Build a Backyard Vertical Farm
Template:StubVertical farms are a new and extremely innovative way to grow crops. You may not know that you can have one right outside your home, and can build it yourself with minimum effort! This wikiHow will show you how to build 2 different kinds of vertical farms within your own backyard, one being easy and small-scale (with PVC pipe), and the other being a little more intensive and bigger (with a full pallet).
Steps
Using PVC Pipe
- Stay safe. You will need safety equipment including, but not limited to, safety glasses, protective clothing, and even earplugs. (This is only if you plan to drill holes in PVC pipes yourself as opposed to buying them.)
- Find the perfect spot for your vertical farm.
- Gather your materials. This includes:
- 4”-6” PVC pipes - as many as needed - with holes spaced evenly throughout (can buy these at a DIY/hardware store or can drill holes yourself)
- An end cap for PVC pipe mentioned above, for stabilization and balance (Can also buy these at a DIY/hardware store)
- Rocks (to weigh down PVC pipe to stay in place)
- Soil (to plant the crops in)
- And finally, the crops you would like to grow. Use ones that have grown for a week or two, but are not in ‘full bloom’. These cannot be seeds, because they will need to grow out of the holes we have drilled in the PVC pipe, and seeds can grow in any direction and run into the inside of the pipe, rendering them useless.
- Glue the end cap to your PVC pipe, and let it sit for about 10 minutes to strengthen the bond.
- Put the smaller sized rocks into the PVC pipe, about ⅓ of the way full.
- Fill up PVC pipe with soil, leaving about ½” of the top empty.
- Fill up PVC pipe with soil, leaving about ½” of the top empty.
- Water regularly (based on the specific crops needs) and watch your vertical farm thrive!
Using a Pallet
- Stay safe. As with the previous method, you will need safety equipment including, but not limited to, safety glasses, protective clothing, and even earplugs. (This is only if you plan on putting together the pallet yourself as opposed to buying it!). You will also need a pallet, a small roll of landscape fabric, a staple gun, sandpaper, and finally 2 large bags of potting soil.
- Free the pallet of debris. Before you can plant these crops, you need to make sure our pallet is free of any chipped wood or loose nails. Use the sandpaper to smooth over any potentially sharp and dangerous nails or pieces of wood.
- Find the perfect location for your vertical farm. It can stand it up against a wall or tree; you could find a wall to place it on, and drill screws into wall to hold up the pallet. These will need to be strong, because the pallet will be much heavier than you think with it is filled with soil!
- Install the landscape fabric.
- Choose which side of your pallet will be shown, because you will be covering the back, sides, and bottom of it. (You don’t want any soil falling out!)
- Lay pallet face down and completely cover it with landscape fabric. You may need to cover twice.
- You will need to make sure the fabric is going to stay there, so pull out your staple gun and staple it towards the top edge and corners of the board! Make sure to pull the fabric and make it completely flat, leaving few to no ridges or bumps.
- Staple roughly every 1 ½” - 2”.
- Repeat this process on every side of the pallet until back and sides are completely covered in the fabric.
- Staple some more. Make sure to staple anywhere that the soil may be able to come out! (Put as many as you think you need; There is no wrong answer!)
- Pour soil over the pallet. Use your hands to stuff it inside, completely filling it and making it as tight as you can.
- Plant the crops in the soil, just like you would if they were in the ground.
- Water regularly. Water your farm based on the needs of the specific crop. Watch your vertical farm thrive!
Tips
- Make sure the crops you plan on growing can effectively grow in your living climate!
Warnings
- If you are not going to build the pallet yourself, make sure upon obtaining it that you are able to. Do not simply find one outside of a building and take it without permission!
