Raised Bed Organic Gardening - Gardening Vertically: Fad, Emerging Frontier Or Long-overlooked Art Form

Gardening Vertically: Fad, Emerging Frontier Or Long-overlooked Art Form

Sure, it makes sense that there's a buzz about vertical gardening?there are lots more of us to feed these days with much less productive land. "Let's make the best use of our diminishing resources," many are saying. And likely there are also those who dismiss vertical gardening as a fad. Mostly, though, I hear talk about increased yields. However, I suspect there are vertical gardeners like myself who have been surprised by another aspect we hadn't expected.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," is a cliché often quoted, and human food requirements necessitate sponging-up sunlight at smaller and smaller focal points. My wife, Vicki, and I have a small yard, and somewhat out of necessity we began years ago building what began as rather makeshift trellises. Somewhere along our way, it had dawned on us that vining plants, such as cucurbits, those that produce melons, squash, cucumbers and pumpkins, are much like grape vines, their vines produce tendrils that secure to structures so they can climb as they grow.

Commercial farmers still grow cucurbits on the ground, but home gardeners realized long ago that these vining plants are more adapted to growing upward. Of course, home gardeners support cucurbit vines on trellises of all sorts and have devised many ingenious, albeit awkward, means of providing support to heavy melons, pumpkins or squash while they are yet ripening and suspended.

We began to desire a more scientific and artistic approach to vertical gardening and to building a vertical garden structure. We searched in vain for a guidebook to how to build one that is both aesthetic and engineered to be vine-friendly, and finally resigned to sketching our own design and years ago we built our first vertical garden structure. As the next season progressed, we were amazed to see squash and melon vines rise to heights over our heads.

Each year since, we have been delighted by astounding yields and our harvests of both heirlooms and hybrids (see photos at our website). We have harvested mouth-watering melons whose flavors are unmatched by the "store-boughts," and we store enough squash each year that it is mid-April before we cook and savor the last of our trophies. As pleasurable as it is to bite into these orbs of sweetness and palate sensation, though, there is another thrill exclusive to vertical gardening that may eclipse these joys.

Vines grown vertically are artful all by themselves as they twist about and their tendrils reach and spiral. We've observed, though, that with a little pruning and directional coaxing using garden ties, they can be guided to achieve magnificent form and function. Each day of the growing season we can step over to our vertical garden to find wondrous surprises.

The magnificence of vines grown vertically tugs gently at our subtler nature until we begin to awaken to a certain glimpse of the sublime. The joys experienced when tending vines may be akin to what one feels when listening to corn grow during the hush of dawn. I 've fallen into awe sometimes while cultivating and coaxing vines to grow left or right or up or down to fill our garden structure. I am eager already for next season, when I will experiment again with varieties strange to me and surely be amazed anew.

Steve and Vicki Townsend share hundreds of vertical gardening shortcuts and secrets in e-books you can download at http://www.gardensup.com.

Car Insurance Rates | Dental Insurance | Health Insurance | Home Owner Insurance | Life Insurance Quote

