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Vertical Vegetables: Simple Projects that Deliver More Yield in Less Space
Vertical Gardening is the secret to making the most of your space; when you grow upward rather than outward, you will double or triple the yield from your small-space garden.
In Vertical Vegetables, author Amy Andrychowicz shows you a thing or two about growing up. Gardening vertically, that is! With practical principles and incisive background information you'll need to start, Amy shows you how to build nearly two dozen growing structures.
Bigger yields per square foot may be the main reason for vertical growing, but vertical gardens also offer opportunities that go beyond the purely functional—they can be beautiful, too! Among the many projects in her new book, Amy has included several that are eye-wideningly stunning, especially once the garden has matured. Freestanding or wall-hung, the projects reflect a wide variety of building materials too, including dimensional lumber, metal re-bar, fabric and even "upcycled" everyday objects.
Packed with important information, including lists of plants that are best suited for vertical growing, Vertical Gardening is a beautiful project book which is your key to more garden produce, and improved outdoor living in any space, from tiny and urban, to large and sprawling.
In Vertical Vegetables, author Amy Andrychowicz shows you a thing or two about growing up. Gardening vertically, that is! With practical principles and incisive background information you'll need to start, Amy shows you how to build nearly two dozen growing structures.
Bigger yields per square foot may be the main reason for vertical growing, but vertical gardens also offer opportunities that go beyond the purely functional—they can be beautiful, too! Among the many projects in her new book, Amy has included several that are eye-wideningly stunning, especially once the garden has matured. Freestanding or wall-hung, the projects reflect a wide variety of building materials too, including dimensional lumber, metal re-bar, fabric and even "upcycled" everyday objects.
Packed with important information, including lists of plants that are best suited for vertical growing, Vertical Gardening is a beautiful project book which is your key to more garden produce, and improved outdoor living in any space, from tiny and urban, to large and sprawling.
- GenresGardeningNonfiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2018
23 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Amy Andrychowicz
1 book5 followersAmy Andrychowicz is an author and the creator of "Get Busy Gardening", a popular gardening website dedicated to beginner gardeners. She is also the author of several successful eBooks that are available on GetBusyGardening.com.
Amy gets her green thumb from her parents, and has been gardening for most of her life. She is a passionate gardener who enjoys growing vegetables, herbs, annuals, perennials, succulents, tropical plants, and houseplants - you name, she’s grown it!
After purchasing her first home in 2002, Amy soon discovered that she has a knack for designing and building DIY projects. Over the years, she has transformed her boring suburban yard into a garden oasis by adding several flower gardens, a large vegetable garden, a tropical garden, a rain garden, a Zen garden, two ponds, and many unique hardscape features - all of which were DIY projects.
She is devoted to helping new gardeners learn through guidance, encouragement, and advice that is easy to understand. Amy loves sharing her knowledge, and strongly believes that there is no such thing as a brown thumb - anyone can be a gardener if they want to be.
When she’s not gardening, you’ll find her and her husband traveling, enjoying outdoor activities, and spending time with friends and family. Amy lives and gardens in Minneapolis, Minnesota (growing zone 4b) with her husband and two cats (though the cats aren’t much help in the garden!).
Follow Amy Online:
GetBusyGardening.com
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Amy gets her green thumb from her parents, and has been gardening for most of her life. She is a passionate gardener who enjoys growing vegetables, herbs, annuals, perennials, succulents, tropical plants, and houseplants - you name, she’s grown it!
After purchasing her first home in 2002, Amy soon discovered that she has a knack for designing and building DIY projects. Over the years, she has transformed her boring suburban yard into a garden oasis by adding several flower gardens, a large vegetable garden, a tropical garden, a rain garden, a Zen garden, two ponds, and many unique hardscape features - all of which were DIY projects.
She is devoted to helping new gardeners learn through guidance, encouragement, and advice that is easy to understand. Amy loves sharing her knowledge, and strongly believes that there is no such thing as a brown thumb - anyone can be a gardener if they want to be.
When she’s not gardening, you’ll find her and her husband traveling, enjoying outdoor activities, and spending time with friends and family. Amy lives and gardens in Minneapolis, Minnesota (growing zone 4b) with her husband and two cats (though the cats aren’t much help in the garden!).
Follow Amy Online:
GetBusyGardening.com
Facebook Page
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 3, 2018
Growing vertically has interested me for some time now and is becoming evermore popular .
