Perfect Carrot Planters For The Vertical Garden

Even though carrots have a long taproot, they can still make a good addition to a vertical garden. Vertical gardening is a popular way to maximize growing space, and carrots are always a popular snack. So let's discuss how to grow carrots vertically.

Carrots can be grown in any vertical garden that allows enough room for the carrots long taproot to properly develop. Carrots do well in pots on a shelf, in hanging pots, vertical planting bags, garden towers, planter stands and DIY vertical pallets.

There are many options that can be purchased that work well with carrots. Even with basic construction skills, you can make a lot of them at home. Here are the most carrot-friendly options for your vertical garden.

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How To Grow Carrots In A Vertical Garden

Vertical gardening is a great way to grow the most food in a limited space. Carrots can be a little tricky to incorporate into a vertical garden because their taproot is too long to fit in a lot of the space-saving options. However, here are 6 options that accommodate the carrots growing requirements while still making a beautiful and productive vertical garden.

1. Simple shelving
2. Hanging pots
3. Vertical planting bags
4. Garden towers
5. Planter stands
6. Vertical pallets

1. Simple Shelving

Carrots do not generally do well in pots as they quickly outgrow the containers. However, glass jars make an ideal growing container for most carrot varieties. These jars can be put on any shelf or flat surface around your yard, easily turning an unused space into a productive carrot patch. You can even buy or build a beautiful ornate shelf to really add aesthetics to your garden. Glass jar carrots are also a great way to garden with children so they can litreally see their garden grow.

Read Next: How to grow carrots in a greenhouse.

2. Hanging Pots

I always associate hanging pots with my grandma. She always had a few beautiful pots hanging outside their front door that filled their deck with a wonderful aroma in the summer. Hanging pots are a great top layer of your vertical garden as they litreally soar above the rest.

While it may not be as colourful as the flowers, having a hanging pot of carrots will not only add greenery to your space but makes a productive addition. You can intersperse a few carrots between the flowers, or you can have a whole pot dedicated to the carrots.

Carrots are light feeders so if you give them a good start of compost, you won't have to add anything in the year. However, carrots are heavy drinkers being almost 95% water. Make sure you can easily reach your hanging planters with a watering can or garden hose.

3. Vertical Planting Bags

Image by Wicker Paradise

A quick Google search for "vertical planting bags" will return a plethora of affordable, simple, and ingenious grow bags for the vertical garden. Vertical planting bags are sheets that you hang on the wall or fence that have numerous pouches sewn on them. You fill the pouches with soil and plant your seeds to create a hanging garden. They come in all shapes and sizes, and many of them are a good size and shape for carrots.

Because planting bags are made of cloth, the soil in them dries out faster than in a conventional plastic or terracotta pot, so make sure you monitor your soil moisture and keep your carrots well watered.

4. Garden Towers

Garden towers are quite a unique addition to the vertical garden. They consist of a tall structure that has small openings where you can plant seeds or plants. Many of the garden towers would provide a good growing environment for carrots and have sufficient space for their roots. You can also buy stackable garden towers that let you add layers depending on how high, and how many carrots, you want to grow. They are easily available online and are quite common at garden centres or hardware stores.

5. Vertical Planters and Planter stands

Vertical planters are just like they sound: a series of planters that are held vertically, usually by attaching them to the wall. They are a more permanent version of the vertical planting bags, and can be made to last for years.

Planter stands are basically tiered shelving that either holds large planters or individual pots. They work great indoors or outdoors, but make sure you have a tray to catch any excess water runoff if you keep them indoors. They can be very ornate or can be heavy-duty to hold a lot of planters and produce an abundant carrot harvest.

Of all the vertical garden ideas, these are probably the easiest DIY version. There are many plans and ideas online that can be built with basic construction skills.

Photo by Altifarm Enverdeon Unsplash

6. Vertical Pallets

Pallets can be used in many ways in the garden, and with a bit of modification, they can be used as a vertical planter. The best part is that many stores end up throwing them away so you can often get them for free. Vertical pallets work well for carrots because they are tall and narrow, which perfectly suits the carrot.

Preparing a pallet for vertical planting requires a few modifications. Generally, one side of the pallet needs to be covered so it is solid to keep the soil from falling out the back. You can make it solid by filling in the gaps with more boards. Alternatively, you can attach 6mil poly or pond liner on the inside. It is also a good idea to install a few spacers or "shelves" across the pallet to keep all the dirt from settling to the bottom once you stand it up.

Once you have finished preparing the pallet, it is time to fill it up with soil. Make sure you pack the soil into all the corners to avoid air pockets that will later cause the soil to sink and possibly ruin your carrots. Let your filled pallet rest laying down for a week or two so the soil has time to settle. You can plant your carrot seeds while it is laying down, and the pallet will be ready to stand up around the time the seeds are starting to germinate.

When everything is ready, stand your pallet planter up and attach it to the wall or a posts for stability. Or you can build a stand and the pallet can function as a partition wall or divider.

Image by various brennemans

Choosing The Right Carrot

When ordering carrot seeds for your vertical garden, it is important which variety you choose. Carrots come in all different shapes and sizes (and colours, but that doesn't really help us here), and it is important to choose one that best fits which type of planter you are using. Since most vertical gardens provide a limited depth of soil, choose a variety that has a shorter tap root. There are also some carrots that mature as round little balls, such as the Paris Market , and this variety would open up a lot of possibilities in your vertical garden.

There are many ways to grow carrots in a vertical garden. Which option you choose depends on what resources you have available, and how many carrots you want to grow. The most important thing is to provide enough space for the carrot root to develop and mature into a delicious, home grown vegetable.