🥬 What Can You Grow in a Vertical Garden?

My Top 12 Easy and Productive Crops

One of the first questions I asked when I started researching vertical gardening was:
“What can I actually grow in these things?”

Turns out, quite a lot! But not everything. While vertical systems are amazing for certain crops, they’re not ideal for giant zucchinis or deep-rooted carrots.

So in this post, I’ll share the 12 best crops for vertical gardening—perfect for towers, stackable pots, wall planters, or even homemade DIY setups.

These are plants that:

Stay compact
Grow quickly
Don’t need deep soil
Do well in small pockets or containers

Let’s get planting!

🌱 1. Lettuce and Salad Greens

Lettuce, spinach, arugula, mizuna—all of these are perfect for vertical gardens. They have shallow roots, grow fast, and you can harvest them again and again with a cut-and-come-again method.

🧡 Best for: Spring and autumn
💧 Needs regular watering

🌿 2. Herbs (Basil, Mint, Parsley, Thyme, etc.)

Most herbs love container life, and they look beautiful spilling over the edges of planters. I like keeping herbs near the top of the system where they get good airflow and sun.

🌞 Likes sun
✂️ Trim regularly to keep them bushy

🍓 3. Strawberries

Strawberries are made for vertical gardens. The plants are small, they trail beautifully, and they don’t mind being tucked into pockets or tiers.

🍓 Choose everbearing types for repeat harvests
🐌 Less pest trouble than in-ground berries

🌶️ 4. Peppers (Especially Mini or Hot Varieties)

Peppers do surprisingly well in vertical systems—especially smaller types like hot chilies, lunchbox peppers, or mini bells.

🔥 Needs warmth and full sun
🪴 Choose deep pockets for best results

🌸 5. Edible Flowers (Nasturtiums, Calendula, Viola)

Add beauty and food to your setup! Edible flowers like nasturtiums and calendula are easy to grow in vertical pockets—and they help attract pollinators too.

🌼 Dual-purpose: beauty + salad topping
🐝 Pollinator-friendly

🧅 6. Green Onions and Chives

These don’t take up much space and grow well in shallow soil. Perfect for sprinkling into soups and stir fries.

🌱 Regrow from kitchen scraps
⚡ Quick turnaround

🥬 7. Kale (Dwarf or Baby Leaf Types)

Some types of kale grow quite large, but smaller baby kale or dwarf varieties can do very well in vertical systems. They’re tough, productive, and full of nutrients.

🍃 Harvest baby leaves or let mature
🥗 Cold-tolerant and hardy

🫘 8. Bush Beans (Small Varieties)

Yes, you can grow beans vertically—but choose bush varieties, not vining ones. Look for compact types that stay under 2 feet.

🌿 Use a deep pocket
✅ Self-supporting—no trellis needed

🍓 9. Alpine Strawberries (Bonus Mention)

These tiny strawberries don’t need much root space and often produce longer than regular types. Sweet and fragrant, and a great choice for vertical growing.

🍓 Smaller than regular berries
🌼 Also lovely as ornamental

🍀 10. Swiss Chard (Bright Lights is My Favourite)

Colourful, edible, and hardy—chard is both decorative and useful. It handles a bit of crowding better than some leafy greens and keeps producing for months.

🌈 Beautiful colours
💧 Likes regular water and sun

🍽️ 11. Radishes (Short Varieties Only)

Radishes are fast-growing and fun—but only the short, round types (like Cherry Belle) are suitable for vertical gardening, since soil depth is limited.

🌱 Ready in 25–30 days
⛔ Not ideal for long-root types

🌿 12. Baby Pak Choi / Bok Choy

These mini Chinese cabbages are tender, tasty, and fast-growing. They do well in partial sun and shallow pockets. Great for stir-fries!

🥬 Harvest early for best texture
☀️ Can tolerate light shade

🚫 What NOT to Grow in a Vertical Garden

Avoid:

Root crops that need deep soil (carrots, potatoes)
Large vines like pumpkins, melons, or squash
Tall, top-heavy plants unless well-supported (corn, indeterminate tomatoes)

These either outgrow the space, topple over, or just don’t thrive without deep ground.

🧑‍🌾 Final Tips

Rotate crops seasonally to keep soil fresh
Mix flowers and herbs with veggies for better pollination
Don’t overcrowd—plants need airflow and sunlight
Feed with compost tea or worm juice if your system allows

Vertical gardens may be small—but they can be incredibly productive when you choose the right plants.

🌿 Want to learn more? Read my full review of the Garden Tower 2 here
🪴 Or check out the best vertical gardening systems for small spaces