How To Start A Multi-Storey Garden The Right Way

Most of us fail to think outside the box when it comes to farming. Arable land is declining, but the demand for food is increasing. Food insecurity is becoming a concern. And, we doubt if gardening can be done as an agribusiness with a small space. Or if your kitchen garden can support the different crops that you need. But is that really the case? We need to get innovative. Yes, gardening can be done on a larger scale – and the benefits are far-reaching! By growing plants in multiple layers of stakes, you enjoy beautiful gardens, increased yields, and improve irrigation and pest control. This article explains how you can water your multi-story garden, choose the best plants, various plants that you can grow, and why you need a multi-story garden. Dive in!

How To Start a Multi-story Garden

Do you want to grow a wide variety of vegetables? Multi-story gardening is a farming method that aims at helping farming produce more food in small spaces to meet the rising demand for food in Kenya. However, setting up a multi-story garden can be pretty challenging, especially when one doesn’t know how to start. Here are several tips that can help you set up your garden.

How to construct a multi-story garden

These tips can help you set up your multi-story garden:

Identify your site: This can be in your backyard, kitchen garden, garden, balcony, indoors, or an urban area set up.

Collect the best soil: Collect well-drained, fertile soils free from nematodes and soil-borne diseases like Fusarium wilt and damping-off. You can get the soil from different places. Avoid collecting from busy farms as they are at a higher risk of contamination.

Get your manure ready: Plants require well-decomposed manure to flourish. If possible, you should use goat manure as it is less acidic.

Get your materials ready: You can construct your gardens using polythene or HDPE materials or dam liner materials with a thickness of 0.5 to 1millimettre or containers and place them properly to achieve a pyramid shape. Sack gardening can also work perfectly. Your structure should have a wider base with a diameter of 4ft, occupy a space of 4ft x 6ft, and accommodate between 100 – 140 plants depending on the spacing.

Mix the soil: Next, mix the soil used with less acidic fine goat manure at a ratio of 1:1 and pour it around the terraces.

Mazero can help you establish your multi-story garden faster and more efficiently. Besides, we will use durable materials and assist you in setting up the best irrigation systems for your garden. Contact us to learn more!

How To Water Your Plants in a Multi-story Garden?

You need to ensure that your plants get enough water to get higher yields. However, watering your plants in a multi-story garden can be pretty challenging. The plants are spread out over a large area, and there is often no easy way to get water into each plant. You need to optimize your water usage and irrigation strategies. One option is to use automatic irrigation systems such as sprinklers to deliver water to your plants. Alternatively, you can customize a drip irrigation system to provide water directly to the plants, although setting up can be pretty challenging. Ensure that you irrigate your plants frequently.

Why You Should Start a Multi-story Garden?

There are several reasons to start a multi-storey garden. Here are five reasons why you should start a multi-storey garden:

1. Increased Yields

When you grow plants in a multi-storey garden, you get increased yields. This is because the plants are closer to each other; hence they can share resources more efficiently. In addition, the plants receive enough water and nutrients, which enable them to grow healthy and produce more.

2. Increased Fresher Produce

Multi-layer gardens help farmers produce fresh food from their gardens. Enhance your recipes and take fresh produce from your kitchen garden.

3. Improved Pest Control

Multi-storey gardens are a great way to control pests. It’s easier to detect pests and diseases in the plants. Besides, since they are close to each other, it’s easy to reach each plant and control pests and diseases effectively. For instance, vegetables such as sukuma wiki are attacked by pests such as aphids. You will detect the aphids faster as a gardener, especially when they attack crops on the upper layers. This way, you will devise a pest and disease control program and control them promptly. You can also install good pest repellents more easily, which is a good way of pest control.

4. Proper Soil Conditions

Plants require specific soil conditions to grow. They should be deep, fertile, and well-drained, with a pH range of 5.5 to 7.0. In a multi-layer garden, you can put fertile topsoil in sacks or containers. This will help to improve the soil quality and make it more suitable for plant growth.

5. Increased Garden Variety

Multi-storey gardens offer a lot of garden variety. This is because you can grow different types of plants side by side without worrying about them fighting for space or resources. You can also experiment with different planting strategies and see what works best for your garden.

5. It’s Fun!

Multi-storey gardens are not only beautiful, but they’re also fun to garden in! It’s interesting to see your plants grow from small seeds into big plants in a neatly arranged space. So what are you waiting for? Try this farming technology in Kenya today!

Tips For Maintaining a Multi-storey Garden

1. Regular Checking and Maintaining

It’s essential to regularly check your plants and ensure they’re getting the water, fertilizer, and sunlight they need. Otherwise, you’ll end up with stunted plants or even dead ones.

2. Use durable materials

If there is rain in the forecast, be sure to wet down any containers that hold water so it won’t drown your plants. Your containers or materials used should withstand harsh conditions such as extreme sunshine.

3. Prune Wisely

If your plants are growing too tall, it’s time to trim them. You should this carefully to avoid damaging the plants.

4. Clear Out Overgrown Parts of the Garden

Go through your garden regularly and clear away any overgrown plants or roots that have taken over. This prevents the soil from becoming too compacted and deteriorating.

5. Mulch Gardens and Trees to Keep Them Cool in Hot Seasons

In hot weather, mulching gardens and trees will help keep them cooler by absorbing the sun’s heat and minimizing evaporation.

Different Types of Plants To Grow in Muli-storey Gardens

It’s time to get planting! There are many plants that you can plant in multi-story gardens, which include:

• Spinach
• Kales
• Strawberries
• Okra
• Eggplants
• Seedlings of plants such as different types of vegetables and fruits like passion fruits and strawberries
• Coriander
• Lettuce
• Capsicum
• Tomatoes
• Herbs
• Annual flowers

Tips For Choosing Plants For a Multi-storey Garden

A multi-storey garden is a beautiful addition to any home and can be fun to grow in. However, a few factors can help you choose an ideal crop to grow. These include:

• Special care that might be needed
• Weather conditions in your area
• Size of your land
• Availability of water and financial ability

Always consult with a qualified horticulturist before implementing any garden changes.

Final Thoughts

Gardening can be a fun and rewarding activity, but it’s essential to follow basic safety guidelines and get the right permits and licenses before starting. Make sure you understand garden plots and sizes in advance so that you don’t end up with any surprises at the garden center. Find an ideal location and plan your garden layout well.

Let our team of experts at Mazero Agrifood help you establish your multi-storey garden. Also, we will offer you high-quality materials with a longer lifespan. Contact us today!