Ingenuity solves space problem

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

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When Leonard Sokoloski served in Vietnam in the 1960s, he enjoyed photographing the people and observing their culture. This year, he's taking a lesson learned from Southeast Asia and putting it to use in Fort Collins.

As in many Asian countries, the Vietnamese must do a lot with small parcels of ground. One way of adapting to limited space is to do "vertical" gardening. The people grow vegetables, such as cucumbers, on poles, with vines stretching as high as 7 feet. With this method, very little horizontal space is needed, and a family can harvest lots of vegetables on a small plot of ground.

A couple of years ago, Sokoloski moved from a home on 2 1/2 acres in LaPorte to a west-side Fort Collins home on a small lot. This allowed him to switch from a riding lawnmower - and lots of hours sitting on it--to an earth-friendly push mower.

However, the lack of garden space became a bit frustrating, so this year he's using that 40-year-old lesson from Vietnam. He created a vertical garden space in an unused area of his back yard, next to a 6-foot privacy fence.

Sokoloski had to buy a truckload of topsoil for his new garden space, but aside from that his monetary investment was nil. Using his reuse/recycle philosophy, Sokoloski found the materials he needed in castaway stuff, then invested some elbow grease and ingenuity in the project.

To make the raised garden space, he rescued lumber from a neighbor's old swing set. The lumber, destined for the landfill but perfect for his project, consisted of treated 4x4s and boards. After the bed was constructed, he created a "climbing wall" for plants, using a piece of wrought iron fencing donated by a friend. He built brackets to position it away from the privacy fence, so vines and vegetables can grow on both sides.

On either end of the raised bed, he made tepee-shaped structures for pole beans from pieces of lath--saved from another project.

Sokoloski plans to grow beans and peas in his new garden space this summer. Meanwhile, the neighbor on the other side of the privacy fence is also interested in the project. He's hoping that some of that produce just might climb over to his side!

EarthBox solution

For small-space gardeners who don't want to build something themselves, an EarthBox is a good solution. They're sold at Fort Collins Nursery, and supervisor Kent Hixson has one of his own at home. The EarthBox is great for small yards or even apartments.

The EarthBox comes with fertilizer and dolomite, so all the homeowner needs to add is soil and plants.

The plastic EarthBox measures 13 inches by 29 inches and has several features that promote great growth in plants. One is a set of casters, so the gardener can start plants early and move them into the garage at night to protect from frost.

Another design feature is a self-watering system. There is a water reservoir beneath the plants and soil and a watering tube for refilling it. Plants take up water as they need it, so water is used efficiently.

An option with the EarthBox is a staking system, which Hixson uses for growing tomatoes. He notes that tomatoes need a good amount of soil to do well, so he limits his box to just two tomato plants. He recommends using the same variety of tomato plant, to prevent a larger plant from overshadowing a smaller one.

Hixson said gardeners have had great luck growing peppers in the EarthBox, and it would also be good for peas, beans, herbs and other plants. "Flowers are just tremendous in the EarthBox," he noted. "They grow twice as big." Vegetable production is also good because of the concentrated nutrients and good drainage.

The EarthBox has earned a recommendation from the National Home Gardening Club.