Most of us associate gardens with perfectly tilled rows or raised beds, things that are anchored in a literal sense. Small space food producers, on the other hand, have discovered that there is much to be gained from going up in the world, utilizing both horizontal and vertical space.
Vertical gardening may appear in a variety of ways. There are also hanging baskets that dangle from porch or balcony ceilings, taking up minimal floor space but providing plenty of produce. Hanging baskets are a fantastic option for various crops while developing our gardens vertically. Some plants will naturally cascade down from high-hanging baskets, providing Garden-of-Eden-style fruit harvesting. Other crops grow in small spaces and can be harvested on a daily basis from low-hanging baskets. This may be a lovely and helpful method to create a flourishing garden with no ground area at all.
Plants that do amazingly well in Hanging Baskets
Strawberries
Strawberries are excellent pot plants. They don't need much area to develop, and they send out runners that can trail several feet down from a high-hanging basket. They have little blooms that appear before the delicious red fruits. There are bushes that yield strawberries in June and provide a rush of berries early in the season, as well as ever-bearing types that supply a trickle of berries throughout the warmer months.
Cherry Tomatoes
While any tomato plant may be grown in a hanging basket, cherry tomatoes are perhaps the finest. They don't contain large fruits that weigh down the basket or cause it to hang unevenly. However, cherry tomato plants frequently grow more quickly than regular tomato plants, reaching eight feet in no time. This would be eight feet of hanging in a hanging basket, with tiny capsules of sweet tomato-y goodness.
Chili Peppers
Pepper plants of any sort, like tomatoes, may function just fine in a hanging basket, but chilli peppers are a bit smaller and may be a better choice. Chili peppers yield a plethora of vibrant fruits. Because the plants will not have as long runners as strawberries or tomatoes (or cucumbers), so these baskets may work well for lower spots or where space is needed below.
Cucumbers
Cucumber plants provide a massive amount of food. They have wide leaves and a profusion of beautiful yellow blooms before the fruit.
Long vines will grow from the plants and dangle down below. Cucumbers can grow fairly large, but many pickers prefer to pick them while they are young (about six inches) because they are delicate and more delicious.
Snap Peas
Snap peas and snow peas, where we consume the pod and all, are another vining plant that we typically cultivate vertically, although the plant doesn't mind if the vines droop down. Again, before the pea harvest, we receive lovely tiny blossoms, and once the plant is producing well, it may be visited practically daily for a handful of pods to put into a salad or stir-fry.
Spring Onions
Green onions/spring onions/chives play a role in almost every savoury recipe. They have a pleasant mild onion taste, a satisfying crunch, and high-quality nutrition. They also grow beautifully in a hanging basket next to a basket of greens. Although spring onions will not cascade over the edges of the basket, they do look lovely shooting up in one.
In those hanging baskets, there's a full summer salad sprouting. Not only would this be tasty, but the many textures, shapes, and colours would form an incredible garden display to admire.
