Gutter Gardens:

There are lots of reasons why gutter gardens can be the right option. Your ground may not provide the right nourishment necessary for plant growth, you have animals that eat the plants that are on ground level, or you just want a pretty garden that accents a wall! They are easy to construct; relatively low cost and they make they add nice vertical color to a space!

Options for gutters:

There are a few different places where you can get the gutters. The easiest option would be a home supply store like Lowes or Home Depot. Another alternative is ask a local gutter installation business if they would be willing to sell you some of their left over pieces, they tend to have misfit ends that are left over from a job that they wont use. Last, if you are getting new gutters installed you could always use your old gutters that are removed from your house as long as they aren’t too beat up just make sure you rinse them thoroughly.

Step 1: Get Supplies Set

1.   Gutters

2.   Gutter end caps

3.   Gutter hangers

4.  Packing peanuts

5.  Soil

6. Plants (or seeds)

7.  Screws

Figure out the size you would like your gutters to be and either get them cut to that length or cut them yourself. You will need 2 caps per gutter for each end, make sure you get the right shape when purchasing them, they come in two different directions (one for each end).

On one of the end caps cut the bottom off about an inch up before installing, this is where access water is going to run out of the gutter.

Step 2: Packing Peanuts

Fill the gutters about 1/3 with packing peanuts. Packing peanuts will not disintegrate or dissolve into the water causing your plants (if veggies) to be toxic. You need drainage at the bottom of the gutters otherwise the water will either wash away the soil or stay stagnant in the bottom causing mold to grow.

Step 3: Soil

If you have nice soil around your house feel free to use that and save a little bit of money. The soil around my house is not great so I opted into buying potting soil. You want to fill your gutters most of the way (rest of the 2/3rds) but leave room at the top so you can add water and have it run down into the system not off the edge. Also be sure to not cover the hangers otherwise they will be harder to find when you are hanging later.

Step 4: Plants or Flowers

Now the fun part! Plant your plants, you may want to do research as to which plants live best together, in my gardens I found that some of my veggies didn’t grow the best because some of the other plants were taking all of the nutrients. I also think it is best to use plants that have had a chance to start growing rather than seeds, if you have a green thumb maybe your results will be better- I have a short growing season where I live!

5: Hang the gutters

Your gutters will be pretty heavy by this point now that they are full, choose a wall that has a strong support system or add in a perpendicular frame to hang them on. In my case I did it two different ways just based on where I wanted them. In between my two fence posts I ran 4x4 laterally to hang the gutters, and in a different area I structured the 4x4 upright and sat the gutter on it and screwed the hangers into the railing. When hanging the gutters you do want them to slightly be lower on the side that you cut the bottom of the end cap out so the water drains in that direction, if you hang them straight the water is more likely to sit stagnant at the bottom of the system.

Good luck! I hope this is a fun project for you and your flowers and vegetables turn out beautifully!