If you don’t have enough space on the balcony or in the yard and still don’t want to do without a small herb or flower garden, you can simply use the walls to create your beds. Gutters made of lightweight plastic serve as flower boxes.
How can you garden in the smallest of spaces without blocking the ground with lots of individual plant pots? One solution is the so-called “vertical gardening” and, like many urban design trends, comes from England. A vertical garden is not laid out on the ground, as is usually the case, but on walls and walls to save space. It is important that the subsoil is stable enough to support the garden For rental properties, you should also ask the landlord for permission before you start the project.
Materials & Tools:
5 strips made of impregnated, rough-sawn spruce formwork boards: 100 cm long x 12 cm wide x 2.1 cm thick
10 wood screws, countersunk (5 x 70 mm)
10 dowels (8mm)
30 wood screws, round head (4 x 18 mm) for gutter bracket
5 semi-circular gutters, for example in white, 1 m long
10 fascia holders
10 gutter end pieces
high-pressure cleaner, e.g. B. AQT 33-11 from Bosch
Cordless combi drill, e.g. B. PSB 18 LI-2 ergonomics from Bosch
Stone drill bit 8 mm, wood drill bit 8 mm, wood drill bit 4 mm
1.Clean the wall and pre-drill wooden strips
So that the garden wall comes into its own later, you should thoroughly clean the chosen wall surface beforehand. The best way to do this is with a high-pressure cleaner. Before you can transfer the drill holes to the wall, first pre-drill the strips with a 4 mm wood drill bit – in each case 20 cm from the middle of the edge. Repeat this process for all five strips.
2.Assemble substructure & gutter bracket
Now the pre-drilled strips are mounted on the wall. Start with the bottom bar and use a spirit level to check that the bar is straight. Then you transfer the drill holes to the wall with a pencil and drill the holes with an 8 mm masonry drill. Then drill the holes for the remaining strips with a distance of 30 cm. Finally place the dowels and screw on the wooden strips. The rain gutters need two brackets to hang stably – these are now attached to the wooden slats. To do this, screw the rain gutter holders to the right and left 25 cm from the edge of the strip using the cordless combi drill.
3.Drill drainage holes in gutters
A few preparations are still necessary so that the green plants feel comfortable in their future home. This should allow excess water to drain from the planted gutters. That’s why you should drill five holes in each gutter with an 8 mm drill bit – they serve as drainage holes and prevent waterlogging, so that neither mold nor rot forms. It is best to use a metal drill bit for metal rain gutters, a wood or metal drill bit works for plastic gutters. Then put on the end caps and, if necessary, seal them watertight with hot glue (depending on the system; some systems are already watertight ex works). The Vertical Garden is ready!
4.Plant gutters
Now you fill the plant boxes with nutrient-rich potting soil and plant the selected plants – preferably in such a way that they have enough space to develop. Then water lightly. Then simply hang the fully planted gutters in the brackets.
