Not a lot of garden space? Go vertical!
Want more lettuce? Try this 4-foot-wide, 5-foot-tall movable vertical garden. Not only is this mobile planter a convenient method for growing healthy lettuce — it shows off different varieties beautifully.
Benefits of growing greens in a DIY vertical garden
Since it’s easy to wheel around, you can plant earlier in spring and move seedlings into the garage on cold nights, extending the growing season. And in summer heat, you can position the lettuce in cool afternoon shade (because most greens don’t like the hot, direct afternoon summer sun). Plus, the tiered planter keeps the harvest off the ground, where it stays slug- and snail-free.
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Materials list
Gather up these materials to make your own vertical garden. Customize it by cutting the pieces to a length that best fits your space.
- 2x4s for the frame
- 1x4s for the shelves
- Aluminum rain gutters
- Decks screws
- Drill
- Landscape fabric
- Potting mix
- Lettuce and other greens
How to make a DIY vertical garden
- Use 2×4s for the frame of the structure and 1×4s as shelves to support the aluminum rain gutters.
- Secure each gutter and piece of wood together with deck screws and drill ½-inch drainage holes along the bottom of every trough. Using deck screws prevents the need to drill holes before screwing.
- Before planting up the gutters, layer the bottom with landscape fabric to prevent soil from washing out and to hold in extra moisture.
- To plant up your DIY vertical garden you can start your own seeds or plant existing greens purchased from the store.
Greens to try in your DIY vertical garden
‘Sweet Greens & Reds’ farmers market lettuce blend
‘Renee's Baby Leaf Blend’ cut & come again lettuces
‘Little Hero’ container baby leaf spinach
Tuscan baby leaf kale
Heirloom baby leaf lettuce mix
