Vertical gardens, commonly known as living walls, have drastically increased in popularity over the years, and for a good reason.
These innovative gardens allow you to maximize your limited space while creating a stunning aesthetic appeal.
In this blog post, I’ll explain how restaurant and cafe owners can benefit from vertical gardens.
I will guide you through the process of creating and maintaining vertical gardens that align with your restaurant or cafe’s aesthetic vibe.
Let’s dive right in.
Vertical gardens are a type of gardening method where plants grow on a vertically suspended panel or structure, rather than horizontally on the ground.### Vertical gardens have become popular in urban areas where space is limited, and gardeners have to utilize alternative spaces. A vertical garden offers a way to grow plants in a limited space.
Various types of vertical gardens exist, which one can consider when creating a vertical garden. Living walls, green walls, and trellis systems are the most common types of vertical gardens. Living walls are walls of plants grown in soil, hydroponic systems, or other mediums, while green walls are made of panels that have pockets to hold plants. Trellis systems are made of simple wooden framework and work well for promoting climbing plants’ healthy growth.
Although various garden schemes can feature many different components, some essential components are crucial to most vertical gardens. These components include soil or growing medium, a support structure, plants, nutrition, and water supply. Using the right components is essential in ensuring that your garden thrives, and your plants grow healthy, and maintain their beauty.
If you are a restaurant or café owner, you surely look at every opportunity to improve both customer experience and business operation. One simple and smart way to achieve those is by having vertical gardens installed in your establishment. Here are five ways that vertical gardens benefit restaurants and cafes:
Space is an expensive commodity for any business roughly between four walls. Particularly, restaurants and cafes have to maximize space utilization while uplifting the ambiance for customers. Vertical gardens do not need large horizontal grounds, but simply a wall or a frame to hang on, taking advantage of height space. This way, customers have more floor space while enjoying the lush scenery of greenery all around them.
Incorporating vertical gardens into restaurants and cafes brings in natural beauty that does not only provide a refreshing atmosphere but also matches with a company’s branding. Unique designs of vertical gardens can bring life into a dull wall or an empty corner, turning it into an attractive centerpiece that stimulates curiosity and conversation among customers.
Customer satisfaction is what keeps businesses thriving. However, it is equally important to consider the welfare of your employees. Vertical gardens have been scientifically proven to improve air quality by reducing toxins and increasing humidity levels, leading to healthier indoor environments. The result is improved employee health, reduced stress and absenteeism, and increased productivity.
A restaurant or cafe that utilizes greenery indoors necessarily offers a certain level of augmented environmental conservation. Vertical gardens, particularly when using sustainable methods concerning fertilizer, water management, and pest control, are good for the planet. This eco-conscious check mark on your business is an additional boost to both sales and marketing pitches.
Lastly, vertical gardens, when planting correctly, will provide the produce required for any restaurant or cafe. This is both a cheaper and healthier option as compared to importing produce from distant areas. Harvesting fresh greens and herbs from the vertical garden not only provides a commercial benefit by reducing the overall cost but also increases the quality of the final offerings.
Vertical gardens are easy to install, maintain, and customize, providing restaurants and cafes with a unique promise of ambiance, presentation, and sustainability. If well taken care of there is a high probability that the upfront costs will be mitigated by the number of benefits accrued over time.
Creating a vertical garden in your restaurant or cafe is an excellent way to enhance the overall decor and make use of available space. Here are some key elements to consider when creating a vertical garden in your commercial space:
Placement: You should determine the location of the vertical garden in your restaurant or cafe. It should be accessible to customers yet not in a high-traffic area where it might cause an obstruction.
Irrigation System: Managing the watering schedule of a vertical garden can be daunting for an individual or a small team. Therefore, it is essential to have an irrigation system in place that is automated or low-maintenance to ensure adequate water supply for the plants.
Lighting: Plants require sufficient light to grow, and as a result, you should consider your space’s light availability when selecting your plant types. Using grow lights or positioning plants near windows that receive adequate light can ensure their growth and health.
Plant Selection: When selecting plants, choose varieties that are sustainable, low-maintenance, and suited to your space’s light and temperature conditions. Fast-growing varieties that can be harvested quickly are ideal for restaurants.
Maintenance Requirements: A vertical garden requires upkeep, so consider maintenance requirements before installation. Some plants might outgrow the area allotted to them, and the maintenance team will need to attend to them regularly to ensure that they flourish.
Incorporating these elements into the design of your vertical gardens will help to reduce maintenance costs and maintain the health and longevity of your plants.
If you’re new to vertical gardening, start with herbs. These plants thrive in small space, as they don’t need much root space to grow. Some of the easiest herbs to grow are mint, basil, oregano, and parsley. These easy-to-maintain plants can be maintained by regular pruning and provide a fresh ingredient to any dish.
Vegetables are also great for vertical gardens, and they can be grown in a variety of container sizes. Vegetables that are simple to grow include cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and chili peppers. These plants require more maintenance than herbs but are still a feasible option for vertical gardens.
Fruits are another option for vertical gardens, although they can be more difficult to grow. If your restaurant or café has the space and lighting to support it, try growing strawberries, melons, or kiwis. These fruits cannot withstand long periods without sufficient water, so be sure to set up an effective irrigation system beforehand.
When designing your vertical garden, be sure to choose plants that fit your restaurant or café’s theme and cuisine. For example, if you run an Italian restaurant, consider planting basil or oregano. If your café focuses on health and wellness, try growing kale or spinach.
