How to Build a Vertical Garden from Soda Bottles

Last Updated: November 14, 2021 References Approved

Here is a way to maximize your limited porch or garden space by growing vertically. You'll learn to make drip-irrigating garden towers out of recycled 2-liter soda bottles. This method works well for growing flowers, herbs, and small veggies.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Create a Base for the Tower

1
Cut around the base of one soda bottle. Make the cut a bit below where the label ends, ideally so that a tiny bit of the bottom curve inward is preserved. This will help the bottles nest tightly together when you stack them. Discard base of bottle
2
Poke two drainage holes with scissors, on opposite sides, about three inches above the cap. How big? No bigger than the diameter of a Bic pen.^{[1]
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3
Fill the bottle with potting mix, compost or garden soil, pressing the soil in lightly. Leave an inch of space at the top of the bottle.^{[2]
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4
Tie the base for your tower onto a supporting structure, such as chain-link fencing or wire, with twine.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Build the Tower Levels

1
Cut the bottom off a bottle, just as you did to create the base. Remove the cap and discard.
2
Fill the bottle gently with soil, as for the base, reserving one inch of space at the top.
3
Nest the bottle firmly atop the base, and tie it on.
4
Repeat this part 1-3 times, depending on how tall you want your tower to be.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Create a Drip Irrigation System

1
Cut a bottle in half about midway toward the top. This bottle will be shorter than the others, and will serve as a funnel for watering.
2
Cut the bottom off a final bottle, just as you did for the base and tower levels. This will be the watering bottle.
3
Drill a one mm hole in the cap, or pierce with a nail, and replace cap.
4
Place the funnel atop the tower, nesting it firmly in the soil of the level below.
5
Place the watering bottle atop the funnel, and (optionally) tie down.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Plant and Grow

1
Cut three lines in each soil bottle with a box cutter, as if you were drawing the top and sides of a square. (Each side of the square should be about 1.5-2 inches.) Leave the bottom of the square uncut, and instead fold down the flap. This creates a valve to hold the soil and seedling in.^{[4]
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2
Poke a hole, and insert a small seedling or seeds.
3
Fill the watering bottle every few days, as needed.
4
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

On the funnel bottle do you also put a hole in the cap, or is it removed?

Community Answer

Yes, the funnel bottle has a cap with a hole in it. One professor suggested filling the funnel bottle with a handful of sand to help filter the water.
Question

Would this be good for cantaloupes or other melons?

Community Answer

No. The fruit is too heavy and will pull the structure down. Similarly, pumpkins and other large varieties of squash also won't do well in a vertical garden. These types of plants prefer to sprawl over long, horizontal distances rather than vertical.
Question

Could I grow strawberries this way using bigger bottles?

Community Answer

You certainly could; you could use the same format but use gallon milk jugs. Each one can have three or four strawberry plants in it, just cut more "windows."