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Rainwater Harvesting Vertical Garden

azsustainably.com — This is beautiful. It connects to your rain spout, stores rainwater in a tank, and waters the plants via cotton wicks and capillary action.

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  • ecobites, on 05/16/2008, -0/+11It sure is beautiful. I will have one for my edible flowers and herbs, another one for the vegetables out on the patio.What a fantastic garden, great for small space and for saving our precious water.
    Congrats!
  • sirmcdiznuts, on 05/16/2008, -1/+7What's cool about this that you don’t have to worry about watering.
  • Fangsinmybeard, on 05/16/2008, -0/+8That is truly great invention of sustainable design. This could help many who are seeking to grow their own contained victory garden.
  • Modestexcuse, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Very cool! I travel quite a bit for work, and inevitably kill off my plants due to their lack of water. This could very well be my solution!
  • trghpy, on 05/16/2008, -2/+5Hydroponics with rain water. Not revolutionary, but is defiantly a nice planter.
    • Sol1, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3This isn't an example of hydroponics (which would require pumps and electricity). The plants are still planted in some sort of soil medium that the cotton wicks transport the water to. It's just a beautiful design to capture, store and automatically transport water to traditionally planted plants.
  • BigManOnCampus, on 05/16/2008, -0/+5"Not only is this great for saving water in a desert environment like most of us in Arizona live in, but it looks awesome and you don’t have to worry about watering."

    You *WILL* have to worry about watering in Arizona. Rain or no, you won't have enough to keep those cotton wicks wet in such an arid climate.
    • Sol1, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1"The terrace connects up with a downspout from your house and stores water in a large tank to continuously water the plants over long periods of time."

      That would depend entirely on how large the storage tank was, now wouldn't it?
      • Dagny2003, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4Truthfully, I don't think the capacity would really matter unless you left it to fill for a very long time before planting. As a native Arizonan I can tell you that capturing rainwater in any amount is difficult, even on good years or during the monsoon season. Plus, the drainage systems on our houses are often very different. A fair percentage don't even have one. The best application would probably be to plant SLIGHTLY higher water usage plants than our usual (cacti, palo verdes, etc.) and supplement the storage tank. Brilliant, simple concept, though. It's quite beautiful as well. I wonder if modifications would be recommended in our 120 degree summers, though.
      • BigManOnCampus, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2...and on average daily humidity, on how exposed the cotton wicks are, on how much water your chosen plants use, etc..etc..

        The low desert in Arizona is very very dry, cactus and shrubbrush. the high desert has more foliage, but most of that is deep-rooted pine trees that tap in closer to the water table to survive.

        Surface plants in AZ rely on their ability to store/scavenge water, rivers, or careful watering. That's just how it is. I can see how a setup like this would be watering-free in Florida, but not Arizona.
  • blake10, on 05/16/2008, -2/+1epitomy of blogspam....the treehugger content is WAY MORE in-depth. obviously the people involved with this blogspam site are digging this up
  • katiekatekate, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2Where is the tank that stores the water? The planter itself is beautiful, but I'd be worried about the stagnant water attracting mosquitoes in our humid climate.
    • PdxPhoenix, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2From the link in the blog... it looks like the wood trellis is built right on top of / in front of the tank.
      • katiekatekate, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2Oh I see it now, thank you. I was looking for some kind of barrel. I'd still be worried about mosquitoes, though.
        • apetrie, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2If it was covered, would mosquitoes still be an issue? I thought it was still, exposed water that they were attracted to. I'm hardly a mosquito expert though so I could be wrong.
  • hermslice, on 05/16/2008, -0/+2Anyone have a link to the picture?
  • aaron4, on 05/16/2008, -2/+2RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Shots, on 05/16/2008, -1/+2Damn... sounds great! I need one for my ... kind.
  • MaceSoul, on 05/16/2008, -2/+3Until the misquitos come.
  • JohnnyHotballs, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3will this work with pee?
    • sanman, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Yes, but your veggies don't taste as nice then
  • ImNotAMib, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3I noticed the site is lagging, therefore:
    Same object, different URL:
    http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/student-de ...
  • Loxahatchee, on 05/16/2008, -2/+3This isn't even remotely close to being new tech...
  • ogrerocks, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1What happens when that exposed, wet cotton starts to get stinky and moldy? It's a really good idea, but it could back fire.
    • Loxahatchee, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Plastic and PVC systems have been around for years. I'm guessing it was Dugg because it is "artsy"
  • Loxahatchee, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1http://www.growwall.ca/WhatIsGrowWall.asp

    Growall kicks the hell out of that design. Herbalists FTW!
    • apetrie, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Looks nice, but its not exactly the same thing. You have to give it to the Vert designer for looks too!
  • Goldbricker, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1YAY Canada. Reinventing ***** as we go along.
  • gurudrew, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Only the planter at the top is self watering. There is a spout at the bottom that you use to water the other planters.
  • nvillalobos, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Want. Anything to bring more green to our grey world.
  • sgvprelude, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Awesome if it actually rained here in S. Cali
  • OffPiste, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1This would be illegal in Colorado. It's against the law to do anything with rain run-off except letting it run into the drain. Something to do with water agreements with the people from California.
  • JointVenture, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1I was scared when I clicked the link that it was going to take me to a Huffington Post article, but to my surprise it didint! Well done! Dont know how you got it on the front page.
  • skyz, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1brilliant and beautiful
  • LZeppelinJ0, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1I could think of a few other "green" ideas to grow in that garden.
  • mozzep, on 05/17/2008, -1/+1too bad you have to uproot trees to make it.
    there must be a better material like clay or something.
    • furtfurt, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1um, "uprooting" cedar trees is a bad thing? you know, at least on the east coast, cedar trees grow like weeds. fast growing and plentiful. i don't see how using clay is any more environmentally "friendly".
    • DM01, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Not using pre-cut wood isn't going to stop lumber production, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right?
  • sanman, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Yes, let's all just make virtual digital gardens, so that nothing is killed or displaced :P
  • Tormentedsoul25, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Pure artwork 5 Stars
  • caponumen, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1No new, but cool nonetheless......
  • domfosnz, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1Wow, that is heaps cooler than I was expecting. You should put pictures in your submissions.
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