(Video Inc.)Off The Grid Living: Magic Gardening: How To Grow 50 Nutrient-Dense Veggies In Virtually No Space

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Magic Gardening: How To Grow 50 Nutrient-Dense Veggies In Virtually No Space

Written by: Tara Dodrill Survival Gardening

vertical gardening — 55 gallon barrel

Image source: OutdoorSnippets
Vertical gardening offers the ability to grow more produce in a small amount of space. While such container gardens are ideal for urban and suburban dwellers, they are useful for rural folks, as well.
Maximizing the growing area will not only help to decrease grocery bills even further, but will allow more naturally grown and healthy produce to be canned, dehydrated and stored.
Commercially manufactured vertical gardening containers are readily available, but there truly is no need to go to the added expense. A clean 55-gallon plastic drum works extremely well as a vertical container garden and can be adapted to the growing purpose quite easily. Such planters take up little space and can grow approximately 50 plants.

The garden in a barrel concept also saves time and water, as well. The 55-gallon drums prevent damage to the plants from rabbits, moles and gophers. Harvesting the crop is also a breeze for those with mobility issues. By inserting a tube with holes down the center of the barrel, composting worms and natural fertilizers can also be added to enhance the growing process.
The Easiest Garden website said making “one of these barrels only takes 1 to 5 hours depending on your skill, and should cost only $20-50.”
Vertical Garden Barrel Basics
Virtually any typical herb or vegetable plant will grow in a garden barrel. Smaller and “bush type” plants are often favored because they take up so little space. Commonly grown vertical garden barrel vegetables include: basil, lettuce, tomatoes, kale, potatoes, spinach, carrots, peas, beets, cucumbers, and bush beans.

Perennials are not typically grown in vertical garden barrels. Such plants often have difficulty because they tend to become root bound inside the barrel. Strawberries are perhaps the one successful exception to this rule. Even though many gardeners have had nice strawberry harvests from a barrel, the plants must still be replaced about every three years.
Although vertical garden barrels do tend to curtail the mole, gopher, and rabbit issues (if the barrel is placed upon legs), deer do remain an issue. Since the barrels take up so little space, fencing the area around the barrels is a viable option to stop deer from snacking on your growing veggies.
A center tube with composting worms is not a requirement for a good vertical barrel crop, but they do help get the most from your seeds and the soil. The composting worms provide an ample source of nutrients to the vegetables and also aerate the soil. Gardeners who live in a mild climate may not have to remove the worms during the winter, but if where you live brings frozen ground ever year, the worms would likely die if left inside the vertical garden……MORE HERE

Source: www.offthegridnews.com

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