The pandemic, inflation, disruptions of the supply chains, and some other uncertainties have pushed more people to grow their food. Or at least considering it. However, many often see gardening as a time-consuming and burdensome hobby. Therefore, the idea of starting a garden is usually kept on the back burner.
Fortunately, innovations are emerging to evolve gardening as we know it. Some are high-tech and others low-tech. The prototype tested is low-tech with lots of automation possibilities.
Please note that we performed this tryout without extensive horticultural knowledge or professional background in gardening. The objective was to generate results as any average newbies would do.
How it all started
In 2020, my childhood friend Jocelyn and I tested the efficiency of vertical farming techniques by building a model inspired by Khaled (aka The Plant Charmer) from the In.Genius Farms. The following year, friends and family contacted us to see if they could get one. So we decided to create a small business called BC Vertical and built vertical gardens in my friend’s garage from February to April 2021.
Meanwhile, RakeAround’s article on Vertical Farming with Sarab from Ecotwigs attracted much attention. With all the feedback received and those from our vertical gardening experience, Sarab’s farming solution appeared like something that could be helpful for home growers.
After a few discussions, and with the help of her father, Sarab kindly proposed to send us a prototype completely redesigned for home gardening. By working collaboratively, the idea was to test and push her model as much as possible with the gardening knowledge we have and provide her with constructive feedback.
The prototype was sent from Mumbai, India, to Ottawa, Canada, and received on April 26, 2021. Just in time for the gardening season. As you can see in the clip below, the results were quite impressive for its first year of use.
Technical information
The structure of the vertical garden covers a surface of about 24 sq.-ft. It has five rows of 6 feet long (two on each side and one on top) and is about 4 feet wide. Depending on crops, one row can grow from 6 to 24 plants. It can also fit up to 75 units per row for crops like radishes or carrots.
Once the soil is added, it becomes heavy (difficult to be lifted by two adults). Therefore, it was essential to choose the location wisely. This new vertical garden replaced our old one, which was smaller and homemade. The southwest side of the backyard was the perfect spot.
The garden ends are aligned south-north and sides east-west. The fence provides the plants with a welcomed late afternoon shade during the hottest days of the summer. In addition, we set a stoned platform to avoid lawn maintenance.
Compared to our homemade vertical garden, which could grow 60 plants using 20 sq.-ft., this model can grow up to 120 plants (depending on the crops). Furthermore, it is built to sustain harsh weather conditions, including heavy snowfalls and ice accumulations. Therefore, it does not require winter storage.
What crops to grow and how many
The rows of the prototype are a little wider and deeper than our previous vertical garden format, which opened the door for new possibilities.
Strawberries and lettuces
We used the top row to test the growing capacity of strawberries and lettuces and tried the double-row-in-one approach. And it worked! It means that two heads of lettuce were growing side by side. Same for strawberry cultivars. A 6 feet long row represents 24 heads of lettuce or strawberry plants.
For testing purposes, the top row was split into two sections: one of 8 strawberry plants (2X4) and one of 16 heads of lettuce (2X8). The strawberry cultivars chosen for this test were Albion and Seascape. As both are neutral days, we harvested strawberries till the end of October (which is pretty good in Canada).
The lettuces varieties used were from Johnny Seeds: Newham, Cegolaine, Breen, Dragoon, and Rouxai. They are small lettuces, which allowed us to maximize yields per space used. Moreover, they are light frost tolerant. Our last harvest was in early November.
Peppers and hot peppers
The most performant crops for such model are peppers and hot peppers. Not only were the yields excellent, but those crops also required little care. We were able to fit 13 plants in a 6 feet row. Some of the varieties used were grown from seeds, such as Ace bell peppers, Lunchbox peppers, Banana peppers, Black Magic Jalapeño, and Hot Paper Lantern Habanero.
With the Aji Charapita hot peppers, we achieved our most surprising results. Vertiponic, probably the best Charapitas grower in Canada, supplied us with three cuttings from their mother plant. We were amazed by the strength and the resilience of this plant, which usually grow in hot and humid Peruvian forests. We were able to harvest about half a pound of those peppers. Given their high market price ($15/oz or about $480 for 2 lbs for dried charapitas), we consider this a win.
This bush-type plant adapted perfectly to the space provided by the vertical garden. It bloomed continuously from June to October. Although it experienced a few nights with a temperature near the freezing point, they provided ripe fruits until October. Like other peppers, they required little care and no pests control.
Eggplants
Growing eggplants was a complete discovery and performed better than expected. The variety used was Hansel. The plant and its fruits are more petite. It fitted the growing space without compromising yields. When harvested with peppers, it makes excellent side dishes of grilled vegetables.
Tomatoes
The most common crop to grow is probably a tomato plant, whether in the garden, on a balcony, or in-house. That’s why trying to grow tomatoes in this vertical garden prototype was a must. To do so, we selected a Patio Tomato type. It is ideal for growing in containers and small spaces as the plant does not go higher than 3 feet. We had two of them. Although small, the weight of the fruits compromises the anchorage of the plants. They required each a tutor.
