Vertical Garden Design: Wall Mounted Frame

Step One: Staple a root barrier over one side of a wooden frame. On the outside of the root barrier affix chicken wire to the frame.

Tip 1: We tried using large garbage bags, but found them to be very difficult. Plastic sheeting worked very well. You can see from the picture above that the cut open garbage bags made a very unusual shape that was hard to use to cover the frame. The plastic sheeting has a much more regular shape, so we used it for the rest of the frame.

Tip 2:We also decided to attached the fame to the wall after step one (rather than steep three as it is listed), because we were using an old bunk bed frame that was easier to nail or screw to the wall during before filling with dirt. Due to the large size of the frame, we were afraid the frame would be too heavy and could possibly injure someone. We decided to err on the side of the caution, even though it will be harder to fill the frame with dirt later. One advantage to affixing the frame during this step was that we did not have to put a layer of chicken wire on the wall side of the frame (since the dirt will be held in by the wall).

Tip 3: The best way to attach chicken wire to a wood frame is to use nails. Pound in the nail 2/3rds of the way in and then bend the nail towards the outside of the the chicken wire to pull it taught on the frame.

Step Two: Fill the fame with vertical gardening soil or soil/moss combo. Staple a potato sack to the outside of the frame covering the soil. Affix chicken wire on top of the potato sack.

This photo shows the frames we're working on. It looks a little different than the instructions because we attached it to the wall in step one.

Tip 1: We used manure and compost! We got free manure from a local horse stable and free compost from a local waste site.

Tip 2: Because we affixed the frame to the wall before putting the chicken wire and potato sacks on the frame, we needed to sew the sacks onto the wire with twine. This is the same process used if you are making a vertical garden pocket on a fence. The image to the right shows the seam of two sacks that we overlapped to cover the length of the chicken wire. We recommend making a knot at each end of the twine so it doesn't unravel while you're sewing the potato sack on. Note: If you're having trouble finding it in the store, remember that some hardware stores now call chicken wire "poultry wire."

Step Three: You can either plant the frame on the ground, let the roots develop for a week or two and then attach it to the wall. Or attach the frame to the wall and then plant the garden. To plant, just poke a hole in the potato sack. If needed, hold the plants in with twine.

Jan 2: Garden Work Day

We planted some succulents we got for free from the St. Francis Lutheran parsonage, where there was a succulent bush that needed some pruning. It's as easy as breaking off a branch and put it in the dirt. We'll be using the succulents for our vertical gardening (since they're very self sustaining and need little watering).

Click here to see the designs for two types of vertical gardens we started building today: wall mounted frames AND fence pockets

In other exciting news, we were given a composting worm bin today!

We also posted some signs announcing our work days, which take place every Saturday from 10am - 2pm (except for when it rains)!
Location: St. Paulus Lutheran Lot at Eddy and Gough, San Francisco, CA.

St. Paulus Work Days Begin January 2nd

We will beginning regular work days at the St. Paulus community garden (Eddy and Gough) every Saturday from 10 am -2 pm starting January 2nd. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a sack lunch and wear long pants and close toed shoes. Volunteers of all ages are welcome and will be required to sign a waiver before they work in the garden. Bring gardening gloves if you have them.

There will be tasks that range from physically demanding to light.

We will be joined by a number of expert gardeners who are joining our coalition to work on this garden project together. Including participants from the: Free Farm Stand; Produce For the People; Standford's Gleaning Project, DioCal and Holy Innocents Episcopal church. Welcome looks forward to working with this coalition.

Work days will be canceled if it rains.

If you would like more information about volunteering please contact: pete@welcomeministry.org

If you would like to be notified by email of future workdays please sign up for our newsletters using the box in the upper right hand corner of this blog.

Location: St. Paulus Lutheran Lot at Eddy and Gough, San Francisco, CA.

Thanks to our Supporters

Harvester - $10,000 + The Sam Mazza Foundation

Farmer - $5,000-$9,999 Episcopal Charities Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN

Sower - $2,500-$4,999 ELCA Domestic Hunger Grant herchurch (Ebenezer Lutheran)

Gardner - $1,500-$2,499 Anonymous St. Francis Foundation St. Francis Lutheran Church

Blossom - $500-$1,499 Alma Via The Springer Family St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

Seedling - $50-$449 Custom Quality Painting Haight Ashbury Free Clinic

St. Paulus Garden Mural is Nearly Complete

Thanks to all the efforts of Leanne and her wonderful volunteer assistants, the mural at the St. Paulus site is nearing completion. Here are some photos below so you can see the latest progress.

We'll be taking a break during the holidays, then returning to complete the last panels and cover the whole wall with a varnish to protect it. The mural already brings great life and color to the site and inspires all the growth yet to come. Thanks Leanne for all of your amazing work!

Panel 8 background

You can't have a living church without Praying Mantises!

Mobile Art Cart (forthcoming 2010)

Working in the Garden

Orignal Rose Window of St. Paulus Church

Nearly complete! (December, 2009)
Location: St. Paulus Lutheran Lot at Eddy and Gough, San Francisco, CA.

Urban Share is looking for a muralist to work on our Oakland garden site, if you are interested or know someone who may be, please email:

Tamara Loewenstein

Curator and Community Arts Organizer

Urban Share Community Gardening

tamara@tamaraloewenstein.com

If you're interested in learning more about how to get involved with volunteering with Urban Share, please contact:

Pete Feltman, Volunteer & Donations Coordinator

pete@welcomeministry.org

First Weekend in December:This Weekend at the St. Paulus Garden

This weekend at the St. Paulus Garden we did some more work on our shed. We are waiting to add the roof until the entire shed is completed and a locked door can be put on the front. We are trying not to encourage people from sleeping inside the shed (because of liability issues and to prevent people from using the shed as a bathroom. When completed, the shed will allow us to leave tools at the site.



We were also able to hang some hand made signs out some old pieces of wood, many of which are actually bed slats, donated paint and some roofing wire.

We created signs to recognize our financial supporters and volunteers.

Later, we stopped by the Tree's Free Farm Stand - a free farmer's market in the Mission. Tree gave us some starter plants for the St. Paulus lot. We planted two aloe plants just as it started to rain.

In the back of the photo you can also see that someone painted graffiti over our white walls prepping our murals. After the rain stops, we'll be repainting those walls.

Location: St. Paulus Lutheran Lot at Eddy and Gough, San Francisco, CA.

More progress on the mural at the St. Paulus Garden

The mural at St. Paulus is more than half way complete now. Leanne finished up the outline for the 6th panel (out of 9 total) today. This last panel depicts an image of what our art cart will resemble once built. The mobile cart will allow me and Urban Share staff and volunteers to reach out to the community through the arts and generosity/exchange programs as well as provide a stand to distribute produce grown from our garden.

Leanne, myself and her helpers will be out next week on Tuesday and Wednesday working and we are hoping to finish in the next few weeks. Keep an eye for more photos of the completed mural soon!

Below are the original sketches by Leanne of the panels completed so far along with a photo of their respective finished panel.

Sketch for Panel 1

Panel 1

Sketch for Panel 2

Panel 2

Sketch for Panel 3

Panel 3

Sketch for Panel 4

Panel 4

Sketch for Panel 5

Panel 5 (nearly complete)

Sketch for Panel 6

Outline for Panel 6

Panels 1-6 so far...

The fabulous Leanne C. Miller

If you're interested in getting involved or learning more about the arts programming for Urban Share please contact Tamara: tamara@tamaraloewenstein.com

Location: St. Paulus Lutheran Lot at Eddy and Gough, San Francisco, CA.