All plants have different sunlight and temperature requirements, which affects their growth. To ensure proper growth, consider using a guide like “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible” or “The New Organic Grower.” These resources are perfect for vertical gardening and provide in-depth information and growing tips specific to your plant selection.
If you’re interested in creating a vertical garden for your restaurant or cafe, there are a couple of options: DIY guides or kits that are designed to make the process as easy as possible.
DIY guides are a great way to get started with your vertical garden. They’re typically available online or in gardening stores, and they provide step-by-step instructions for building your own vertical garden from scratch.
One of the benefits of DIY guides is that they allow you to customize your garden to fit your specific needs or space. They also tend to be more affordable than kits.
If you’re interested in taking this route, look for guides that are geared specifically toward restaurant or cafe owners. These guides may include additional tips or advice for creating a garden that’s both functional and aesthetically pleasing for your customers.
If you’re not confident in your DIY skills, or if you simply don’t have the time to build a garden from scratch, a kit may be a better option.
Vertical garden kits typically include pre-made panels or trays that can be mounted on a wall or installed in a freestanding structure. Some kits even come with pre-grown plants, so you don’t have to worry about starting from seeds.
When choosing a kit, make sure that it’s appropriate for the amount of space you have available and that it includes all the components you need (e.g. irrigation system, lighting, plant food).
Regardless of whether you choose a DIY guide or a kit, it’s important to do your research beforehand. Look for reviews or testimonials from other restaurant or cafe owners who have installed vertical gardens, and take the time to compare different options in order to find the one that best meets your needs.
Maintaining the health and vibrancy of your vertical garden is crucial to ensure that it remains beautiful and functional. The key aspects of proper vertical garden maintenance include watering and fertilizing, pest and disease control, and pruning and trimming.
Watering requirements for vertical gardens vary depending on the type of plants used, the soil mixture, and the environmental conditions they are grown in. The best way to check the moisture level of your plants’ soil is to feel the soil with your fingers. If it feels dry, then it’s time to water. It’s important not to overwater, as doing so can lead to root rot and other problems. Plants grown in vertical gardens require more frequent watering than those grown on the ground.
Fertilizer is also essential for maintaining the health of plants in a vertical garden. A good quality liquid fertilizer should be used, and it should be applied regularly, following the instructions on the package. Fertilizers should be applied in small amounts and should be repeated every two to three weeks.
Pests and diseases can be a big problem in vertical gardens, particularly when growing plants in close proximity. Prevention is key when it comes to controlling pests and diseases. Regularly inspecting the plants and the surrounding area can help detect and resolve issues before they become too severe. Removing infested plants as soon as possible can prevent the spread of pests and diseases to other plants.
Proper pruning and trimming can prevent plants from overgrowing and taking over the entire vertical garden. Typically, plant stems or branches should be cut back to just above a leaf node or bud. This helps to maintain the plant’s shape and encourages new growth. Overgrown plants can be divided and replanted in other areas of the garden or given away to friends and family.
By following these simple maintenance steps, you can keep your vertical garden healthy and vibrant, ensuring that it remains a beautiful and functional addition to your restaurant or cafe.
If you walk around in major cities, it is highly likely that you will find many restaurants and cafes incorporating vertical gardens as part of their exterior or interior design. These businesses have reaped innumerable benefits from these gardens, ranging from increased patronage to more positive customer feedback.
By adding vertical gardens to their establishments, restaurant owners can convey a strong message that they are eco-friendly, health-conscious, and innovative. It is not surprising that many restaurants have been highly successful in attracting a devoted crowd with this approach.
If you’re contemplating the installation of a vertical garden for your restaurant or cafe, here are some examples of businesses that have successfully implemented them:
Noma Restaurant (Copenhagen) - Boasting a rooftop garden and a plethora of greenery, this restaurant is celebrated worldwide for its sophisticated use of fresh ingredients in its dishes. By sourcing ingredients from its own garden, Noma has built a reputation that highlights its commitment to sustainability and quality.
Saladworld Restaurant (Chongqing, China) - This restaurant has used over 20 kinds of vegetables, fruits, and herbs on its walls and ceilings to create an immersive, green environment for diners. Critics and customers alike have praised the restaurant’s ingenuity and creativity, which have become part of the restaurant’s brand.
Matta Restaurant (Amman, Jordan) - With a thriving indoor vertical garden, the restaurant has created an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. The lush greens provide a visual feast for customers, which has contributed to the cozy ambiance of the restaurant.
If you do decide to install a vertical garden, the benefits can be substantial. By following the same path, you can differentiate yourself from the competition and create an appealing and unforgettable experience for your customers.
In conclusion, creating vertical gardens is an innovative addition to restaurants and cafes, adding an element of eco-friendliness, aesthetic appeal, and functionality to the space.
The benefits of vertical gardens extend to customers and employees alike, creating a healthy and sustainable work environment.
My hope is that this article has encouraged you to consider incorporating a vertical garden into your own restaurant or cafe.
Whether you’re just starting out or an experienced restaurateur, the benefits of going vertical are clear.
What benefits do you look forward to reaping from a vertical garden and how soon are you going to try it out?
Feel free to send me a message and let me know.
Also, please share this post with others on social media if you found it helpful.
Author: Scott Sanders
Disclaimers
All the information on this website - https://planet997.com/ - is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Planet 997 does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (Planet 997), is strictly at your own risk. Planet 997 will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.
From our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to such external sites. While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'.
Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information.
By using our website, you hereby consent to our disclaimer and agree to its terms.