Easy DIY Vertical Garden

11 Materials
$45
2 Days
Medium

Hi Hometalkers! It's Jess from Jessica Welling Interiors. My hubby built me this super-cool vertical garden a couple of years ago. I absolutely love it, and today I'm going to show you how you can build one too. A quick note before we get started: Our vertical garden has 12 shallow planter troughs, and I grow hardy sedum and succulents in it for decoration. If you want to grow herbs, flowers, or veggies in yours, I recommend modifying these plans to make bigger, deeper troughs that hold more soil. As-is, there isn't enough soil to hold the amount of water needed for thirstier plants. Okay let's get started!

Start with 6' Fence Boards


Start with 6' cedar fence boards. The structure will be 3' wide, so cut each one in half. Our garden has 12 troughs, so we needed a total of 24 3' pieces of fence board.

Measure & Mark 2x4s


Next, measure and and use a pencil to mark how far apart the troughs will be along each of the side boards. Ours are 6.5" apart.

Cut Triangles


Use the speed square to measure and cut one of the pressure-treated 2x4s into 45 degree triangles.

When you're done the triangles should look like this. You'll need 24 of them.

Screw the Triangle Supports into the Long Side Pieces


Lay the two 2x4s side-by-side. Drill pilot holes, and then use the long screws to attach the triangle supports to the 2x4s.

Stain


Stain all the pieces to protect them from water.

Attach Diagonal Pieces


Use 1 1/4″ screws to attach the fence boards to the front face of the triangle supports. Use 2 of the screws on each side of each piece.

Attach Back Pieces


Now turn the whole thing over and attach the boards to the back using two 1 1/4" screws on both sides of each board.

Attach to Wall or Fence


We used a piece of 2x4 (leftover from cutting the triangles) to mount the vertical garden to the side of the house, with it's feet resting on the patio.

And that's it! For more detailed instructions and more process photos, come check out my post, where I'll also show you how to plant and set up irrigation for your vertical garden.


We finished our whole patio makeover in one weekend, including the vertical garden. You can see the transformation HERE!


On the fence? You can always start with this ultra quick & easy vertical garden instead!

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Jessica Welling Interiors
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Jan Jan on Mar 18, 2020

    Did you use any liner, since plants will die in pressure treated lumber. Even a trash bag will work, as long as the plants don’t touch the wood.


  • Dara Shirey Dara Shirey on Mar 19, 2020

    Could you put plastic sheeting behind to protect the wall from water drainage?


  • Grandmasue10 Grandmasue10 on Mar 19, 2021

    Would 12" boards work for larger plants?

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  • HALDIMANDHOMERS HALDIMANDHOMERS on Mar 20, 2020

    Your welcome, I may try this !!!!!

  • SANDRA MOORE SANDRA MOORE on Mar 19, 2022

    Something that I learned in my many years in the engineering field. Never use just one fastener on the cleats that hold the shelves. As the wood expands and contracts with the weather the cleats will become lose and they and the shelves will twist. Always use two fasteners. Great job otherwise. Hope this suggestion helps. I'm not trying to be critical just helpful.

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