Vertical Gardening 2.0

One of my DIY baskets lined with a single layer of burlap.. Our strawberries grew quite well in them.

In an effort to expand my growing space, I tried gutter gardening last year and was surprised by how easily the system worked.  Easy to assemble, easy to hang on the fence, easy to grow shallow rooted bits of joy in.  The only problem, I later discovered, was that vinyl gutters are not safe for growing edible plants in.  Phthalates and BPA are found in most forms of PVC material, including vinyl gutters, and are associated with a variety of health disorders.  The potential exists for those chemicals to leach into soils and get taken up by the plants.  So, the vinyl gutter system I created is now designated for decorative plant growing only.  

But how to accomplish vertical gardening for edible lovelies such as strawberries and lettuces?  Version 2.0 came from the memory of a trip to Stockholm a few years back where I saw how all sorts of crates and baskets were transformed into plant containers with burlap.  Such a simple, rustically elegant idea, especially in stacked groupings. Wish I had taken a photo.  Nevertheless, the idea stuck with me over the years and since I had a bunch of burlap from potato storage, plus a leftover roll of wire fencing, I thought it would be worth a try to make a burlap-lined, hanging wire basket.

My roll of leftover 2” x 4” welded wire fencing used to make baskets of various sizes.

Making the baskets turned out to be easier than I thought.  The leftover fencing material had enough flexibility to bend it into shape, yet still hold the box-like form I molded it into.  I used 14 gauge, 2x4” welded wire fencing such as this, though other types of welded wire material could work, too, so long as the mesh size is similar or smaller. After playing around with several lengths and widths, I determined that the dimensions of the basket should be no more than 8” wide and 30” long.  It just gets too heavy otherwise once filled with soil. Both my smaller and larger trial baskets also required additional wire support across the top to prevent bowing along the middle. 

Use a long straight edge to bend the wire into shape.

For my trial efforts, I tested both a single and double layer of burlap lining to see if it made any difference to soil and water retention.  While a double layer proved preferable, the single layer performed well-enough that I would do it again. 

Sorry the contrast isn’t better to see the finished basket. Look closely, however, and you can see how I used the cut wire to hook ends together.

A word about burlap:  If you choose to use it in food production, be sure to use the agricultural type material as opposed to that made for decorative purposes.  Decorative burlap is generally treated with chemicals and dyes.  Some agricultural burlap is, too, particularly if it has been used to wrap tree and root balls.  Better to upcycle burlap sacks used for coffee beans or potatoes. 

A top down view of the basket with wire support to prevent bowing out across the middle. A bit crude, but it works :). You can also see one of the series of drapery hooks I used to attach the basket to the fence.

Taking advantage of my existing fencing to grow strawberries and lettuces has expanded my garden considerably. It’s also minimized my losses to slugs, bunnies and squirrels – a big motivator in the first place.  I plan to make a few more burlap-lined baskets for even more growing options, especially since I can make them deeper than the vinyl gutter system.  Hmm, I wonder how radishes, beets and kale would do?