Vertical gardening is a technique in growing plants vertically on a wall or freestanding to save space. A lot of different herbs can be grown in this type of garden for maximum yields.
The six best herbs that you should consider for maximum yields for Vertical Gardens are spinach, parsley, rocket, thyme, chives, and rosemary.
Best Herbs for Vertical Garden
Herbs are some of the best plants to grow in a vertical garden.
Most of them like their soil dry compared to vegetables and flowers, hence, you do not need to consume a lot of time watering them.
Depending on the structure of your vertical garden, your herbs can also be moved indoors or outdoors.
Here are the six best herbs you can choose from for your vertical garden:
1. Spinach (Malabar Spinach)
Basella Alba, commonly known as Malabar spinach and vine spinach, is an edible perennial vine used as a leaf vegetable.
It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea.
There are two varieties of Malabar spinach–the Basella alba which is green and the Basella alba ‘Rubra’ which is reddish-purple.
This vine spinach can grow up to 10 meters in length. Its leaves are thick and heart-shaped while its stems are soft.
Basella alba, fast-growing spinach, is popular in Asian countries because it can be served as salads, stir-fries, and soup.
Growing Guidelines for Malabar Spinach in A Vertical Garden:
As the Malabar spinach is native to the tropical parts of Asia, it follows that it grows well in hot humid climates where it receives full sunlight.
It is not ideal to grow this spinach in colder climates since it will only result in poor yields.
The Malabar spinach prefers sandy loam soils and well-drained soils with a pH range of 5.5 to 8.0. It requires a lot of watering because it is a fleshy plant.
Because this herb is a vine, it works well in a trellis, a structure composed of upright poles, to support and display climbing plants.
In trellising, you can use an actual fence, or you can make your own by building posts at each end of a garden row with other posts at regular intervals in between.
After installing the posts, you can use wires or mesh nets to string the posts. Make sure you pull tight each string to avoid sagging and to ensure proper support for your vine spinach.
2. Parsley (Garden Parsley)
Petroselinum crispum, also known as garden parsley, is a biennial herb that is widely used as a cuisine. It is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region.
It is a bright green herb that forms a rosette of tripinnate leaves (10-25 cm long) during its first year of life.
In its second year, it produces yellowish-green flowers with sparse leaves and flat-topped umbels.
Growing Guidelines for Garden Parsley In A Vertical Garden:
Garden parsley thrives well in moist, well-drained soil with full exposure to sunlight.
In a vertical garden, parsley is usually grown for its leaf crop; in this case, designate a 10 cm space apart for every parsley.
This herb is best for indoor vertical gardens; you can cut boards, attach them to a sturdy wall, and place your potted parsley there.
3. Rocket (Arugula)
Eruca vesicaria, also known as arugula, is an annual herb that is commonly used as a leaf vegetable because of its fresh and peppery flavor.
It is native to the Mediterranean region and is a popular ingredient in French and Italian cuisine.
Rocket has pinnate leaves and flowers with creamy white petals and yellow stamens. It has long pods that contain edible seeds.
It can grow up to 20 to 100 centimeters.
Growing Guidelines for Rockets in A Vertical Garden:
Rockets grow best in well-composted soil with good drainage. They do not require much sunlight; thus, a semi-shade is needed.
You can grow these in wall-mounted pots, planting pockets, or hanging baskets.
Make sure that the posts you use to hand these containers are strong enough to hold the weight of the rockets with their soil.
4. Thyme (Caraway Thyme)
Thymus herba-barona, also known as caraway thyme, is a perennial evergreen herb native to Corsica, Sardinia, and Majorca. Its aroma is like caraway which makes it a good recipe in cuisines.
Caraway thyme is a creeping herb that grows up to 10-25 cm high and 30 cm wide. Its leaves are green and hairy while its flowers are pink with four petals. Its stem is woody.
Growing Guidelines for Thyme in A Vertical Garden:
Caraway thyme requires full sunlight, and it does well in average soil with light watering.
In vertical gardens, you can plant them in pots and hang them on a vertical trellis or on wall-mounted boards. Make sure to use a container that can accommodate its adult size.
5. Chives (Allium Schoenoprasum)
Chives are perennial herbs that are known for their culinary use because they produce edible leaves and flowers.
Their immature flower buds can be used as an ingredient for food like omelets, soups, and salads.
Chives are bulb-forming and can grow up to 30-50 cm tall. Their leaves look like grass and their flowers are star-shaped with six petals in pale purple.
Growing Guidelines for Chives in A Vertical Garden:
Chives thrive in well-drained soil with full exposure to sunlight and in a pH range of 6 to 7.
They like to be planted in cooler temperatures; hence, they can be positioned in eastern or western windows where they would get six hours of sunlight.
You can use any container pots you like and either hang them on an indoor trellis or on wall-mounted boards.
6. Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus)
Rosemary is a fragrant evergreen herb that belongs to the mint family and is native to the Mediterranean region. It is known for its medicinal properties and its use as seasoning in cooking.
It can grow up to 2-6 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide. It has needle-like leaves and a woody stem. Its flowers are light blue to white.
Growing Guidelines for Rosemary in A Vertical Garden:
Rosemary grows well in sandy, loamy, and well-drained soil with full exposure to the sun. It is easily grown in pots, hence, in vertical gardening, you can place it on the gutters to the wall or suspend them as hanging planters outdoors.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right herb for your Vertical Garden depends entirely on what you want to use or eat.
There are a lot of herbs to choose from that were not listed here such as basil, oregano, bay, mint, chervil, sorrel, and lavender.
Since you are planting herbs for harvesting, choose the ones you need the most at home.
Make sure to position these herbs appropriately because some require warmer temperatures (rosemary) and others prefer cooler temperatures (parsley and chives).
You can purchase ready-made trellises for these herbs to hang on, but you can also make your own trellises and other vertical garden structures such as wall-mounted boards.
You can also just recycle plastic bottles and use them as planters.
The advantage of vertical gardening is that you can manage and control the environment for your plants so that you can achieve maximum yields and obtain the desired quality for each crop.
Have fun with your Vertical Gardens and enjoy your self-grown herbs!
Jenny Marie
Tribal Writer
Edited By
Patricia Godwin
