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No space in the garden or on the balcony for delicious strawberries? Try vertical. Here we show you how to do it with strawberries.
Strawberries (Fragaria) are probably the most delicious temptation in summer and a must in every garden. Unfortunately, a strawberry field takes up a lot of space - hardly feasible for smaller gardens or even a balcony. But instead of being satisfied with a few potted plants and bought strawberries, you can use a very simple trick to give a whole bunch of strawberries a home, even in a small space: simply stack the plants on top of each other. "Vertical Garden" is the name of this ingenious idea, in which plants are not planted side by side, but in rows one above the other. Sounds complicated, but it's actually quick and easy to make, while saving space and a real eye-catcher.
We will show you with step-by-step instructions how you can build a vertical strawberry garden with the simplest of tools.
Growing Strawberries Vertically: Instructions
Growing strawberries vertically is very easy, for example in gutters. Find out here what you need and how it works.
You need:
- 4 gutters (4 m long, 127 mm diameter)
- 12 gutter hooks (127 mm)
- 8 Gutter Caps (127mm)
- Screws and Drill
- Level and measuring tape
- pliers
Site Choice for Vertically Grown Strawberries
First you need to find a suitable location for your strawberries. Strawberries love full sun locations that are somewhat sheltered from the wind. It is perfect for creating a vertical garden if there is already a wall or fence in the right position to which you can later attach the individual pots. If this is not the case, you can also place three posts of the same length in the ground at the appropriate distance and use these to fasten the gutters. Once you have found the right location, you can start assembling the vertical garden.
Growing strawberries vertically: The right dimensions
Because this version of a vertical garden can be customized, the dimensions of the gutters, gutter hooks and caps are variable. In this guide a four storey garden is being built, so we have used four gutters but the number can be increased or decreased. You can also vary the length of the individual gutters, so you can also use short gutter pieces, for example. However, you should note that you need two end caps and at least three gutter hooks for each gutter, both of which should match the dimensions of the gutter.
Growing strawberries vertically: Installing the gutters
Now use the measuring tape to measure the correct position of the individual floors. Depending on your taste, you can start with the lowest step just above the ground, but larger starting heights are also possible and last but not least make working easier on the back. It is best to mark the desired height (twice about 3.50 m apart) and screw the outer gutter hooks to the wall. Now you put the gutter in and check with the spirit level whether it is straight. If this is the case, you can also mount the third hook in the middle at the right height between the two outer ones. Follow this pattern and work your way up the floor, making sure to leave enough space between the individual gutters - it should be at least 30 cm so that the plants have enough space to grow.
Growing Strawberries Vertically: Assembling the End Caps
Once you've finished attaching each gutter, it's time to attach the end caps. It may be necessary to bend open the last 5 mm of the gutter for this, but this can easily be done with pliers. The end cap is now placed on the end of the gutter and carefully fixed with the pliers. So that there is no waterlogging in the gutters, it is important to give the water a chance to drain off. To do this, simply use a drill with a suitable attachment to drill a 5 mm hole every 30 cm.
Growing strawberries vertically: planting and care
Now you can start planting: fill the gutters with suitable soil and place your plantsin. A nutrient-rich soil such as our Plantura organic tomato and vegetable soil is recommended for strawberries. After that, the strawberries only need regular care to thrive. Please note that the strawberries (similar to strawberries in a pot) need to be watered more often than their conspecifics because the water in the gutters evaporates faster.
Tip: It is best to use a potassium-containing liquid fertilizer for fertilizing, such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable fertilizer, which is simply added to the irrigation water every two to three weeks.
Growing Strawberries Vertically: Step by Step
Want to grow your strawberries vertically in a gutter? Here you will find a summary of all the work steps:
- Choose a suitable location; if no suitable wall etc. is available, build a substructure of wooden poles if necessary
- Measure the appropriate height on the substructure or wall with a measuring tape
- Attach two gutter hooks at the desired height (about 3.5 m apart)
- Insert gutter and check correct position with water level
- Mount the third gutter hook in the middle between the others at a suitable height
- Repeat steps 1 - 3 for each floor; leave at least 30 cm space between the individual floors
- Place and fix the roof end caps at the beginning and end of each gutter
- Drill a 5 mm hole in the gutter about every 30 cm
- Fill gutters with soil and plant (strawberry) plants
More Vertical Strawberry Growing Ideas
Of course, strawberries can not only be grown vertically in gutters - there are almost no limits to your imagination when it comes to vertical cultivation. For example, old plastic bottles are also suitable as flower pots that can be mounted one below the other on the wall. For a larger vertical garden, you can use a Euro pallet or a wine crate lined with pond liner on the back. If you don't particularly feel like tinkering, you can simply use hanging baskets. The hanging pots, which can be found in any gardening store, can be attached in a row to form a vertical garden with little effort (there are even strawberry varieties that are particularly suitable for so-called strawberry baskets). Of course, vertical gardening isn't just reserved for strawberries: almost all of themundemanding plants can be grown according to this principle without any problems. How about, for example, a wall full of lettuce or delicious herbs? Just try out the different options.
Here in our special article you will find more information about vertical gardening.