I was excited to read Vertical vegetables to gain more technical in site into this modern twist of growing.
I was not dissapointed, Amy covers a huge range of topics and provides in depth details for all areas covered.
The building projects , while quite technical and maybe a bit ambitious for some, come with so much information, measurements and step by step photos that anyone can give them a go.
There are alot of great ideas and alot of information to learn.
I really enjoyed reading and the photos throughout were lovely too.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was excited to read Vertical vegetables to gain more technical in site into this modern twist of growing.
I was not dissapointed, Amy covers a huge range of topics and provides in depth details for all areas covered.
The building projects , while quite technical and maybe a bit ambitious for some, come with so much information, measurements and step by step photos that anyone can give them a go.
There are alot of great ideas and alot of information to learn.
I really enjoyed reading and the photos throughout were lovely too.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 4, 2025
Good for beginner GARDENERS with some woodworking tools AND experience. Lots of pretty pictures.
October 9, 2018
Full of good ideas on how to maximize garden space with arbors, trellises, living walls and more. Helpful step-by-step instructions on how to make many of the projects, and good information on which plants make good "vertical" plants (as well as tips for taking care of them). Great resource!
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
October 12, 2018
As someone with a small yard, I love the idea of using vertical space for expanding my gardening possibilities. The author goes over the basics of vertical gardening, how to choose what to grow and care of the plants and finally, the various ways to grow vertically - from trellises and other structures to train plants upward to creating living walls and hanging gardens to various planters and towers (including instructions for building your own of a variety of styles). There's an option to fit basically any growing space you have available. What I love here is that the various options aren't just practical space-savers, but are visually appealing so they add to the landscape in addition to being functional. Aside from having a small space in which to garden, many of the vertical options will also help in my fight against pests. I'm already planning next year's garden!
Thank you to the author Amy Andrychowicz, Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this informative book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.
Thank you to the author Amy Andrychowicz, Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this informative book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.
November 6, 2018
Vertical Vegetables provides the aspiring gardener with clever tips and tricks for packing the maximum amount of garden into the minimum amount of space. Many of the projects in the book will require at least a minimum amount of handy person skills with tools. But even if you don’t have skills, there are plenty of ideas for growing plants up and around the small space garden. The beautiful photography will have you dreaming of spring planting.
February 5, 2021
I did get a couple new ideas but overall this was pretty basic.
March 9, 2022
Practical
January 28, 2019
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Vertical Vegetables is a DIY tutorial guide for gardeners who want to increase the efficiency of their space use. The book contains numerous projects for hardscaping extra usable growing space vertically by incorporating trellises, living walls, towers, vertical containers and hanging planters.
Released 6th Nov 2018 by Quarto on their Cool Springs imprint, it's 192 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats. Author Amy Andrychowicz is a gardening and DIY blogger and this book showcases those talents well.
I'm one of those people who spends a LOT of time in the garden. I have drawings and plans and notes all over the place and generally fill in a couple of journals a year with ideas and plans to try next year. I'm also the person who is critically short of planting space and can usually be found wandering around in my garden with a plant in hand trying to find a little space to slot it into. This book is full of creative ideas and tutorials for spreading planting space upwards instead of outwards.
Like any DIY book, not all of the ideas will be practical for all applications or gardens. There are quite a few which were intriguing to me and look nice or have enough whimsy and humor to fit well into my very informal garden.
The intro covers concepts and benefits of vertical gardening and takes up about 12% of the page content. There's a chapter on plant selection, followed by tutorials on building and using trellises and other structures. The next chapter covers living walls and hanging gardens and the book finishes up with a chapter on container gardening.
The entire book is peppered with full color photographs of healthy and appealing plantings and structures. This is a nice resource for inspiration pictures as well and includes a lot of material which can be adapted to suit most needs.
This book is slanted toward the suburban gardener. There are clever ideas for increasing planting space in attractive ways, but readers are not really likely to increase food yields overwhelmingly. Decorative plantings intermingled with herbs and some small fruits would be ideal and provide at least some food and flowers for use.
There is an adaptable trellis box planter which could easily be used with raised beds which could potentially produce vegetables if used with succession planting.
