Okay, so here’s a truly green idea to consider: edible walls. No, seriously. We’re not talking about fiberboard made of rice cakes or some other organic derivative. True edible walls are much greener (and certainly tastier) than those.
Photo courtesy of marik0 at Flickr.com.
In the past we’ve blogged about green roofs—that is, roofs covered with sod and planted with vegetation. Not only do they offer beauty and oxygen production, but the soil and vegetation also act as an excellent insulator. Green walls (walls covered with vines and similar clingy vegetation—provide a similar function.
Edible walls are similar to both green walls and green roofs, but unlike either, edible walls produce, well, produce. Green roofs and walls are usually limited to sedum, grasses, ivies, and other hardy vegetation. An edible wall consists of a wall panel—usually made of metal—that’s punctured with openings that are filled with soil and planted with vegetables. Often, the panel can be hung from an existing wall with relative ease. The standard edible wall panel measures two feet square by about four inches deep, with intersecting slats that provide 24 seed spaces.
The inventor got the idea from his kids, when they asked if they could plant lettuce seeds in a wall he was installing (who knows where they get these ideas?). He let them—and was amazed when the seeds sprouted. Edible walls are touted as being much less expensive than the average greenhouse, and they can be used anywhere—schools, fences, apartment buildings, any place you can hang a panel. They’re ideal for urban gardens, for example, and similar confined spaces. Greens are popular crops for edible walls, but as anyone who’s tried a Topsy Turvy upside down planter knows, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and other edibles can grow just fine dangling from on high.
