Vertical Gardening

Julie, you bring up a good point. You should leave enough space between your planting and your walls to allow the walls to dry out. It would probably not be enough to simply put a sheet of plastic between the wall and the planting medium. Maybe a layer of mineral wool (not fiberglass bat) would be enough? Also, even in a dry climate, soil moist enough to grow plants will be moist enough to damage walls, so you might not have problems with rot, but there is till a significant risk.

Clara, I was just discussing the problem of rapid evaporation with my brother as he was setting up his upside down tomato bags (he will be using a drip system). I think that in dry climates, use of impermeable membranes, such as plastic sheeting, would resolve the evaporation issue.

I have a terrible problem with container gardening when humidity levels drop below 10%, the temperature is above 95 F and the wind is blowing. Also, sometime around the end of July, I start to get salt and mineral buildup, which can stunt or kill the plants. I was going to experiment with plastic and gravel mulches this year, but the price of plants doubled and I can get vegetables cheaper at the local market.

I like joop's brick tower idea, but that many bricks or pavers can get expensive, and they are not readily available used (masonry is only used for veneer here because of seismic safety, and that is rare now with the popularity and lesser cost of stucco finishes).

Rose, regarding creepers, if you are going to plant vines, why not plant grapes?

Clara Florence wrote:While I love the idea of vertical gardening, the reality is often less encouraging. Vertical gardening was one of the first techniques I tried and I gave it up because... Vertical gardens evaporate water really fast. The soil is exposed to a lot more evaporation factors than a ground based garden...

I can definitely understand that vertical gardening could have serious issues with water evaporation, if the soil is placed vertically. However, let's not forget about vertical gardening with the roots in the ground. At this link, http://woodforfood.blogspot.com/2015/07/cucumber-tipi-part-3.html, you can see my cucumber tipi, which is growing out of a 5 foot deep underground hugelkultur bed. Tipis and other trellises can provide excellent vertical growth opportunities, without sacrificing the water retention of a hugelkultur bed. With so many varieties of vegetables that climb, one can avoid placing the soil vertically. For those plants that do not climb, permies who are pressed for gardening space can build above ground hugelkultur piles that are very steep and provide a significant increase in surface area for growing -- again, with water retention benefits instead of evaporation issues.