Requests of far from all gardeners can fit on a standard six acres. And for the majority, the principle works: the more land, the more you want, and it’s really hard to pacify your gastronomic needs, because the land is now expensive. It is for such gardeners that modern "crazy hands" figured out how to combine needs with opportunities, namely, vertical beds were created.
Among the many varieties of them, the most popular was a bed of plastic bottles.
Advantages of vertical beds
- The indisputable advantage is the compactness of this kind of structures, which allows you to place it not only on the garden plot, but also on the city balcony.
- It is also worth noting the variety of materials that gardeners have managed to adapt for vertical beds. They are made fromplastic pipes, pots, pockets made of different materials, machine tires, and even old wooden chests of drawers with drawers are used for such beds. Well, a bed of plastic bottles can be built by everyone, since such containers can be found in every home.
- The unpretentiousness of caring for such beds saves gardeners a lot of time. Due to the high location of the seedlings, and subsequently the harvest, a person does not have to bend over three deaths to find a berry or pick a lettuce bush.
- Again, the high location of the root system protects plants from small pests. And the pyramidal or cylindrical shape of the structure will not allow the birds to sit on the beds and spoil the harvest.
Disadvantages of vertical beds
The main drawback that most gardeners complain about is that vertical beds made of plastic bottles or other materials require frequent watering.
Lack of moisture in containers leads to the fact that the plant in it dies faster than a similar variety growing in open ground. But this problem, in general, can be solved with a relatively small financial outlay.
The first assistant in solving this problem can be a hydrogel, which can be freely purchased at any garden or flower shop. It should be brought into the ground and dug up. This is done before boarding. The gel tends to accumulate water, which the plant can use whennecessary.
The second way to cope with the lack of moisture is to equip drip irrigation. This method is more expensive, but its efficiency is higher. You can make your own hands.
The compactness of the beds also creates one of its drawbacks: small containers are suitable only for low-growing plants, which, nevertheless, will still need to be fed with nutrients.
Useful tips for arranging garden beds
Before you make a bed of plastic bottles or another vertical bed, you should consider a few points and take into account a couple of nuances:
- The place where the bed is going to rise must be chosen wisely, as it will be problematic to transport or move the collected and sown structures.
- The substrate for filling containers must be prepared in advance. For example, beds for strawberries from plastic bottles should be filled with sandy soil mixed with peat, fertilizers (rotted humus) and hydrogel.
- Vertical beds are best placed closer to the water, as they will need to be watered often.
- In advance, you should also think about ways to shelter the beds for the winter (whether they will hide in the house or hide with spruce branches or other options).
New life for an old plastic bottle
A bed of plastic bottles can be attached to anything. For example, a vertical garden bed can be used to plant greenery on the wall of a house, garage or any other utility structure,metal mesh can also be a good support for plastic bottles. Some gardeners construct separate metal and wood frames for these vertical beds.
Creative gardeners paint bottles of plants in different colors, making the bed itself more aesthetic. In a word, vertical beds made of plastic bottles offer a wide field for the manifestation of imagination, creativity and one's own skill.
One of the ways to create a vertical garden from a plastic bottle
The plastic bottle garden is a modular design. This means that the height and width of these beds can be varied as desired. For one of the ways to create a structure, you will need plastic bottles (with a displacement of 2 liters), a coil of wire, wire cutters, a well-sharpened knife, a frame for attaching containers, paint and a decor brush (if necessary).
The first thing to do is wash and remove the label from the plastic bottle. The bottle is cut in half. Turn over the upper part with a loosely closed lid and insert it into the lower part. We fill the container with nutrient soil, plant a plant in it and water it. Excess moisture will pass through the top, through the loose lid, and collect at the bottom. When you see that the moisture evaporates, it is time to water the plant. The container created in this way can be fixed on a wire frame.
Another option for a vertical bed
For the second methodcreating such a bed will need all the same bottles, washers, a knife, an awl, a strong rope. The stage of container preparation is the same as in the first case. Next, a small rectangular hole is cut from the side of the bottle with a sharp knife. On the opposite side, which will play the role of the bottom, drainage holes are made. Through holes are made at the neck of the bottle and from the bottom side, through which a rope or wire is threaded. Under the hole located below, a knot is tied or a washer is put on, which will fix the bottle and prevent it from falling to the lower tier.
Warm bed of plastic bottles
Plastic bottles can be used not only as containers for growing plants in order to save space, but also as a material for creating a warm bed. We will tell you about how to make a bed of plastic bottles warm now. The simplicity of the design will surprise any gardener.
Warm beds made of plastic bottles are as easy to create as vertical ones. For their construction, it is necessary to dig a trench 4 meters long and a meter wide, the size can be changed depending on the wishes. Two and one and a half liter empty plastic bottles with closed lids are laid out at the bottom. They serve to contain the cold from below. The side walls can be insulated with cardboard from old boxes or sheets of packaging foam.
Warm beds made of plastic bottles should also be properly filled. The bottom layer of dug up is poured on the bottles first.soil. The next layer is organic. For this, small branches, leaves, previously plucked weeds are suitable. EM preparations will help to process the laid organic matter faster. The decomposition of organic matter will provide plants with heat and carbon dioxide, which will have a good effect on their growth. On top of the organic matter, we fill in the earth from the top layer. If you water the top layer of EM preparations, then the dug up earth will recover faster.
Next, warm beds made of plastic bottles are covered. If the action takes place in the spring, then the shelter should be film so that the earth warms up faster. If the bed is created in the fall, then it should be covered with a thick layer of mulch.
What gives a warm bed
Seedlings planted in warm beds develop much faster. Diseases affect her much less. Plants in warm beds grow strong and he althy. Weeds in such beds practically do not grow, fertilizers applied to the soil remain in place. After using the beds, gardeners also receive humus at their disposal. In short, a solid advantage.
The beds made of plastic bottles, created with your own hands, are an opportunity to get an excellent, diverse, environmentally friendly crop with minimal territorial costs.