Lot of good ideas here, many of which are good starting points.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Vertical Vegetables is a DIY tutorial guide for gardeners who want to increase the efficiency of their space use. The book contains numerous projects for hardscaping extra usable growing space vertically by incorporating trellises, living walls, towers, vertical containers and hanging planters.
Released 6th Nov 2018 by Quarto on their Cool Springs imprint, it's 192 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats. Author Amy Andrychowicz is a gardening and DIY blogger and this book showcases those talents well.
I'm one of those people who spends a LOT of time in the garden. I have drawings and plans and notes all over the place and generally fill in a couple of journals a year with ideas and plans to try next year. I'm also the person who is critically short of planting space and can usually be found wandering around in my garden with a plant in hand trying to find a little space to slot it into. This book is full of creative ideas and tutorials for spreading planting space upwards instead of outwards.
Like any DIY book, not all of the ideas will be practical for all applications or gardens. There are quite a few which were intriguing to me and look nice or have enough whimsy and humor to fit well into my very informal garden.
The intro covers concepts and benefits of vertical gardening and takes up about 12% of the page content. There's a chapter on plant selection, followed by tutorials on building and using trellises and other structures. The next chapter covers living walls and hanging gardens and the book finishes up with a chapter on container gardening.
The entire book is peppered with full color photographs of healthy and appealing plantings and structures. This is a nice resource for inspiration pictures as well and includes a lot of material which can be adapted to suit most needs.
This book is slanted toward the suburban gardener. There are clever ideas for increasing planting space in attractive ways, but readers are not really likely to increase food yields overwhelmingly. Decorative plantings intermingled with herbs and some small fruits would be ideal and provide at least some food and flowers for use.
There is an adaptable trellis box planter which could easily be used with raised beds which could potentially produce vegetables if used with succession planting.
Lot of good ideas here, many of which are good starting points.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
February 15, 2022
Extremely practical and easy to read. I am new to gardening and found this book extremely helpful and inspiring. I borrowed this one from the library but am considering buying my own copy.
Amy details construction requirements and steps to create vertical structures and trellising for growing edible foods and herbs. She provides a variety of designs; from recycled and cheaply sourced materials to the more expensive kind.
In this book you will also find information on a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs that break down into; general description, benefits, challenges, planting tips, supports (supporting them as they are grown vertically).
Amy advocates for vertical gardening by listing benefits of larger harvests, space requirements, fungus and disease prevention, pest protection, ease of harvest, privacy, sun exposure. She's got me convinced!
Amy details construction requirements and steps to create vertical structures and trellising for growing edible foods and herbs. She provides a variety of designs; from recycled and cheaply sourced materials to the more expensive kind.
In this book you will also find information on a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs that break down into; general description, benefits, challenges, planting tips, supports (supporting them as they are grown vertically).
Amy advocates for vertical gardening by listing benefits of larger harvests, space requirements, fungus and disease prevention, pest protection, ease of harvest, privacy, sun exposure. She's got me convinced!
April 18, 2021
When I first thought about vertical gardening, I thought about saving space or being able to grow vegetables in a container because some people live in apartments with no yard. Well, it includes both these ideas and more. This book shows you how to grow more vegetables in less space by growing upwards, on vertical supports, trellises, and making it look attractive and fun. There are ideas and plans for building your own structures, adding character to or hiding some area of your yard if you have one. You will learn about vegetables best suited for growing in your climate; how to plant them; how to care for them. Take a glance at this book and you will want to try vertical gardening for yourself whether you have one pot or 20.
November 13, 2018
If you're into gardening, then this is the next book that you need to read. I've been really into gardening for the last couple years, and whenever I find a book like this, I just have to read it. This is perfect for someone who struggles with garden space, or just wants to get the most out of what they have. If you're looking for a cool way to have the best version of the garden than you want, then this is the book for you.
Check out my full review here!
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Check out my full review here!
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May 27, 2022
3.5
Easy to read with basic practical information on vegetable plants that can be growing vertically such as cane fruits, cucamelons, cucumbers, grapes, hops, tomatoes, melons, peas, pole beans, squash, gourds, and pumpkins. Non-climbers are mentioned such as lettuce, herbs, bush variety plants, edible flowers root crops and strawberries to use in vertical walls, living art, raised-bed planters and other types of vertical container gardens that are ideal for those with limited garden space or just want to plant in a different way. There are even ideas on how to make vertical structures to grow the plants with many pictures for easy reference.
