How to make a vertical orchard: steps to follow

One of the problems that people living in urban centers or cities face is the lack of space to grow their own food. This lack of direct contact with agriculture can be partially solved with vertical gardens.

What is a vertical orchard?

It is a structure that optimizes space for planting and sowing self consumption fruits or vegetables. It has the advantage that it is not necessary to have a harvest field but just an outside wall that receives sunlight for a few hours a day. In addition, you can use recycled materials for its building and saves money by reducing the purchase of products harvested in the market.

How to make your own vertical orchard?

First, we need the following objects: a 2 liter plastic bottle, a rope, scissors, a punch and a nail. Cut a rectangle with the scissors in the plastic bottle and make four holes at each end with the punch. Then pass the rope through these four holes and make knots under each hole to hold the bottles except in the last one. Finally, after the four bottles are joined with the rope, hang the set on the wall with the nail.

It is important that this wall receives sunlight, but not all day long. Once the plant pots are ready, the next items that we will need are organic humus, a watering can and the seeds of the fruits we want to plant. In this case, we will plant carrots, tomatoes, onions and strawberries.

Fill the bottles with the ecological humus and carefully, in order to avoid damaging them, bury the seeds. Water the plant pots once a day when the sun has already set to prevent evaporation and pay special attention to watering during the first fifteen days. The products we have chosen will take between 3 and 4 months to germinate, and it is important to remember not to water the pots during the last week as this water excess will cause the loss of flavor in the planted fruits.

When the fruits are grown, it is the time of harvest. Now you can enjoy your homegrown products generated sustainably and prepare a new crop reusing the same bottle with new humus and new seeds.

In this video we show you what steps you need to take to start your own home orchard in a simple way and how to work on it to begin consuming food of your own.

Plant products according to each season

As you have seen, it is very easy to install a vertical orchard at home. In addition, it is reusable and throughout the year you can plant products according to each season without building a new structure, only acquiring more humus and the new seeds of the fruits you want to harvest.

We have selected recycled bottles, but if you want you can also buy pots and arrange them vertically on the wall. If you have a nearby hydrant available you also have the option of using an automated irrigation system that will ensure that the pots receive the amount of water you choose, making it ideal if you cannot water them yourself for a long period time, such as during the holidays.

On the other hand, if you have more space and you want to create an urban garden there are some tricks that you will find very helpful, and you can even go a step further and build a green roof if you have a rooftop.