Clever! There have been times when the gutters on my house looked like a garden, although whatever was growing there was nothing you'd want to eat. A good gutter cleaning solved it. Maybe I'll get up there and sprinkle in some lettuce seeds.

Neat! Here, people plant various colorful annuals in their gutters mixed with ivy but I've never seen veggies. We get enough rain watering is not an issue. Very cool with the veggies.

/tricia

You mean people actually plant flowers in their rain gutters that are meant to carry water off their roofs??
That's different than fastening pieces of gutter to the side of the garage and planting short term vegetables and greens.

Vertical gardens have been popular in Los Angeles for many years, and many of them are planted with succulents because they are easy to care for. I was unaware they were doing this in Alaska as well.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: More wall containers.

Yep Linda...they plant in the rain gutters. They look really pretty & fun. The plants grow in moss - not soil. Our gutters are covered so we can't.

/tricia

I'm confused tricia. The link I showed had several gutters attached to the side of the house being used like window boxes, not the ones that carry water at all. Just a new use for an old material.

But you're saying the gutters that hang on the roof?

What happens when it rains and the water runs off the roof into the gutters to be carried to the down spouts? Don't the plants and moss wash away?
Could you be calling something "gutters" that is not what the rest of us are thinking?

I'm also confused about the gutters with flowers planted in them. They'd wash right down the downspouts here, or if they didn't, the rain would wash right over the edges of the (full) gutters and defeat the purpose altogether. Maybe Tricia is thinking about something else.

Rob, I also saw that and thought it would be good for small herbs like thyme or something like strawberries, just let them trail over the edge.

Annie

Wouldn't it Annie? That just sounds devine. Finally, a way to keep mint and strawberries going without them taking over your yard! Just don't plant ivy. Oy! We had ivy that went up the house, and UNDER the siding. It was terrible to get rid of.

:)

We had a gutter garden with weeds and a few maple seedlings due to neglect. It just wasn't important to my spouse to get up there and clean them. I begged him numerous times and he just said he thought it was "funny".

One of the weediest was on the front porch. You could see it from the guest bedroom windows. I was quite embarrassed by it. I was very tempted last summer to open the screen and toss a few marigold seeds out just to see if they'd sprout and flower. Would have looked better than the weeds.

Last fall, we began to have water problems in our basement. That's when my husband decided it *was* important to keep the gutters clean of debris.

seagrass

I saw something similar on one of those house flipping shows. There was actual mold growing on top of the carpet in an unlived in house, water gooshing out every step of the way. The remediation to fix it was in the five figure range. To have averted the problem would've cost $20 for a gutter fitting to make it drain right. UGH!

Yes, I'm talking about rain gutters around the roof edge.

No soil. Annual plugs placed with a bit of moss around. We never much get over 80 degrees & average 4.00-4.50" of rain/month year around. Never have to be watered.

Rainwater moves through the gutters around the bits of moss holding the plants in just fine. The plants are only there June to Labor Day not when tree leaves are falling. The whole thing is cleaned out before winter weather arrives.

I've made a note to myself to ask DH to snap a picture this summer. Speaking of flowers, our daffs & daylilies are up & the cherry tree is about to bloom.

/tricia

That, I totally understand. Cool! I would like to see pictures. Sounds very pretty.

My hellebores are in full bloom and the daffs are ready to bloom, too. Everything is so mixed up. My neighbor's quince bush is covered with blossoms.

I have my gutters cleaned twice a year. The idea of gutters as planters when not meant to carry water away from the house is clever.

Here is a similar idea. I like this one, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pocket plants.

I like that idea barnmom! I have two skylights, two doors, and two windows. I live underground, so light is at a minimum. And it's only 800 sq ft or so, so I can't put it on a table, or shelf. But I could spare a bit of room up on a wall.

I'm still thinking abut those rain gutters. I'll bet they could be attached to a deck rail and used to grow salad greens, a salad right at your fingertips!

maybe strawberries too...

Annie

That is one terrific idea. I love it.

Saw these planters to use on your fence or railing. One sits on top of the railing and one hangs on the side. I might get them for the front porch railing to grow herbs so it would be only a short distance from the kitchen.

These sit on top of the railing.
Planters

Clare

Here is a link that might be useful: Adjustable Deck and Railing Planters

I saw those too Clare, and it's a good idea, except I have Bud. The poor things wouldn't have a chance, that boy is so clumsy he'd knock them down first thing because he'd never be able to ignore them, he'd have to figure out how they worked, exactly.

Nope, I need something that will attach!

Annie

Annie - Is Bud your dog or ??? (Almost afraid to ask.) LOL. My DH probably won't like them so will order them first then tell him. Easier to ask forgiveness than permission. ;>)
Clare

LOL!! Bud's her grandson!!

Clare, check local garden centers and Wally world, they should have them in stock. That way you can see the size and no shipping.

LOL, Clare, Bud IS my grandson, his name is really David and the rest of the family refer to him as the "wrecking crew". He can't help himself, he wants to see how everything works and he usually breaks it during the investigation.

Something that just sits astride the porch rail would have no chance at all with Bud!

I agree with Peppi, I've seen those at the local garden centers and at Lowe's or Menard's when they put out gardening and landscaping stuff, so you could see them, but I guess you already ordered them....

Annie

Wish I could figure out how to put something like this on wheels to wheel it into wherever the sun is. My yard is getting quite shady.

Linda,

I had to giggle! I could just see you wheeling whatever cart was made around your yard all day long. You'd sit a bit, sip a bit, then get up and move the thing... only to do it all over again when the sun moved. HA! What an image :)

(((big grin!)))