Easy to read with basic practical information on vegetable plants that can be growing vertically such as cane fruits, cucamelons, cucumbers, grapes, hops, tomatoes, melons, peas, pole beans, squash, gourds, and pumpkins. Non-climbers are mentioned such as lettuce, herbs, bush variety plants, edible flowers root crops and strawberries to use in vertical walls, living art, raised-bed planters and other types of vertical container gardens that are ideal for those with limited garden space or just want to plant in a different way. There are even ideas on how to make vertical structures to grow the plants with many pictures for easy reference.
November 8, 2024
I've read several other books on vertical gardens and this one falls in the middle of the pack. As one may have noticed, public vertical gardens have been on the decline because, I'm assuming, maintenance is such an issue! I have found my gutter gardens, deck rail pots, and fabric bags are so difficult to keep well watered in my 7b zone. The author doesn't stress that issue as much as she should. Some of the projects will look good only for a short time (Recycled Living Picture Frame) before you regret spending so much time on it, while the Simple Vertical Wall Pockets are a great hack! The garden photos are drool-worthy and all the plants look so lush.
August 21, 2020
Lots of good advice to get more out of your vegetable growth by going upwards. Includes several clear plans for creating vertical planting - step by step, clear measurements and all of the information you could need laid out in an easy to understand way. There are also many ideas to save money by reusing items. A good resource.
February 24, 2019
This is a great book and one I will definitely keep for reference. There's a clear shopping list, including reminder notes of what may not even fit in the back of a pick up, and the projects are attainable for someone of my newer skill level. Definitely one I will keep in my library.
February 26, 2019
Good starter book for growing vegetables with a small space, or practicality. Also includes blueprints to make a few trellises, planters with backing, etc. Easy to read and colorful.
May 15, 2019
Wonderful ideas of how to extend garden upward, with the building instructions to do it. Very creative gardening ideas. I plan to use my bunk bed ladder for my climbers.
August 20, 2021
I bought it because I wanted to build a squash tunnel but it didn't have any content on that. Some great ideas but just not what I was looking for.
March 31, 2022
Lots of great ideas for maximizing garden space
August 2, 2022
I learned a lot. I wish I had more space to plant all the things, but this did help out my curiosity about vertical gardening.
January 4, 2019
A fantastic primer to porch, deck, and small plot vegetable gardening.
Included are clever “how to” sections with useful blueprints. My favorites include: the small arch trellis, contemporary obelisk, and corner tower garden planter.
Honestly, I’m confident I’ll try the small arch trellis in my hobby garden next growing season. What an ingenious idea. It appears much more user friendly than a cumbersome traditional sized arch. Wish I would have thought of that idea!!
Thanks to #NetGalley, I had an advanced PDF to read and review. #VerticalVegetables
*All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. *
Included are clever “how to” sections with useful blueprints. My favorites include: the small arch trellis, contemporary obelisk, and corner tower garden planter.
Honestly, I’m confident I’ll try the small arch trellis in my hobby garden next growing season. What an ingenious idea. It appears much more user friendly than a cumbersome traditional sized arch. Wish I would have thought of that idea!!
Thanks to #NetGalley, I had an advanced PDF to read and review. #VerticalVegetables
*All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. *
November 7, 2018
My husband and I are trying to make the most out of our cardboard box size backyard, so when I saw this pop up on Netgalley I was all over it. The book is filled not only with ideas on how to make the most of your garden by making it vertical, it also gives awesome instructions on how to build your own vertical structures. And if you’re not sure how to make your produce grow vertically, or which produce does well with it, this book has you covered on that too.
Definitely recommended if you’re looking for some space saving techniques in your garden.
Received via Netgalley and reviewed of my own accord.
Definitely recommended if you’re looking for some space saving techniques in your garden.
Received via Netgalley and reviewed of my own accord.
October 9, 2018
I received a free copy of VERTICAL VEGETABLES: Simple Projects that Deliver More Yield in Less Space by Amy Andrychowicz in exchange for an honest review. This work promotes the use of vertical gardens. It discusses how vine-y vegetables, even heavy types like watermelons and pumpkins, can be grown vertically. It lists the benefits and challenges of doing so. It also provides helpful hints about giving additional support to such heavy fruit. The book also discusses how to grow root vegetables and herbs vertically. A large part of the contents is devoted to instructions on how to create different types of structures suitable for each type of plant.
