineral water.
2. Place three slats or boards of two meters each and about 15 cm wide in the center of the container. For this, arrange them touching by the edges forming a triangular column and tying them firmly together at the upper end.
3. Fill the container with earth and stones, compacting the mixture in order to fix the boards in the center.
4. Prepare 10 large plastic soda bottles (1.5 to 2 liters), cutting a lateral area in an elliptical shape (canoes).
5. Attach the plastic soda containers to the boards every 15 cm in height alternately on each side of the triangle (spiral) using lag screws or screw nuts.
6. To guarantee the firmness of the structure, the soda containers will be joined by the same line to each other by means of strings in the upper part of the triangle of tables.
7. Fill the containers with the corresponding substrate and proceed to transplant the seedlings or direct sowing.

References

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2. Despommier, D. (2009). The rise of vertical farms. Scientific American.
3. Despommier, D. (2010). The vertical farm. Feeding the world in the 21st century. Thomas Dunne Books.
4. Despommier, D. (2013). Farming up the city: The rise of urban vertical farms. Trends in Biotechnology.
5. Garg, A. And Balodi, R. (2015). Recent trends in agriculture vertical farming and organic farming. Advances in Plant and Agriculture Research.
6. Velázquez, JF and Roblero-Hidalgo, R. (2019). Vertical cultivation system indoors (PFAL) and outdoors: feasibility and perspective in Mexico. Fifth National Congress of Irrigation and Drainage. COMEII-AURPAES 2019.