Rant: My "vertical garden" collapsed because I ignored the weight limit

I got all excited after watching a YouTube video about using shoe organizers for herbs on a balcony. Hung one up, packed it with 12 pots of basil and mint. Came home last Wednesday to find the plastic hooks bent and the whole thing on the floor. Soil everywhere. Turns out those organizers are only rated for like 10 pounds, and wet soil is way heavier. Has anyone else tried that hack and had it fail?

2 comments

2 Comments

amyb541mo ago

Did you happen to weigh the soil before you put it in there? I had a buddy try something similar last year with a hanging planter on his porch... he used those cheap wire shelves instead. The whole thing buckled after one good rain and dumped his tomato plants down two stories onto his neighbor's patio. He spent the whole weekend apologizing and repotting everything into separate containers. Lesson learned the hard way for sure.

oliver8111mo ago

Not a chance I weighed it, probably would've hurt my feelings if I did. I just eyeballed it and crossed my fingers, which is basically my strategy for everything involving soil and gravity. At least your buddy's plants got a scenic elevator ride down, mine just sit there looking questionable and making me nervous every time I walk under them.