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Vertical   gardens   are   a   design   solution   that   turns   the   constraints   of   the   city  environment   into  food  growing  opportunities.    They  can  be  made  from  simple  recycled  materials,   empowering   us   all   to   create   personal   oases   of   nature   and  food  in  what  might  otherwise  be  desolate  city  voids.  

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  Fact Sheet 2.06  

Constraints  and  opportunities  in  the  city  environment    

Half   of   the   world’s   population   already   lives   in  cities,  and  8  billion  people  may  do  so  by  2060.      Good   design   can   bring   our   food   and   habitat  needs  together,  allowing  us  to  grow  food  close  to  home   despite   the   constraints   of   the   city  environment.        Key  constraints  include:  

• Lack  of  horizontal  space  • Shading  by  buildings  • Limited  fresh  water  supplies  • Lack  of  the  microclimates  needed  by  plants  • Limited  time  for  gardening    

With   good   design   there   are   also   potential  advantages  to  the  city  environment:  

• Food  production  and  consumption  can  be  brought  close  together.  

• Waste  organic  matter,  nutrients  and  water  can  be  rapidly  and  safely  recycled.  

• We  can  make  efficient  use  of  the  limited  and  intermittent  time  we  have  for  gardening.  

• We  can  create  optimal  plant  growth  habitats.    

Cities  in  fact  offer  a  wealth  of  spaces  in  which  we  can   create   optimal   habitats   for   plant   growth   –  including   sunny   walls,   courtyards,   trellises,  solaria,   ponds,   window   boxes,   roofs,   nature  strips,  planter  boxes  and  gardens.      Cities   also   provide   abundant   valuable   resources  for   urban   food   production   through   their  abundant   supply   of   organic   wastes,   effluents,  recycled   materials,   willing   workers   and   keen  consumers.        Good   design   brings   these   features   together   and  turns   many   of   the   city   constraints   into   food-­‐growing  opportunities  

Vertical  gardens  

Vertical  Gardens  address  many  Permaculture  Principles,  including  ‘obtain  a  yield’  ‘produce  no  waste’,  and  ‘use  and  value  diversity’.    

A  wide  range  of  edible  plants  can  be  grown  in  small  spaces,  using  minimal  water.  A  variety  of  materials  can  be  used  in  innovative  ways  to  construct  the  beds.  

Image  at  top  of  page  from  Russ  Grayson:  pacific-­‐edge.info    

www.urbanagriculture.org.au

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Further  information  on  this  topic  

Permaculture:  A  Designer’s  Manual,  by  Bill  Mollison  (Tagari  Publications,  1988).      

The  Vertical  Farm:  Feeding  the  World  in  the  21st  Century,  by  Dickson  Despommier  (Thomas  Dunne  Books,  2010).      

Sustainable  Food,  by  Michael  Mobbs  (Choice  Books,  2012)

Vertical  gardens  as  a  design  solution  

Vertical   gardens   offer   many   options   to  innovatively   maximize   the   3-­‐dimensional  gardening   space   of   cities,   rather   than   just  conventional  areas  on  the  ground.      Vertical   gardens   use   containerized,   more  autonomous   plant   growing   systems   to   make  optimal   use   of   the   sunlight,   spaces,   safe   waste  water,   composts,   recycled   resources   and  available  time  of  city  dwellers  for  gardening.    This   results   in  micro-­‐habitats   that  delight  people  as  well  as  plants.    These  oases  of  nature  not  only  nurture  plants  for  food,  but  also  nourish  our  souls  and   our   creativity   and   begin   the   work   of  reintegrating  our  health  and  happiness.        Vertical  gardens  do  this  by:  

• Reaching  to  the  sky  to  optimize  the  sunlight  and  warmth  of  vertical  walls.  

• Using  spaces  to  grow  food  synergistically,  so  that  the  other  uses  of  those  spaces  (eg  recreation)  are  enhanced  rather  than  crowded  out.  

• Limiting  distance,  so  that  we  are  in  more  intimate  daily  contact  with  our  gardens.  This  means  we  experience  more  of  their  benefits,  and  are  better  able  to  safely  cycle  resources  to  and  through  them.  

• Minimizing  the  time  needed  so  that  even  if  our  interaction  with  the  garden  is  intermittent,  we  can  enjoy  the  food  and  habitat  provided.  

• Providing  buffers  between  the  often  harsh  concrete  environment  of  the  city  and  our  quality  of  life  –  particularly  as  climate  extremes  intensify.  

• Maximizing  opportunities  for  young  and  old  to  create  personal  habitats,  and  grow  along  with  their  urban  ‘jungles’.    

 Vertical   gardens   can  be  made  of   simple   recycled  materials.    Both  children  and  grown-­‐ups  can  have  fun   using   these   materials   in   innovative   ways   to  create  a  green  micro-­‐habitat  at  minimal  cost.        Containers   can   be   designed   to   maximize  autonomous   efficient   growth,   and   to  accommodate  a  huge  diversity  of  plants.