Vertical Gardening: Take Vegies
and Herbs to New Heights

Looking to take your gardening skills to new heights? Vertical gardening is a fun, space-savvy solution—and is definitely on trend.

Whether you have an apartment with a compact balcony or a house with a cosy backyard, vertical gardens offer an efficient way to maximise your planting area. You can even take them indoors!

Not sure how to get started? You’ve come to the right place. DIY vertical gardening is one of our specialties here at Jack—and we’ve got all the gear to make your vertical gardens beautiful and bountiful.

While you can grow all sorts of green goods in a vertical garden, from succulents to flowers, we’ve focused on edible plants. Because who doesn’t love homegrown?

Beyond their space-saving pros, vertical gardens, also known as green walls or living walls, offer a range of benefits for plant lovers.

Growing vertically, you can cultivate a wide selection of vegies and herbs, creating a mini farmers’ market in your backyard or living room.

A vertical garden can also enhance the aesthetics of your space, breathing new life into patios, balconies and rooftops and adding a touch of natural beauty and serenity to your home.

Plus, they’re more easily accessible for planting, pruning, and harvesting, as you don’t have to bend or kneel. And because the plants are raised, you reduce the risk of pests and soil-borne diseases.

While edible vertical gardens can be pretty easy to set up and install, with a DIY vertical garden system or kit like our Garden Up range, you need to think about where you plant them and give your vegies and herbs some ongoing love and attention.

Here are some key things to consider:

• Vegies and herbs won’t grow in the dark. Many need at least 6 hours of full sun a day. So, consider where you put them. Avoid dark, shady corners—both indoors and out. Filtered shade or morning sun/afternoon shade is good.
• An edible vertical garden needs plenty of fertilising and watering. Never let it dry out or drown it in water. This means checking the soil often. Naturally, they dry out faster in summer than in winter.
• Ditch the garden soil. It goes rock solid between watering sessions. Instead, use a quality potting mix.
• Feed your edible vertical garden regularly with liquid plant food to promote healthy growth. Just check the bottle for instructions.
• While maintenance is easier with vertical gardens, it’s still important to regularly monitor your green goods for pests and diseases and take chemical-free action if you notice any nasties.

Depending on your needs, there are many different types of living green wall systems available that range from wall-mounted to freestanding and include plastic buckets, cells and bags.

Vertical garden kits, like our Garden Up range, are fab as they make creating your vertical garden easy.

First, let’s talk about wall-mounted vertical gardens. The great thing about these smart systems is that they don’t take up any ground or floor real estate. They can also breathe life into otherwise ugly walls.

A green wall garden also gives you the freedom to get creative, as you can position your planter boxes any way you like to get the look you want.

Our Jack Mix-and-Match vertical garden system can be paired with a wall-mounted grid and a selection of plastic wall pots in different shapes, colours and sizes. Or take a look at our Jack Wall Mount Planters, which simply screw in. Go crazy, or keep it simple with our Petite wall or 3 Pot Stackers.

Alternatively, if you’re after simple symmetrical lines, our Garden Up Grande Wall are the perfect pick.

Another option for your edible green walls is a freestanding vertical garden or two. Check out our Garden Up Plant Stand—just add pots!

While they take up a little yard or balcony space, they require zero fixing, measuring and screwing. You just need to put your green fingers to work.

You can also move freestanding gardens around to chase or avoid the sun or mix up the aesthetic as the mood takes you. Plus, they’re ideal if you’re a renter, as you don’t need to modify any walls permanently.

Another way to vertical garden those vegies and herbs is by hooking planters over your rails, screens or fences.

Whatever you grow, you can bring your balconies and cosy corners to life while keeping your kitchen stocked with fresh goods.

Our Garden Up Rail Mounts, including our Herb Rail Planter, are simple to set up—just hook and go—and come with an integrated saucer to avoid overwatering and a clip to keep them secure.

Now we’ve covered the vertical garden by type, let’s dig into what to plant.

When it comes to growing vegies and fruit on your green walls, there are some varieties that will do better than others. Generally, the less they weigh, the better.

We recommend growing things you like to use in everyday meals, such as smoothies, salads, and stir-fries. Having these things at arm’s reach will make life much easier—and cheaper! Have you seen the price of groceries recently?

• Strawberries – Try Alpine strawberries as they need less space
• Cherry tomatoes – Tumbling Tom or Sweet Million are great for containers
• Blueberries – Dwarf varieties such as Blueberry Burst are vertical winners
• Raspberries – Raspberry Shortcake or Ruby Beauty are both compact
• Chilli peppers – Choose Jalapeno, Bird’s Eye or Cayenne

• Lettuce – Pick baby varieties such as Little Gem or Tom Thumb
• Bok Choy – Varieties like Baby and Toy are nice and compact
• Garlic – Soft-neck varieties, such as Italian White, are great in our climates
• Spinach – You can’t go wrong with a bit of baby leaf
• Radishes – We recommend colourful and delicious Easter Egg radishes

Whether you’re a keen chef or a forced everyday cook, having fresh herbs hanging off your kitchen walls or balcony rails is super handy and will make any dish pop. Just pick the ones that you think you’ll add to your dishes.

• Basil – Sweet Basil is great for Italian-style salads and sauces
• Coriander – This herb is perfect for green wall containers (and curries)
• Mint – Vertical pots contain this spreader making it easier to manage
• Parsley – Easy maintenance and great in loads of dishes
• Rosemary – Choose a compact, trailing variety such as Prostrate
• Thyme – Creeping thyme looks pretty as it falls and is great with meat
• Chives – Compact and neat with a tasty mild onion flavour

As well as planting vertical vegie and fruit gardens, you can use wall and freestanding systems to create lush vertical plant and flower gardens. This has been very in vogue for the past few years.

Here’s a handy Jack tip: focus on creating a beautiful vertical flower garden that thrives all year round with varieties such as geranium, petunia, lantana or begonias.

Succulents are another great year-round option and can give your vertical garden a modern edge. Try an abundant mix of echeveria, kalanchoe, crassula, portulaca, aloe, and string of pearls.

Vertical gardening opens up a world of possibilities for growing herbs and vegetables in small spaces and making a visual impact.

Now you know your wall mounts from your hanging gardens and what to plant, it’s time to get creative and start growing. You’ll soon have fresh fruit, herbs and vegies at your fingertips!

To stock up on your vertical garden accessories, simply head to your nearest local supplier to pick up your Jack products.

If you’re happy with your vertical gardening efforts (indoor or out), why not share your living walls on socials and tag @meetdiyjack?