| 1 |

Pine Furniture Care Guide
First, some background on PINE WOOD. Pine is a naturally soft wood which continues to "breathe", based upon changes in the local (home, office, store, etc.) humidity and temperature. On the individual furniture piece there may be slight defects, such as knots,and shakes(small cracks in the surface of the wood). Some minor shrinkage may sometimes occur. These natural irregularities in pine enhance its overall uniqueness.Do not place this product next to a radiator or in direct sunlight. Wood is a natural product and will expand if subjected to damp and will shrink and may crack if subjected to heat. This product is made of pine, which is a timber that is common for furniture, but...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Spice Up Your Garden With Rare Flowering Bulbs
Any experienced gardener knows the secret to a beautiful garden is in the bulbs. Flowering bulbs are usually quite hardy and undemanding and can provide the most amazing shower of spring and summertime colors. Bulbs naturally package all the essentials they need to flourish and grow. All that's required is warming temperatures to...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Fertilizing Your Water Lilies...
Unfortunately, sunlight is not enough.Your water lilies will grow, thrive, and bloom much better if youget in the ...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Orchids Are One Of Natures Most Beautiful Flowers
Orchids are beautiful flowers. The interesting thing about orchids is that they seem to draw peo...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Teak Patio Furniture Is The Perfect Choice For Your Terrace
You have spent hours of time and quite a lot of money on getting your back yard just right. The trees are lush and green, the flowers are blooming and everything looks beautiful. The only thing missing is somewhere to sit down and enjoy your beautiful yard.There is nothing like the look of natural wood in your yard or on your patio. Many prefer the look of natural wood to aluminum or plastic,...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Composting - Aka: The Circle Of Life!
Composting is where the gardening thing comes full circle. You've created your garden bed, you've nurtured your plants.The results have been eaten by the family...and now the plants and refuse from the garden can be recycled into next year'scompost. It is the closed loop of nature.This is so simple and so obvious a thing to do, I'm still staggered that people will send this sort of rubbish to the tip.When I was totally intimidated about cooking and convinced I couldn't do it, a friend of mine said 'It's just chemistry. If you add X to Y under these conditions, this MUST happen'. I think this applies big time to composting.So what does your compost n...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Build A Simple Planter Box
Love flowers, but don't have the space -- or the desire -- to plant a garden? You may want to try making your own flower box, which can be just about any size you wish.This planter box is built with a top and a bottom exterior frame; then you affix cedar panels to the frame and add bottom panels. After that, just add plants for a touch of spring anywhere you want to put it! Expert tip: Always draw a diagram before you build anything. Remember: If you can't draw it, you can't build it! You don't have to be Leonardo Divinci, just that YOU can read it!! Your diagram will be useful in helping you determine the size of your project and the amount of lumber you'll need. Simply take the finished diagram with you when you go shopping, and you'll be sure to get everything your project requires. Materials:

Green Thumb Gifts: Beyond Gardening Gloves
Ahh, spring! It has sprung! Gardeners (and budding gardeners - no pun intended) have begun the quest for a weedless lawn, or a bountiful garden. But if you're looking for gifts for someone with a green thumb (or someone with green thumb envy), consider the situation first.Some people think of gardening as a chore. Others see it as relaxing. Some will see it as exercise, and still others consider it art. Some people have the magic touch in the garden, while others couldn't grow mold if they tried! This is important w...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Cat Repellent Or How To Keep Cats Out Of Your Garden
Do cat repellents work? How to stop a cat from using garden as litterbox? Tell me how to keep cats out of my garden. These are common questions...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Protecting Your Garden Pond From Pesky Predators
Notice any fish disappearing lately? While herons are presentyear-round, water gardeners notice the challenges they bring tothe pond in spring and early summer when herons feed their yo...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Orchids Are One Of Natures Most Beautiful Flowers
Orchids are beautiful flowers. The interesting thing about orchids is that they seem to draw peo...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Garden Sheds: Wood Finishing And Weatherproofing Tips
To keep wood garden sheds, arbors, or trellises looking their best, consider using a wood finishing product such as sealer, stain, or outdoor paint. Wood finishing protects exposed wood from sun, water, insect, and fungal damage.Here's a list of some common wood finishing products:Wood Sealer: Wood sealer blocks the pores of the wood, while still allowing natural fading and weathering.Stain: Stain penetrates the wood, and unlike paint, it does not trap moisture and cause blistering or peeling. Stains come in many colors, and in transparent...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)

Fuchsia Procumbens

Fuchsia (named after Leonhard Fuchs, a 16th century German botanist) is a genus of over 100 species of shrubs and small trees. Although there are four New Zealand native species (colensoi, excorticata, perscandens and procumbens) and one from Tahiti, the vast bulk of the genus occurs in Central and South America.

Think of fuchsias and chances are the fancy garden hybrids come to mind first. Showy as they are, it i...(related: Raised Bed Organic Gardening)