Gardening in a Small Space Using PVC



hydroponic system with pvc

Gardening is a favorite pastime for many people, and for good reason! Not only is gardening relaxing but nothing beats eating food that you’ve grown. It used to be that only people with large yards could garden, but by using PVC you can bring the garden into any small space. By creating a vertical garden or a hydroponic garden you can reap all the benefits of having a garden in drastically less space.

Grow Upwards with a PVC Vertical Garden

When you only have a small patio, a vertical garden can be used to provide vegetation. Vertical gardens are easy to build and provide a ton of food, or just beautiful flowers if you prefer! You’ll need to remember that at least a fourth of its height needs to be buried to provide counterbalance. So, if you want your vertical garden to be 4 feet tall, you’ll need to bury 1 foot, so you’ll need to buy 5 feet of pipe.

Supplies

4-6” PVC Pipe in whatever height you need
¾” PVC pipe same length as the 4-6” PVC
¾” end cap
Circular Saw
Drill with 3/16 drill bit
Potter
Gravel
Dirt

Directions

Step 1: Cut both pipes to the same length.

Step 2: Using your circular saw (or jigsaw if you don’t have a circular saw), you’ll make the holes in the pipe to place the plants into. The size of the plants you want to plant will dictate how large the holes need to be. Space the holes between 4” and 6” apart. You can make holes on multiple sides of the pipe, but ensure they are not directly across from each other, stagger them out.

Step 3: Take your ¾” pipe and using the 3/16 drill bit drill hole 6-8” apart all around the pipe for irrigation.

Step 4: Place the larger pole inside the pot and place gravel in the bottom of the pot to help hold it in place.

Step 5: Slide the ¾” pipe into the larger pipe directly in the center with the endcap on the top of the pipe.

Step 6: Place dirt into the pot until full and then fill dirt into the top of the pipe. Be sure the keep the irrigation pipe in the center and fill until just the top of the irrigation pipe is visible.

Step 7: Place starter plants into the planter. Once all are in place take the end cap off the end of the irrigation pipe and water your plants!

Go Green with a PVC Hydroponic Garden

Hydroponic gardening has become all the rage lately. Not only can it be done in a smaller space than a conventional garden, but it doesn’t use any soil at all. Instead, it uses a water and nutrient mixture to grow your plants. This helps vegetables grow faster and year-round! Find out how to get started with your hydroponic garden below.

Supplies

30’ of 4” PVC pipe
(6) 4” 90° Elbows
Styrofoam Cups
PVC Primer and Cement
Circular Saw
2 Sawhorses

Directions

Step 1: Cut your pipe into (4) 7’ 6” section, and (3) 6” sections.

Step 2: You’ll connect the pipes together using the elbows. Attach an elbow to one end of a 7’ 6” piece (repeat this four times). Then, connect two elbows together with a 6” piece to form the u-bend (repeat until your system is connected all together). As you’re connecting the pipes together, they should be slanted slightly down to ensure the water can flow through. (Try dry fitting everything together first and then use primer and cement.)

Step 3: In the top of the pipe use a circular saw to cut holes in the pipe. Make the holes just large enough to hold the cups and place the holes 6 inches apart.

Step 4: File off any burs and flush out the pipes to remove anything from the system.

Step 5: With your remaining two elbows, you’ll place them on the end of the system. The one at the top should be pointed upwards, and the one at the bottom of the system should be facing downward.

Step 6: Place the hydroponic system up on sawhorses to keep it off of the ground.

Step 7: Taking your cups you will need to burn holes in the bottom and side to allow water to flow to the plant. Make sure the holes aren’t big enough for the clay pebbles to fall through.

Step 8: Plant your plants!

Step 9: Run water through the system slowly to water the plants. Place a bucket under the bottom 90° elbow to catch the excess water so you can reuse it.

Gardening with PVC

No matter the size of your outdoor living space you should always be able to grow your green thumb. By creating either a vertical garden or a hydroponic garden (or even both!) you can bring the beauty of a full garden to a small living space. Need help ordering? Contact one of our customer service specialists at 866-777-7990.