In this post: There are many reasons to make a DIY vertical garden. Small outdoor space, cooling shade, fresher air & privacy top the list. Here’s a simple DIY.
I can think of many reasons to put together a DIY vertical garden. Small outdoor spaces, cooling shade, fresher air (especially on a city patio), and privacy definitely top the list.
Finally decorate your own home – with confidence!
You’re so much closer to a beautifully-decorated home than you think. You just need a little help to get there!
We built our DIY vertical garden not on an actual wall, but on an arbor that acts a little like a wall.
If you read our before and after patio post a couple of weeks ago, you’ll remember we had a rather ugly old fence at the border of our side patio. When we removed it, we decided we liked the open feel, but still desired a small measure of privacy and property boundary.
Which made us reconsider building our DIY vertical garden on an exterior wall of the house and build it as a stand-alone “wall” instead.
Table of Contents
DIY VERTICAL GARDEN
Supplies
- 2 – Ground Spike in Khaki (4 In. x 4 In.)
- 2 – 4″x4″x8′ cedar posts
- 3 – 2″x6″x8′ cedar planks
- scrap length of 4″x4″
- 8 – 1/4″x3″ lag bolts
- 1 pkg Hex Wire Netting 24 inches x 25 feet – 1 inch
- 3/4″ fence staples
- 19 gauge plated steel wire
- 4″ terra cotta pots (we used 35)
- small plants (30-35 depending on whether you’d like empty pots or not)
- potting soil
Instructions
Video Tutorial
Step-by-Step Tutorial
1. Make SURE that you do not have any utility wires or pipes running in the area you want to build your garden wall. If you are at all doubtful, call your local utility companies to come and check for you (it’s free).
2. Measure out and mark where your posts will go on the ground. Ours are seven feet apart, centered on our patio space.
3. Using a sledgehammer and a scrap piece of wood (you don’t want to damage the good cedar posts or the ground spikes), hammer ground spikes into the ground at spots marked out in step 2.
4. Cut 4″x4″‘ cedar posts down to the height you’d like. Ours are seven feet tall.
5. Place one cut 4″x4″ post into the ground spike and level (the ground spikes we purchased have a swivel top that is used for leveling). Tighten bolts in ground spikes to keep posts level. Repeat for the second post.
6. Using clamps place 2- 2″x6″x8′ cedar planks on top of cedar posts (one on each side front and back). Measure and adjust if necessary so that overhang is equal on both sides and at each end.
7. Pre-drill countersunk holes for bolts.
8. Attach planks to posts with two bolts on each side of each post for a total of four bolts on each post. Be sure to stagger as shown so they don’t run into each other.
9. Decide how many pieces you’d like on the top of your arbor framing, then cut and angle them to desired angles. We toe-nailed ours on top of the two planks, but feel free to do it “the right way” and use specially designed brackets. 🙂 Toe-nailing was cheaper and faster and they’ve stayed up straight just fine!
10. Unroll wire netting. Measure and cut to the width between two posts plus a little extra. Because it is only 24″ wide you will have to use about three lengths (sort of stacked one on top of the other) total. Using fence staples gripped with pliers and a hammer, affix wire netting to the bottom of the back piece of planking (as shown above). Also, affix to the back of the side posts as shown. Repeat and repeat again to give a wire netting “wall”.
11. Using small pieces of wire, attach each piece of netting together at the seam to create a solid wire mesh “wall”. Trim off any excess.
Now you’re ready to add some lush greenery or flowers!
12. Using a small amount of potting soil if necessary, transplant your plants from their little plastic pots to the new terra cotta pots.
13. Cut 35 pieces of wire, each about 16-18″ long. Wrap one around each pot and twist as shown above.
14. To attach pots to the wire netting “wall”, feed each of the two wire ends through separate hexes and twist them together. If you find that posts tilt down too much, add a second loop and attach higher.
After about a month or more we adore our DIY vertical garden wall and have received many compliments on it from neighbors and friends. And so far the only drawback has been watering it every day to keep the plants from drying out. We’re already thinking of a way to make it self-watering for next summer – maybe a pump, tubing, and trough system?
Do you have a space that could use a little greening up? Or a patio that could use some privacy? Have you thought of building a DIY vertical garden?
I love this vertical garden! Well done!
Thank you!
Excellent tutorial. I love the look of this idea but wonder how it worked out over time? I’d have to water it multiple times a day in the summer!
Such a great idea! Love your blog!
That is such a genius idea! Pinned and stumbled it!
This web site really has all of the information and facts I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
THANK YOU for this how-to!
I’ve been wondering how to put up something like that, but didn’t know what to call it! I found it by googling images of “hanging planter structure”. đŸ™‚ Except instead of wire suspension, I initially wanted to just put hooks in the top beam and hang my handmade flowerpots. I love the wire too though, and since I want to make mine about 20 feet long – think I’ll just alternate places with wire and places with hanging pots.
Hi Shannon, I love your vertical garden project! Definitely going to try this out, I have a question: have you tried using metal pots before? If so, did you have any problems with rust, or did it hold out ok? Thanks!
Love this! I’ve been searching the web for a vertical garden solution and this is the only idea that i liked!
We are going to try it this weekend, but instead of making a freestanding frame, we are going to attach the wire net to the side of our brick shed (4.6 meters long!). The shed is ugly and I’ve been wanting to find a way of growing small vegetables vertically, to prevent our dog digging them up! So this will cover both of those problems! Thank you for sharing your tutorial too đŸ™‚
Sounds like you’ve got a great plan! Good luck with it and glad we could help in the brainstorming process!
Can you use bigger pots to grow bigger vegetables or would it not work with the weight?
I’m not sure that it would work. You could try, but maybe use not terra cotta pots? Maybe plastic?
Thank you for the excellent, easy to follow direction. I’m going to build a wire fence too for flowering vines to grow on since clay potted plants dry out to fast where I live.
Oh yes! Great idea!
I will try this idea on my chainink fence! Thanks so much for the idea. Watering will be fine since it will be by my garden and recieve the samectrestment.
Have fun!!! I’d love to see it when you finish!
Thanks for posting this amazing diy project. I followed your post and built one at my home recently. I have blended the design with another project and very happy with the result. Hope I can post a pic of my vertical garden here?
Hi Syam,
I’m so happy you like how your project turned out! You are welcome to share you photo on our Facebook page (unfortunately we don’t have that option on the blog). đŸ™‚ https://facebook.com/homemadelovely1
I love this project! I have 2 questions though, what does toenailing mean and what is the purpose of those weird shaped boards at the top as I don’t recall them in the material list. I understand everything accept the top boards and toenailing although I reread it several times.
Hi Cheryl,
Toenailing means putting the nail in at an angle to attach the two pieces. And the “weird” shaped boards are for looks, nothing else.
This is awesome. Hope I can do it!!! More, more, MORE PLEASE!! SO GREAT!
Glad you’re enjoying our ideas!
This is very creative and looks awesome saucesome. Thanks for the idea :0)