Such variety usually produces up to 50 fruits per plant. Our yields were about half of this. But, again, better gardening skills might have generated better yields. Nevertheless, we harvested way enough to make some salsa Fresca, tomato sauce, and garnish many salads.
In our opinion, with the bit of knowledge we had, the results remain considerable given the space used. In addition, we established the growing potential of 6 plants per row, as tomato plants require more spacing than pepper or eggplant plants.
Carrots, radishes, beans, sweet peas and herbs
There are pros and cons for those crops, and it’s mostly related to personal choices and tastes. As an example, although easy to grow, carrots take time. Depending on the varieties used in Canada, you will not do more than two harvests per season. Meanwhile, other crops could yield continuously from June until October.
Radishes performed great. We got a harvest every 30 days or so. We estimated that the prototype could grow up to 75 radishes per row, which means three rows in one (3 X 25 radishes). We did the same with carrots. However, it took almost 50 days to get them to a decent size.
We recommend adding a feature to grow bush beans and sweet peas better. For example, a trellis could help the plants get a grip or lean on. Without one, those crops become messy and out of control. Still productive, but not in a tidy manner.
Herbs in a garden remains a must, but again, it’s a personal choice. We added one basil plant to the prototype (near a tomato plant). It has reached about 2 feet high. We do not doubt that most herbs would perform well. However, we decided to focus on more challenging crops as the goal was to push the limits of vertical gardening.
Cucumbers
Although we achieved some success, it is fair to say that it is not all rainbows and unicorns. The cucumber experiment shows how things can turn ugly. The plant generated only one good fruit. All others dried out before developing, and the plant eventually died. Better gardening knowledge might have yielded different results. Maybe a smaller variety would have performed better too, who knows.
We have also learned that pest management for such a crop is quite daunting. The striped cucumber beetle rapidly weakened the plant, giving us little chance to fight back. We tried covering the plant, but it was already too late. Given the circumstances, we don’t believe cucumbers will be worth spending space in the prototype next season and would rather try something else instead.
Improvement opportunities
Clearly, the Ecotwig model, designed by Sarab and her father, is an efficient and productive vertical gardening structure. It can grow up to 5 plants per sq.-ft used. It is by far less work-intensive than traditional gardening. However, it still requires a certain amount of work and time.
Many people tend to avoid gardening or stop maintaining their gardens during the season because they leave for the cottage, camping, or vacation. Once they are back, it’s either dry, dead, or out of control. Thus, we are confident things would be easier for them using some automation options.
First, adding an automated watering system should be a priority. Not only it would reduce drastically the time required to maintain the garden, but it would most likely increase yields. Soil moisture sensors could help schedule water supply and distribute water more efficiently.
Our experience showed that inappropriate watering (too much or not enough) leads to plant disease problems. It was the case for our tomato plants. Septoria leaves spots appeared on them in mid-summer and were likely related to overwatering. Fortunately, it didn’t affect the fruits, and the spread was manageable.
The technology has evolved, and plenty of fantastic ideas are already on the market to enhance the experience. For example, for the 2022 gardening season, we decided to test the Solar-powered Irrigation AquaBloom Set by Gardena. It will help us calculate how much water the plants will need while away. People are busy, and automated irrigation is a must in gardening. See below how we intend to install the AquaBloom set on the prototype.
Another use of sensors would be to monitor the soil nutrient levels. The vertical garden follows the principles of container gardening. Which means you have to feed the plants regularly. We used pelleted chicken manure to do so. We know that feeding is usually required once every three weeks. However, knowing exactly how much and when to feed for optimized results requires years of experience.
Although vertical gardening drastically reduces pest issues, some crops will always attract harmful insects. For example, the Japanese beetles are devastating to strawberry plants in our region. They require close monitoring to limit the damages.
It shows that there’s an opportunity to design and develop pest control accessories. For example, a screen tent customized to fit the shape of the vertical garden. It would have definitely helped with the Japanese beetles. Finally, designing a smaller size would be recommended for those living in apartment with a small balcony. A model half the size of the one tested could grow between 30 to 60 plants.
Our next steps
For the 2022 gardening season, we plan to expand our tryout to other plants such as dwarf citrus trees (lemon, lime, and orange). It will be a strong incentive to consider moving the vertical garden in a greenhouse if it works. The idea of self-sufficiency of citruses in Canada or any northern country is very appealing.
We also plan to dedicate one entire row to blueberries. It should fit 12 plants. The proper soil type for such a crop will also be required. The fun thing with blueberry plants is the abundance of their fruits. Harvests can be frozen and used when needed—no food waste.
Finally, we are also considering growing cannabis. Although we are not consumers, we believe it is worth trying for vertical gardening marketing purposes. The Cannabis Act permits adults to cultivate up to 4 cannabis plants per household (not per person) from licensed seed or seedlings in Canada.
We believe that continuing to show positive results with a wide variety of plants will raise awareness of the true potential of vertical gardening. We shared our results to help Sarab (and others) continue improving, innovating, and making gardening easy and accessible to all. Thus, new collaborations, partnerships, or business opportunities could form. Who knows?
For more information, have a look at Sarab’s story and the 5 Reasons to Start a Vertical Garden. Cheers to vertical gardening!
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