Container and Vertical Gardening A ‘Growing’ Trend

Trends and Opportunities With seemingly endless choice of past times gardeners are looking for ease and success; minimum input with maximum output. Younger and new gardeners are far more experimental in their plantings and variety selection; wider selection and more creative offering desired. Increase concern over food safety; chemical concerns, green movement, e coli and food poisoning media coverage. There has been an explosion in cooking and gardening shows promoting healthy choices; mainstream awareness levels increase. People believe home grow vegetables taste better; varieties offered cannot marginalize taste. Garden space continues to shrink but container gardening has become mainstream; opportunity, opportunity, opportunity!!!!!

Realizing Opportunities Give the consumer a positive experience; high yields, great taste, something to brag about. Make vegetable gardening part of a lifestyle choice. Don’t make it sound like work! Recognize the ornamental value of vegetables, beauty and flavor. Create space.

The SIMPLE message! Find ways to incorporate gardening into lifestyles; make it enjoyable, make it simple and make it rewarding!

Vegetables as Ornamentals Many vegetables have real ornamental value and can be grown for their beauty as much as their edible qualities. ◦ Artichokes ◦ Basils (Thai, Purple Ruffles, Greek) ◦ Bright Lights Swiss Chard (AAS Winner) ◦ Flowering Cabbage and Kale ◦ Chives ◦ Colored Peppers ◦ Leafy Greens Don’t be afraid to sell their ornamental value!!

So who is Vegetalis and where do they fit in? Vegetalis is an independently owned company the operates the vegetable side of the business for Floranova. Vegetalis was created with the sole aim of breeding and producing edible varieties for the ornamental industry.

Vegetalis’ Patio Edibles line Introduced in the Spring of 2009, Patio Edibles are a line of vegetable and herbs varieties developed for their combined good looks, great taste and high yields. These easy to grow, compact varieties are perfect for home harvest of fresh vegetables and an ideal way to engage consumers in vegetable gardening.

Addressing the Space Dilemma Select compact varieties that require less space. While garden space continues to shrink, opportunities abound in unused spaces. Show how to garden in; Window Sills Door Steps Window Boxes Hanging Baskets Vertical Walls Combination Pots

Window Sill Containers Basil Floral Spires White and Floral Spires Lavender

Click to add title Front Door Step

Back Patio Step Tomato Tumbling Tiger

Seem like the same old thing? Monoculture Traditional plants in traditional uses There is nothing wrong with keeping it simple but to ‘grow’ a container vegetable program start looking outside the ‘box’.

Pouches, Bags and Hanging Gardens Salad bowl gardens on the wall Space created from a tree branch or ornate stand Traditional varieties used in nontraditional ways

Hanging Baskets Attractive includes more than just flowers Tomato Tumbling Tom Red Select varieties with non traditional habits for a unique look and use.

Window Boxes Tomato Tumbling Tiger Enticing and Edible Window Gardens.

Vertical Walls and Living Fences Indeterminate tomatoes and gourds on a trellis for an edible interesting look in an otherwise wasted space.

Combining Flowers and Vegetables Container gardening has become mainstream but focused on annuals with a spattering of tropicals thrown in for interest. Vegetables have remained a sacred and separate part of the industry. There have been legitimate reasons ranging from crop timing, PGR applications and pesticide concerns.

Solving the growing dilemmas Crop Timing Vegetables often have much shorter crop times and are sold before fruit is mature PGR and Pesticide Treatments Putting combination pots together after the final PGR treatments on flowers have been applied Simply growing the items separately with their own specific timing and cultural needs and assembling the mixed containers just prior to retail solves most of the growing dilemmas between annuals and vegetables.

Mixed Patio Containers Vinca Boa Peppermint and Tomato Tumbling Tom Red Vinca Boa Rose and Tomato Tumbling Tom Yellow

Selecting the proper components Compact determinate tomatoes, genetically dwarf peppers, bush cucumbers, spineless eggplants, attractive herbs and leafy greens make excellent vegetable components Tomato Little Sun and Prism Petunia

Full Sun but Cool and Subtle Feel Pinstripe Eggplant, Prism Petunias, and Bright Ideas Ipomoea Amethyst Eggplant, and Ipomoea

Herb and Salad Garden Pot for the Patio Table Violas, mint, sage, lemon thyme and leafy greens for a pick and serve patio pot.

Make it an Experience. A successful container vegetable program will include easy to grow space saving varieties that have high yields and great flavored. Include things that fulfill the basics with things like red tomatoes and green peppers but add the novel and unique to capture interest. And don’t be afraid to provide recipes for add on sales of other varieties.

The Sky is the Limit! When you look at all the unused vertical space and all the patio and balcony possibilities, the opportunities to grow container vegetable gardening are only limited by your imagination.

Thank you. Questions?