If you are handy, have a sunny patch in your yard, and have always wanted a garden, this is a terrific reference for you. If you already have a garden and want to increase your yield, you, too, will like this book.
#VerticalVegetables #NetGalley
If you are handy, have a sunny patch in your yard, and have always wanted a garden, this is a terrific reference for you. If you already have a garden and want to increase your yield, you, too, will like this book.
#VerticalVegetables #NetGalley
October 21, 2018
When I first started my vegetable garden, I had large pots on my deck. Fast forward a few years, and every available space in my yard has raised beds(unless I bulldoze the house, I have nowhere to go but up). Vertical gardening is a great way to maximize space and this book provides lots of information, not only detailing what you can grow vertically using trellis, cages, stakes, tee-pees or pergolas but also plans to build some beautiful and functional structures.
Growing vertically not only potentially increases yield, but it also gets your plants off the ground increasing airflow and reducing the risk from soil-borne disease. Since I am not a beginner, I have grown tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, nasturtium, and cucamelons vertically(all detailed in this book), but I hadn't considered squash and watermelon plants which take up a lot of valuable space. I plan try growing those vertically next year and hope then to have additional room to grow more plants! I really liked the included plans to build a freestanding arbor and a classic obelisk and I will be using my D.I.Y skills to build both of these structures. It is great to have a productive garden, but also nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy an area with supports that function and look good too. To me, this is a comprehensive resource for growing vertically and I will be adding a hard copy to my garden resource shelf.
I received a DRC from Quarto Publishing Group- Cool Springs Press through NetGalley.
Growing vertically not only potentially increases yield, but it also gets your plants off the ground increasing airflow and reducing the risk from soil-borne disease. Since I am not a beginner, I have grown tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, nasturtium, and cucamelons vertically(all detailed in this book), but I hadn't considered squash and watermelon plants which take up a lot of valuable space. I plan try growing those vertically next year and hope then to have additional room to grow more plants! I really liked the included plans to build a freestanding arbor and a classic obelisk and I will be using my D.I.Y skills to build both of these structures. It is great to have a productive garden, but also nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy an area with supports that function and look good too. To me, this is a comprehensive resource for growing vertically and I will be adding a hard copy to my garden resource shelf.
I received a DRC from Quarto Publishing Group- Cool Springs Press through NetGalley.
November 14, 2018
Thank You Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I am all about getting more out of less space. It is the future and I will back anything that explains how I can do that with concise information and great pictures. This is an excellent guide on how a gardener can achieve more with less. Plus! It isn't vague allusions on how achieving this is done. She provided technical information! This is how it is done. Definitely, recommend for the gardening enthusiast.
I am all about getting more out of less space. It is the future and I will back anything that explains how I can do that with concise information and great pictures. This is an excellent guide on how a gardener can achieve more with less. Plus! It isn't vague allusions on how achieving this is done. She provided technical information! This is how it is done. Definitely, recommend for the gardening enthusiast.
November 11, 2018
Most of us are space poor in our gardens, which means that we cannot have those enormous veggie gardens our parents had. Most of us also want to save money and eat food that is organically grown, which means we need to grow some ourselves.
This book not only shows how to grow and make your own structures to grow vertically along fences and wall, but also to make garden features with free standing structures to make for our climbing vegetables. Making them easier to pick, maintain and keep free of pests. Allowing sun and water to easily reach all part of the plants.
The patterns and instructions are easy and utilises some recycle material with bespoke results
This book not only shows how to grow and make your own structures to grow vertically along fences and wall, but also to make garden features with free standing structures to make for our climbing vegetables. Making them easier to pick, maintain and keep free of pests. Allowing sun and water to easily reach all part of the plants.
The patterns and instructions are easy and utilises some recycle material with bespoke results
November 30, 2018
This book is a must have for those who love to garden and for those who don't necessarily have a large yard. The book gives you directions on how to build a covering or an arbor for the plants/vines to grow up. The author gives you so many ideas on how to grow your garden that it is highly recommended and I will be adding this book to my library in the future.
January 8, 2019
I had a friend who was experimenting with vertical growing but was not very successful. We both read this book and have spent this winter developing the vertical structures we will need to put our "up" gardens in place. This premise has very many good points and very few bad ones. I think the best one for me is less bending over and less weeding. The book is user friendly and would make a great gift for any gardener.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews