This blog post includes links sponsored by EcoScraps and Wal-Mart.
One thing you should know about me is that I come from a long line of green thumbs. I grew up in gardens, whether it be at my grandparents farm, or my own back yard. My people are planters, and I am super proud of that. As an adult I have always had a garden, even when there wasn’t space. Luckily at our current house, I have been able to build some great raised beds around the yard which have been my biggest garden project to date, but not everyone can do that. So, today I’m thinking small. I have run out of room in my last bed, but I still have some plants I want to grow this year, so I am turning to a teeny tiny free space on my porch and building a super easy, super customizable vertical garden for some of my smaller plants.
This is perfect for herbs, seedlings, or any small plant that you don’t need much space for. It will take under an hour to complete, and it is also super budget friendly. It is perfect for building on an existing wall like the side of a house, porch, or storage shed, but you can also make it free standing with some extra steps. I am not going that far, but it wouldn’t be difficult to figure it out! So, here is what you need:
- 1 piece of lattice, cut to preferred size (mine is 32×42 inches)
- Screws, nails, or white/clear zip ties for attaching your lattice and pots
- 4-8 small garden pots (NOT clay – you will be drilling holes in them)
- 1 bag EcoScraps Potting Mix
- 1 bag EcoScraps plant food (optional, depends on what you are planting.)
This is really very simple to make, and it’s fun to get the kids involved as well! The first thing you want to do is attach your lattice to your porch railing (or whatever you are building it on). You can nail/screw it if you would like, but I am using zip ties because I don’t want to damage my railing.
Next, drill a small hole into the upper portion of each of your small pots. After that, grab a nail and nail them into your lattice so that they hang there. And guess what? That’s it! I told you – super easy! Once your structure is built, it is time to plant. Growing up knowing about gardening, I have tried my fair share of products, brands, soils, and fertilizers, and it wasn’t until I discovered EcoScraps that I felt I had finally found my “go-to” brand.
I love everything about this brand – their process, their quality, their price, and the fact that I can grab it at my local Walmart. So, what makes them so special? Let’s take a look:
Sustainability:
Did you know that in the United States, we waste 40% of our food? That is insane! It’s quite seriously enough to fill the entire Rose Bowl every.single.day. Terrible, right? It sits in landfills, producing methane, and polluting the air. So how do we fix that? Since 2010, EcoScraps has been working to be a part of the solution by reusing this waste and keeping it out of the landfills. They actually use food waste and turn it into sustainable gardening products, and between 2011 and 2015, they recycled 75 million pounds of it! And guess what? 2016 is looking amazing with a projection of matching that number. I know that doesn’t sound like much of an impact, but think of it like this: Recycling 15 million lbs of food waste is equivalent to keeping 500,000 cars off the road for an entire day. So, they are doing some great work growing gardens instead of landfills!
EcoScraps is natural, organic, and recycled, which is great for the environment as well as for your plants! We all know that a high percentage of organic compounds in soil helps plants grow, and EcoScraps packs quite the punch! The products I am using here today are their moisture retaining Potting Soil and all purpose plant food.
Now, let’s get back to our tutorial, shall we? After your structure is built and your pots are attached, go ahead and fill them with potting mix and your choice of plant. You can put whatever you want in them, but my choices are either seeds, seedlings, or small herbs that don’t need much room. I have my bigger plants in my raised beds, so this wall is more for the smaller ones.
Once you fill your pots, give them a good watering and you are done! Don’t they look cute? You can use these as a place to grow your seedlings for transplanting, or keep kitchen herbs in to use as you need them. I am doing a little of both for mine, and I am going to add a second layer as well because I want to fill up my little lattice wall with them! Once your pots are established, you will want to use a little plant food on them once a month to make sure they grow big and strong.
I’m not done planting for the season yet, and in addition to my little wall garden, I have also started working on a small corner bed that will become a nice sitting area in a spare corner of my yard. I am using EcoScraps Garden soil for that one, and it’s coming along nicely! I will share the complete how-to and recap once it is finished, but for now here is a little sneak peek of the beginnings of it before the big transformation.
And last but certainly not least, the folks at EcoScraps are giving away a $50 Walmart gift card to one lucky reader! Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Want to learn more about EcoScraps? Check out their video here: https://youtu.be/61_RD2j5mZ8
