THE ONLY WAY IS UP

What do you do when you can't expand your plot outwards? You go vertical. KG reader Geoff Hackett explains his unique growing system

- Geoff Hackett

Geoff Hackett has been featured in Kitchen Garden magazine before he won a special commendation after entering our Passionate Plotter competition in 2018. His veg plot in his garden in Tyne and Wear (Hebburn) is only 4m by 5m yet he packs so much into this small space. In time Geoff wanted more growing area and so his only alternative was to use the vertical fences around his plot and a home-made hydroponics system.

We asked Geoff a few questions about his set-up.

Is your set-up based on hydroponic principles?

The vertical system is a water-only hydroponic set-up, using an electric pump to deliver the nutrient water at set times and durations using a simple household plug-in timer.

Did you buy kits or design and create the whole system yourself?

After a lot of research on Google etc, to see what options and designs were available, I took aspects from different systems and amalgamated them into the system I have now. Gumtree is a great resource for used parts that can be adapted.

How do you start the plants off?

The plants are started off mostly in the greenhouse/window ledge in rock wool cells, some in seed trays, till a strong root structure has formed. For some plants the roots are then rinsed and grown on in clay balls held in growing baskets.

As this was the first year trying hydroponics outside, I went with mostly lettuce as an easy option. These are sown two to three seeds per cell. Once the second set of leaves appears the rock wool cube is cut in half and placed in growing baskets in the vertical pipe system.

Is water running through continuously or intermittently and then returned to a feeder tank?