In many urban centers or anywhere garden space is in short supply, a growing trend (no pun intended) is the gutter garden. In densely populated areas where backyards can be small, you might have to sacrifice a deck for a vegetable plot. Since gutter gardens use vertical (up) rather than horizontal (across) space, you may be able to have both. In Vancouver gutters as planters are becoming a great way to make the most of available land. When upgrading to new gutters, it also is a trendy way to recycle an old gutter system; repurposing rather than throwing out.
Gutter gardens are ideal because they are easily made and only require tools most households typically have on hand. If you’re not repurposing sections of a previously used gutter system, materials to build a gutter garden from scratch are relatively inexpensive. Keep in mind, though, with this kind of narrow container garden, you will be limited to growing plants that don’t “spread” or need a lot of room to grow.
In order to create a gutter garden, the gutters don’t necessarily have to be attached to an exterior wall of your house. They can be suspended from a roof or deck overhang. Gutters could be mounted on backyard fence in rows for the perfect place to grow herbs, different kinds of lettuce and trailing vines or flowers. Another way to make a container garden out of a gutter section is to fasten it to the inside or outside of a deck’s railing.
