Homemade Gutter Gardening System

With his Homemade Gutter Gardening System, Larry Hall, of Brainard, MN, is able to grow all type of vegetables-indoors as well as outdoors-without having to either water or weed. The system consists of a 10-foot vinyl rain gutter (with end caps) cradled inside a 2 x 4 treated-wood frame, a self-waterer unit, and an adjustable plastic float. Sitting on the frame straddling the gutter are up to nine soil-filled 5-gallon buckets, each of which has a 3-inch hydroponic-system net cap inserted in the bottom for drawing the water that’s in the gutter up into the soil. When the water drops to a given level, the float opens to add more water to refill the gutter. (One may have as many 10-foot ‘gardens’ fed by one water source.)

Cost: $75 per 10-foot gutter length

Impairment Category: Back, Lower extremity, Strength/endurance, Upper extremity