I show you how I used shoe organizers to create a vertical garden for growing leafy greens on my condo balcony.
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Vertical Gardening Made Easy

http://www.EasiestGarden.com

This is a system we designed to grow vertical gardens in less than 4 square feet that is easy to build, easy to maintain, and most of all affordable! Very little technical skill is required, and with a very affordable investment, a basic knowledge of tools and a few hours you can build a vertical garden to grow dozens of pounds of strawberries, lettuce and herbs right on your patio!

Vertical gardening with shoe organizers

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25 Comments

  • Alvin Mutsvangwa

    Well done, I just completed my vertical garden but with aquaponics on my apartment in irvine. Great job and keep up the good work. I lived in dufferin and king and the balconies were great for that stuff. Please keep us updated on the progress?

  • Shannon McArthur

    Check out this video on YouTube:
    Here's how we feed our communities in the future, with a little help from our friends in Our Heart Gardens, coming soon.?

  • HowToDrillAWell

    PVC is among the safest substances. There is an urban legend going around that it gives off toxins; well yes, it does… *when it is burned*. Otherwise, it is about as inert as any non-organic substance can be. PVC? accounts for 55% of all municipal water supplies in the country. The water you drink is run through literally miles of PVC pipe before it gets to your house. Then you bathe in it, wash dishes, and drink it. If it did leach, this lettuce garden would be the least of your problems 🙂

  • wildoxidizer

    I put lava rock in my swirl filter it is a 35 gallon barrel in the bottom is a 5 gallon bucket turned up side down with holes and a two values at the bottom one from tank the other a return system 2 inch pipe then i filled the barrel with lava rock covering the bucket. I then placed the lid on top and placed a tee at the top one side goes into the tank and one goes to the grow bed my pump runs the hole system that sets in the tank…plus I use nothing but car parts with my solar system….

  • HowToDrillAWell

    Again, aquaponics it has it's place, but most people skimp and don't do it right and IMO, when done improperly it's far worse than hydroponics done well. The whole point of this system is that it is small, and easy to do for first-time hydroponics. Aquaponics, no matter how you do it, is much more complicated than this system as it introduces many new variables.

    As for perlite, I've used the same perlite several seasons. It may not be the best medium on earth, but it's cheap and it works well.

  • HowToDrillAWell

    Again, not only does that greatly complicate the system for beginners – everything you said is unnecessary for simple hydroponics – but greatly adds to the tank size requirements. The whole point of this system is that it fits in 4 square feet of floor space. How many fish can you really grow in a 5 gallon bucket? And how inhumane is it to raise fish fin-to-fin in a tiny container? And how healthy can those fish be when fed primarily dog food, as most people do?

  • Jim Troyer

    try "volcanic ash" or "cinders" or "volcanic rock" like this: rcpblock.com/groundcover_bugundycinder.html The red cinders have iron in them that's why they are red, black cinders do not

  • Jim Troyer

    Aquaponic raft systems (12" deep water tanks with no media) supply more bacteria than required off just the wall surfaces. Your (these) wall systems have additional media and would have way more surface area than required. Quit poo-pooing aquaponics. Aquaponics works and works very well indeed. I have an in-ground pond and aquaponic grow bed, fed the fish less than $25 fish food in the last year, how much are those (toxic waste) chemicals worth?

  • Jim Troyer

    Aquaponics…don't listen to this fish die stuff…Fish are easy to grow, just cycle your system for 6 weeks with water and 5 ml ammonia/day to bring in the bacteria before adding the fish. The nitrite spike (about week 3) is tough on fish, after the nitrite spike, Nitrates start to grow and flourish, then your system will be a Garden of Eden for fish and plants. Try using volcanic cinders for media instead of perlite. Perlite is no good in a 'ponics system as it breaks down over time.

  • EcoPodGardens

    Aquaponics is wonderful, BUT with a system like this you would lack surface area for the "Bacteria" needed to convert the ammonia into nitrates. I believe that is why he recommends starting with hydroponics in a system like this, and says Aquaponics is a bit "tricky". It can be done.. we do it, but it does get a little more complicated. Thanks for the post.

  • HowToDrillAWell

    A lot depends on the size of the perlite, and it has to get thoroughly wet before it stops floating out. Perlite comes in size from almost sand up to golf balls. I use stuff that's between a grain of wheat and an english pea. Also, it's very important to cut the slits properly and bend them like I do, not to just drill holes or whatever; even a slightly crooked hole can cause it to flow out one side or the other. But if you do that, I've never had a customer with a problem.

  • TheSaladBallad

    I tried perlite in the towers, but it failed miserably. It'd clump together and create pockets of pressure that blew perlite out of the plant holes. It'd also not allow water to flow fast enough (even with a trickle) so water would overflow the top. I tried a 50-50 mix perlite/vermiculite and it worked better, but still overflowed. I had to use clay beads. Will try perlite and peat moss as an experiment. The moss should add to faster drainage and is cheap.

  • Prince Kehy

    As a fish keeper I would argue that it's inhumane to keep more than 1 goldfish in a 30 gallon tank, you'd need 10 more gallons for each additional fish. Goldfish, even fancies, can grow over 8", they need their space. (and the whole "they'll only grow as big as the tank" myth, is a myth)

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