Living in a rural area, I’m fortunate to have a large space to grow a garden every year. For the most part, we grow easy things that work well in our east coast climates like tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and peppers. In the last few years, we have even tried potatoes and a few different types of berries.
But, because of the location of the garden and the abundant wildlife near our home, we count on losing some of our crops every year to the deer, rabbits, and groundhogs. Also, it’s hard to grow more delicate plants like herbs in the big garden because they don’t always handle sun well, can be taken over by the other, larger plants, and may get stepped on easily.
So we grow some things on the back porch, allowing for enough shade and protecting them from other environmental issues. I’m always looking for new ways to grow them, other than just pots lined up, cluttering the porch.
Willem Van Cotthem has developed a gardening method called the “bottle tower garden.” It has tons of benefits and allows people to grow food and vegetables in a small space. If you don’t live on a farm as I do, you can still grow a large, sustainable garden using his unique method! Also, it re-uses plastic bottles, lowering costs and efficiently recycling something that would otherwise be trash. The bottles can be installed against a wall, hedge, or fence, and this method makes excellent use of even a tiny space, providing food for your family.
“It is a method applicable anywhere on earth, both in rural and in urban areas, e.g., on a balcony,” Willem says on Youtube. “It can be applied at the lowest cost to alleviate malnutrition and hunger.”
I’m definitely trying this for my herbs, but it would be great for veggies, as well.
Watch how to grow a bottle tower garden in the video below.
