Vertical Gardening Ideas: 10 Ways to Add Vertical Space to Your Garden

Looking for vertical gardening ideas? You’ve come to the right place. There are as many ways to add vertical space to your garden as there are reasons to do it. 

10 Ideas for Vertical Gardening

Some reasons I love to grow vertically include:

• Adding vertical gardening space gives you extra room when space is limited.
• Plants are healthier when grown vertically because it is easier to discover pests and problems earlier.
• Gardening vertically allows more sunlight and air to reach the plant, which helps the plant be more productive.
• Growing plants vertically adds beauty to the space and can hide unsightly areas of your yard. 
• It is easier to find and harvest fruits from plants grown vertically.

Keep in mind when growing vertically: 

• To maximize sunlight, position the trellis on the north edge of your garden bed or next to a fence or wall. 
• Alternatively, shade sun-sensitive plants in hotter regions by having the trellis on the south or west side, filtering the sunlight for plants that need relief from the sun.

Keep reading for vertical gardening ideas and my ten favorite ways to add vertical space to your garden. 

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Vertical gardening idea #1: Add vertical space with ladders

I love repurposing vintage items like ladders in the garden. Ladders are an easy way to add architectural interest and vertical space to your garden.

Want more information? Check out this article about ladders in the garden. 

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Vertical gardening idea #2: Use Jardin Rose Arches from Gardener’s

The Jardin Rose Arch from Gardener’s Supply Company is an easy and beautiful way to grow vertically. I used two arches to create a walkway effect in my garden. 

The arches are made from durable powder-coated steel and assembled without any tools. I love the simplicity of the design, and the arches provide practical support for different types of climbing plants.

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Vertical gardening idea #3: Add vertical space to your garden with wall-mounted rebar trellises

If you can weld (or know someone who does), these wall-mounted rebar trellises are an inexpensive way to add vertical space to your garden.

Add several small trellises to create an arch. I’m hoping this container-grown rose fills in the space beautifully.

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Vertical gardening idea #4: Add vertical space to your garden with ladder mesh block

One of the most versatile, quick, and inexpensive ways to easily add vertical space in the garden is using ladder mesh blocks.

Plants love growing vertically up the repurposed trellis, and it’s easy to install anywhere in the garden. Read more about using them in this article.

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Vertical gardening idea #5: Use Vertex tomato cages

I love the tall Vertex tomato cage because it is over 6 feet tall (installed) with large pockets to support the tomato as it climbs, even if the gardener isn’t paying attention. 

The standard-size Vertex tomato cage is perfect for determinate tomatoes (like Roma). There is plenty of room inside the cage for the plant to grow, and the branches are easily supported by the cage. 

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Vertical gardening idea #6: Build it yourself with electrical conduit and wire mesh panels

These trellises are an adaptation from Mel of Square Foot Gardening. It is simple to build the size you need.  

• Pound 2 foot rebar into ground about a foot deep. 
• Slide electrical conduit over the rebar. (Most home improvement stores will cut the electrical conduit for you.)
• Fit pieces of conduit together using plumbing fittings.
• Can be built as a single trellis or as the multi-paneled one seen here.
• Use cattle panel for the trellis. The panels can be cut to size using a bolt cutter. 
• Attach the cattle panel to the electrical conduit with metal zip-ties. 

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Vertical gardening idea #7: Try wall-mounted wire mesh panels

These wall-mounted garden screen trellises from Two Brothers Metal Works are a great addition to the garden. 

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Vertical gardening idea #8: Add vertical space to your garden with cattle panel between beds

One of the simplest ways to use cattle panels is to prop them between your raised beds, creating a low arch between the beds. This is an easy way to keep vegetables off the ground.

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Vertical gardening idea #9: Add vertical space to your garden with rebar trellises

After I added these raised beds, I needed something to allow the plants to climb and a way to provide shade in the summer. (I attach shade cloth to the top of this trellis in the summer.) My neighbor brainstormed with me about the design and then he welded these trellises. They are a great addition to the garden. 

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Vertical gardening idea #10: Use what you have on hand and a little imagination to grow vertically

I had never seen a ladder, ladder mesh block, or rebar trellises used in the garden before, but I used the materials available to me to add vertical space to my garden. 

Look around your garden, house, and yard – is there something that you could use to grow vertically in the garden? Give it a try! Let me know in the comments some of the ways you garden vertically.

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