Growing Big in Small Spaces

Vertical Gardening with 55-Gallon Barrels

At Roots Ministries, we believe in growing food wherever you are — whether on a large farm or a small urban lot. One of the most space-efficient and productive tools in a small garden is the 55-gallon vertical garden barrel. These upcycled containers allow us to grow a wide variety of vegetables in a compact footprint while conserving water and improving accessibility. Below, we’ll walk you through how we build, plant, irrigate, and compost in our barrel gardens — complete with diagrams we use in our educational workshops.

Why Barrel Gardens?

Barrel gardens make use of vertical space, allowing you to grow up to 30 plants or more in the footprint of a single 55-gallon barrel. They’re ideal for tight spaces, urban gardens, or teaching environments where you want to demonstrate high-efficiency growing methods that can be deployed rapidly.

When designed well, they can accommodate everything from leafy greens and root veggies to vining crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and pole beans — all in the same container.‍

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How to Build a Barrel Garden (Materials + Tools)‍

Want to try this at home or with your community? Here’s what you’ll need:

🛠 Tools

• Heat gun
• 8 Wood wedges (to hold the shape of the planting pockets after you use the heat gun and as the plastic drys and hardens)
• Jigsaw, reciprocating saw, or drywall saw(for cutting planting pockets and the top out of the barrel)
• Power drill
• 1/2” drill bit (for vermicomposting pipe)
• 1/4" drill bit (for starting cuts for plant pockets and drainage holes)
• Utility knife (for deburring jigsaw cuts)
• Flexible Measuring tape (to measure on a round surface)
• Marker

🧱 Materials

• 1 clean, food-grade 55-gallon plastic barrel (preferably one with a removable top so you don't have to cut the top out)
• 1 pipe 4” diameter, ~36” tall for composting tube (PVC or black corrugated drainage pipe)
• Soil mix (compost + topsoil + vermiculite or perlite)
• Bamboo, cattle panel, or sturdy sticks (for trellis)
• Red Wiggler worms (Eisenia fetida) for composting
• Drip line or terracotta olla for irrigation‍

How to Plant a Barrel Garden

Here’s how we break down the planting zones in our 55-gallon barrel gardens:

‍Irrigation Methods: Drip or Olla‍

You can water your barrel using low-pressure drip irrigation or passive olla irrigation depending on what fits your context best.‍

Option 1: Drip Setup

This method is great for connecting multiple barrels to a single irrigation system and automating watering in a community garden setting.‍

Option 2: Olla Irrigation

If you’re working off-grid or want a low-tech solution, olla irrigation is a powerful alternative.

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Vermicomposting: Building Soil from the Inside Out

‍We close the fertility loop with vermicomposting, right inside the barrel.

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Why Worm Castings Are Gold for Your Garden

We close the fertility loop with vermicomposting, right inside the barrel. Vermicomposting is composting with certain types of worms. Not all worms are composting worms. Worm castings — the natural fertilizer produced by Red Wiggler worms — are often called “black gold” for gardeners. They’re packed with beneficial microbes, slow-release nutrients, and natural growth hormones that help plants grow faster, stronger, and more resilient. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, worm castings won’t burn roots and they actually improve soil structure and moisture retention. With worms working inside your barrel, you’re not just feeding your plants — you’re creating living soil. Remember that every calorie you harvest out of your system needs to return in some form of fertility. ‍

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Tips for Success

• Use compost-rich, well-draining soil for better water and nutrient retention.
• Be sure to cut drainage holes near the bottom of your barrel to avoid waterlogging.
• Consider mulching the top to reduce evaporation.
• Rotate crops each season to maintain healthy soil biology.‍

‍Growing More Than Food‍

At Roots Ministries, we see these barrels as more than just garden beds — they’re a picture of restoration and resilience. We take what others throw away, fill it with life, and use it to feed people who need it most.

Interested in building one yourself? Come join us for a workshop or volunteer day — we’d love to show you how it works and share the harvest together.

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Peace to you,

Nate Hale

Roots Ministries