For new gardeners who want to venture into vertical gardening, it’s sometimes easier to purchase a complete vertical garden system. This is easier than trying to make one yourself. This allows you to start growing your fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers almost immediately. With that in mind, I’ve done a wealth of research to look for the best vertical garden systems for you to consider.
How I Selected The Top 5 Vertical Garden Systems
First and foremost, I searched for systems that would be relatively easy to assemble. I know how eager you probably are to start growing. Therefore, easy assembly and setup of your system is vital.
Another important aspect of a good vertical gardening system is its durability. Nothing would be worse than spending all of that time setting up your system and tending it lovingly, only to have it fall apart.
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The next feature that I wanted to focus on was how easy it would be to keep your vertical garden watered. If you lead a busy life, you don’t want to come home at the end of the day and have to spend another half an hour or so hand watering your garden.
And, if you spend days away from home, finding someone to come and do the watering for you may not always be easy. To that end, I looked for vertical garden systems that incorporated some form of self-irrigation.
I also wanted to find vertical garden systems that were versatile and could be added onto in the future. If you’re anything like me, you always want to try growing new types of veggies. But, if your existing vertical garden system is already full, what do you do?
So, a system that could be expanded in the future was high on my list of desirable features.
Lastly, I thought it was important that the vertical garden system was relatively low-maintenance. This means that you could spend your time tending and harvesting your veggies rather than making sure that the system itself was functioning as it should.
I’m pleased to tell you that the following five products had all or most of the features that I was looking for in a good vertical garden system.
1. Watex Expandable Green Wall Vertical Planter
What I particularly like about this system is its individual pots for each plant. This makes it really easy to replace some plants with new varieties. The pots are also a decent size. This means they’ll hold enough soil to accommodate the roots of most plants.
I also like the fact that this system is expandable. This means that you can add more panels when you want to. However, this starter system does come with 32 individual pots which should get you growing quite a few different veggies, herbs, and flowers.
This unit has its own self-watering system with a dripper for each pot. These drippers are also adjustable which is a fantastic feature because some plants will need less water than others. For example, your lettuce will be thirstier than your rosemary. This means that you can slow down the drip on the pot growing the rosemary plant or even turn it off completely for a couple of days.
The best part is that all you have to do is connect your garden hose to the fitting and turn on the tap. Then, set each dripper according to the water needs of each plant. In my opinion, nothing could be simpler.
Assembly of this system is fairly straightforward, however, you do have to have a drill handy so that you can mount the brackets that hold each panel in place. Another benefit that I can see with this system is that you don’t actually have to connect the 4 panels together into a large square if your space doesn’t allow because they can be used individually or even mounted in a horizontal or vertical line.
2. AgroSci Garden Wall Planter Kit
This vertical garden system uses a similar single-pot configuration but it’s a great starter system because it only contains 10 pots but is fully expandable by purchasing additional systems. It’s also the ultimate in versatility because you can hang the support frame either vertically or horizontally and additional frames just clip on when you want to expand it.
What I particularly like about this system is that the pots all have a water reservoir in the bottom with a rack and liner to keep the plant roots out of the water so they don’t become waterlogged. Each reservoir also has an overflow so that excess water flows directly into the pot below.
The only downside I can see is that you have to manually add water to the funnel at the top of each row of pots. However, thanks to the water reservoirs in each pot, you should only have to do this once a week during hot, dry weather.
Assembly of this vertical garden system is also relatively easy except that you’ll have to mount the brackets using a drill.
3. Worth Garden Self Watering Vertical Planter System
This vertical garden system is a little different in that it doesn’t utilize individual pots but rather a three-pocket section with the planting pockets being side by side. This means that you don’t have to install a bracket first.
All you have to do is screw in one of the three pocket sections and then the other sections are clipped on below this. This system has 36 pots or pockets and is also very versatile because you can position it in any way that suits you the best. Of course, each three-pocket system can easily be screwed onto a wall or other structure separately.
It also comes with its own drip irrigation system that just connects to your hose. Each pot section has a water reservoir with a drainage hole and an inner tray to keep the roots out of the water. You just hang the watering system above the top row of pots and the water will trickle down to water the lower pots as well.
4. Watex Mobile Vertical Garden System
I included this vertical garden system primarily for people who want a mobile unit that they can move around and also one that is free-standing so that you don’t have to attach it to a wall. This unit is ideal for gardeners who live in apartments and only have a balcony or small courtyard.
This mobile system holds a total of 9 individual pots as well as two larger planters. It is on castors so you can easily wheel it around to follow the sun. The pots just clip onto the sturdy metal frame.
The system also comes with its own drip irrigation system that you just attach to your garden hose. This would have to be one of the simplest systems to set up because all you have to do is assemble the frame, clip the pots on and attach the drip irrigation.
The only feature that this vertical garden system doesn’t have is that it can’t be expanded because the steel frame cannot be added onto. However, for ease of mobility, this unit is the perfect size.
5. Mr. Stacky 5-Tier Vertical Garden System
I thought that this list wouldn’t be complete without a stacking planter system. These stackable planters have been around for a while now and are brilliant for growing vegetables and herbs with only small root systems.
They are also one of the best ways to grow many strawberries in a small space. This planter has a small footprint but has the ability to grow an enormous amount of different plants because each of the individual sections has four planting pockets when stacked.
You can even purchase a movable trolley base so that you can then move your stackable vertical garden around your balcony or patio.
Watering is also easy with the water reservoir that sits on top of the 5 tiers. Once you fill the reservoir, the water moves down the centre of the planter and is dispersed into each stackable section evenly.
This system is also the easiest to set up because there’s no assembly required except for stacking the pots on top of each other.
Other Vertical Garden Systems That You Might Like
Frequently Asked Questions
No, a vertical garden system requires a similar maintenance regime to growing in normal containers. The advantage is that you can utilise more space with a vertical planter.
No, as you’re growing in pots and using premium potting mix, you should have very few weed problems. It’s only if weed seeds are carried by the wind or birds and accidentally end up in your pots, that you’ll have to remove them.
Yes, like all plants grown in containers, you will need to fertilise your vertical garden. You can either use slow release fertiliser pellets or a liquid fertiliser.
Final Thoughts
Vertical garden systems are ideal for gardeners with small spaces. They allow you to grow many more plants in a smaller space. These vertical garden systems are ideal for growing a whole range of vegetables, herbs and flowers.
