Ask my father and he will tell you that growing up I hated anything to do with gardening. I hated our garden with a passion. It probably didn’t help that mum and dad forced my brother and I to weed the backyard lawn with hand weed pickers! A very mundane and long task! It was a weekend chore that was the cause of many tears and arguments, mainly over me trying to get out of the weeding. The lawn had to be spotless and weed killer free!
Back then I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about with growing your own vegetables, fruits and herbs. To me it was so much easier to just get it from the shop.
Fast forward 25+ years and the tide has changed. I dream of one day owning a little plot of land out in the country. One that boasts a lush vegetable and herb patch. For now though I have to settle for a house with a small courtyard.
Living 10 minutes away from the city has its positives and negatives. Great restaurants are within walking distance. Parking is a bitch, every day! Living in a townhouse means that my ability to have a garden is very limited. What small outdoor area we do have contains a BBQ, outdoor setting and our fire pit (a must in autumn and winter!) The remaining floor space is occupied by Ti our cat and Spot the bunny rabbit. Both furry four legged animals have taken it upon themselves to claim what available land we have left and use it for their toilet needs. Not the compost I had in mind!
The idea of having a vertical garden came to me some months ago when Spot demolished some wild strawberries we had growing in the garden. I started to research balcony gardens and came across vertical gardens designed from wooden pallets. Yipee! With plenty of free pallets around in Sydney my vertical garden came alive last weekend.
It took 6 hours in total. Hubby built the leg support stand but was retired from service when he tried to staple with first weed protector sheet to the pallet, not up to the standard.
I am proud as punch of my achievement. My legs and arms were a little worse for wear a few days after but I now have a little small thriving garden. It will be interesting to see what vegetables and herbs grow best over the coming months and can’t wait till my first harvest.
Ps…If you are short on space in your yard Milkwood have written a lovely story about Best Edible Plants for your vertical garden. Lots of useful information and handy tips on setting up your own garden.
If you have a vertical garden I’d love to hear from you.
Bella 🙂
