The Link Vertical Garden by Mathew Schramm is a community gardening concept that uses panels that connect with each other to form a modular living wall.

The inspiration for this project came to him when his roommate took an abandoned lot and transformed it into a community garden where neighbors could meet each other and work in an environment that otherwise would not have existed.

This is how Link works: At the start of the growing season, users connect their panels together to form the wall in a public place. After the harvest (when weather conditions prohibit the growth of plants), each user detaches their panel from the wall and can take their panel home with them– Link can be wall-mounted or can stand alone, depending on the user’s preference. When in the home the user can trade produce with their neighbors, facilitating community interaction.

Link connects with other panels to form a tiled vertical wall, or green wall. After driving a stake into the ground or using an existing pole (telephone pole, fence post, etc), the user can connect several panels to the axis, ultimately forming a radial design around the post.

Water is poured in through the top of the panel and runs through the fabric material, wetting the roots and allowing them to take in the water. The water that is not used is collected in a reservoir in the bottom of the panel for a second (or even a third) use.

At the end of the harvest, the users can completely break apart the community garden and take their own panel(s) home with them to continue the harvest.

Link can be a large or small wall, depending on the user’s preference. You can connect two panels or eighteen panels together, depending on the size of the group who is gardening. Not only is Link simple to use, but it also takes all parts of the growing and harvesting seasons into account.

Growing food for one’s own consumption is a personal choice and can certainly can make a person feel like they are doing something authentic to help with a growing problem in our world, but it will not change the way a plant grows.