8.21.2012

Vertical Vegetables & Fruit

When a friend of mine introduced me to the vertical gardens of Patrick Blanc, they seemed so surreal or otherworldly at the time. Now vertical gardening is ubiquitous. There are instructions all over YouTube and Pinterest. You can even find a vertical gardening kit on the shopping channel.*

I've been hemming and hawing about writing this book review. It feels like summer is almost over so I'm not sure if it's timely to write about vegetable gardening. I'm joining the August book reviews at Roses and Other Gardening Joys. Special thanks to Holley for hosting.
I picked up a copy of Vertical Vegetables & Fruit: Creative Gardening Techniques for Growing in Small Spaces by Rhonda Massingham Hart this spring at a local bookstore. The books is divided into three parts: one on vertical gardening tips and techniques, the second on vertical annual vines, and the third on perennial fruits that grow well vertically.
The book is well laid out, which is a big plus for me. Sometimes, I won't by a book if the typeface is too small or if there is something about the layout that is incongruous. It doesn't have any photographs, but has inspiring illustrations that made me want to try the techniques in the book. The sections of text are broken up by sidebars that gave hints on specific topics. The book also has a great chart about the soil depth, spacing and sunlight needed for container planting.
The author describes some conventional methods for training plants vertically like building a tepee or tuteur and some unconventional methods like building your own upside down planter or a potato tower. The book is filled with lots of information in small chunks.
I used the second and third sections on annual vines and fruits more for reference. It's not encyclopedic. The author gives an overview of  different varieties to consider, the length of time from planting to harvesting, planting guidelines and how to train plants up. The annual vines, the author describes for growing are: beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons and sweet potatoes. One of the the sidebars in the tomato chapter was about the different initials and numerals you see on seed packets and that they stand for disease resistance. The book is also sprinkled with trivia and fun facts about plants, like how burpless cucumbers came into being.
The chapters in the fruit section are: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, kiwis, and espalier. I liked the illustrations of different types of espalier. The kiwi chapter discusses growing fuzzy kiwi and hardy kiwi. I've seen hardy kiwi at the store before; they are about the size of kumquats and you eat them like grapes with the skin on.
I'm glad I picked up Vertical Vegetables & Fruits. It makes a good addition to my limited gardening library. The text and illustrations are engaging and I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

* Sometimes, when I have insomnia I watch the shopping channel and I saw a vertical garden kit on it one night this past spring. I can't watch for long. The cadence and speed of the hosts make it feel as if I would miss out on a lifetime opportunity if I don't make an immediate purchase. I wonder if there is a school for shopping channel hosting. Maybe it's the same school you would attend to become a carnival barker. 

18 comments:

  1. Looks like a wonderful book! I find vertical gardening so fascinating. Not sure why! I know what you mean about the shopping channel hosts. I haven't watched for years but I remember them making me feel like I had to buy everything. It kind of turned me off with the whole consumption attitude and made me go the other direction toward simplifying ones life and buying locally.

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    1. The book has lots of worthwhile information. There is something intriguing about plants not growing from the ground. I don't know why I'm so intrigued by it either.

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  2. haha - I never buy anything from the shopping channels. They go too fast for me - I'm a slow thinker, and by the time I decide to get it, it's all sold out! :) I think I would really like this book. I have one area in my garden that is a small raised bed for vegetables, and this year I trained purple hull peas up some bamboo. My father said "I've never seen them grown that way!" And now I have sweet potatoes in there and I've been wondering about growing them vertically, too. They seem to spread out everywhere! So, thanks so much for the review and for joining in. I'm definitely going to check this book out - I think it would really be useful to me.

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    1. I think you would like the book. The author presents lots of ways of trellising plants. I'm going to try a hybrid tomato cage/fence next year so that my plants won't be so overcrowded. Thanks again for hosting.

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  3. Now that I've sworn off growing food because of my inabilities, I see methods that might have helped. Thanks for the temptation. Speaking of which, do not ever stare directly into the eyes of those late-night TV hawkers.

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    1. Lee, I once bought one thing from one of those channels. It's a carpet cleaner, which also comes in handy for cleaning upholstery in the house and the car. It was my moment of weakness.

      I didn't think I could grow veggies in Santa Fe, but somehow managed this year. You can, too. :)

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    2. OK, Theta, keep telling me I can do it, especially when the dog days come next summer.

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  4. Trying to cram so many vegetables in my little tiny raised veggie bed, I need some vertical gardening pointers! My two cucumber plants that were supposed to nicely stay on their trellis turned into rampant monsters that ate up all the green beans, intertwined with the tomatoes, and are now working on swallowing the rain barrel. The sad thing is that we don't even eat that many cucumbers.

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    1. I've realized that cucumbers go crazy with those twining curlicues. Not much stayed where it was supposed to for me either. My plants seemed pretty cramped this year, too. I might put in another bed next year and split the plants between two beds instead of cramming so many in one.

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  5. In small gardens, going up is the answer. You have a bit more space than me, but I find vegetable gardens like yours as pretty as they are productive. Adding height in the veggie garden makes for a pretty garden.

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  6. Sounds like a great reference and guide to vertical gardening...I always try to add vertical parts to the garden and have with the pea and bean bed. I added a trellis and will add a bean tower next year. I just bought some great tomato cages that are square so my tomatoes grow up and are supported better...I will also add another vertical part for cukes but unsure what it will be...I may have to check this book out...

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  7. The thought of espalier intimidates me. I will check out this book and see if the instructions can calm my fears.

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  8. A good way of growing in a small area.

    Dobrý spôsob pestovania na malej ploche.

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  9. would the hardy kiwi be the permaculture choice I've seen condemned as invasive on other blogs?

    Currently my veg gardening up is two tomato volunteers from the compost. Desperately in need of weeding, but there are great grey clouds and a storm brewing. Computer not garden for me today.

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  10. I have always admired espalier gardening, though it seems labor intensive. The book sounds very helpful! I love the last shot of those sliced tomatoes! I will miss freshly picked tomatoes when summer is over.

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  11. It's always interesting when a new idea is discovered to have actually been around for a long time. I only grow a few veggies but gardening vertically just seems to make so much sense.

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  12. Your vegetable garden looks great! I wish I still had tomatoes that nice growing in my garden.

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  13. Welcome to Girl!
    I am delighted with your variety of tomatoes!
    They must be very appetizing. Look beautiful.

    Lucia

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