Lettuce Gutter Garden: How to Build & Grow

Disclaimer: I wrote this post from the perspective of gardening in the hardy zone 6a–8a, as I have grown lettuce and spinach in this hardy zone range with this gutter garden system.

Behind our old one-acre homestead sat a tired, weathered white fence. It was one of those nostalgic, sun-bleached structures. It had once stood proudly but had long since surrendered to the elements. The posts, surprisingly, were still sturdy and strong, planted deep and refusing to budge. But the horizontal beams? They had splintered, sagged, and eventually tumbled off the posts entirely. It looked less like a fence. Instead, it resembled a collection of lonely stakes. They seemed to be waiting for a second chance at usefulness.

And a second chance is exactly what I gave them.

Instead of hauling everything off to the landfill, I saw potential in that pile of forgotten lumber. I salvaged the old fence posts and cleaned them up. I repurposed them into the framework for a blackberry trellis. This was a perfect new life for wood that had already stood guard over the property for years. But my upcycling adventure didn’t stop there. A neighbor had set out a stack of discarded aluminum gutters by the curb, destined for the trash. To me, though, they looked like the makings of a whole new gardening experiment.

So I rescued them, too.

With a little creativity and a few brackets, those gutters became the backbone of a compact vertical garden. It is perfect for growing loose-leaf lettuce and crisp, cool spinach. My new gutter garden hung neatly along the fence line. It didn’t take up precious ground space. The tidy rows of greens practically watered themselves when it rained.

In the end, it began as a collection of broken boards and someone else’s junk. It turned into a productive, space-saving lettuce and spinach garden. It felt good not only to reduce waste but to turn forgotten leftovers into something fresh, green, and delicious.

First, I measured the old fencing and knocked out existing horizontal beams that got in the way. The distance from post to post was about 8 feet. I calculated I could get 3 gutters on one side of the post. This was possible from the total of 24 feet of gutters I accumulated.

UPDATE: The next spring, we replace a 40-foot stretch of gutters in the front of our house. We could put on another four 8-foot gardens. Also, you can attach the gutters to an existing wall like a shed or side of a house. It’s unnecessary to have old fence posts.

How to build the gutter garden.

Using a Sawzall, we are partial to Milwaukee brands for all our battery-operated tools. Using a metal cutting blade, I cut the gutters into four pieces. You many need more or less, all depending on your size. The first two gutters, which have the down spout hole, are complete. My third and bottom gutter comprised the two leftover pieces. I laid it out so the downspouts of the gutters would be the garden’s drainage.

We also purchased and installed a few end caps, so the soil stays in the gutter. I used K-style end caps that were fit to size. Then, I hot-glued pieces of window screening to the top of the gutter downspout opening on the proper ends. This will also help keep soil and water inside the gutter. It still allows for proper drainage. The window screening will also not mold or deteriorate with the constant water.

gutters for lettuce garden — *Two 12-foot gutters reclaimed from a neighbor*

My husband kindly pointed out that the weight of the gutters with soil would exceed our expectations. We measured and cut three pressure-treated 2×4 wood beams to size. Then, we screwed them up. We had these in our wood stockpile.

On these 2×4’s I installed the gutters with a 2-inch slant. We can get a lot of rain here. I didn’t want the lettuce to drown. The slant will give proper drainage into the opening downspout that was screened earlier. A 2-inch slant means the top of one side of the beam is 2 inches higher. The other side is lower.

A few tricks and tips for the best results

I built our lettuce garden under a large pecan tree. This way, it would get plenty of shade during our hot North Carolina summers. The idea was to keep lettuce growing. This would allow me to have a complete salad from the garden when cucumbers and tomatoes are harvested. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. But too much hot sun will destroy your leaves.

staple window screen for gutter gardens — *Wood staples keep window screens from blowing away in a storm.*

First reason for the window screening, pecan trees canopy our gutter garden. In the fall pecans fall and fall like any nut tree. They seem to land perfectly in the gutters. Secondly, we also have an abundance of squirrels who like to bury the pecans in the fall. I know this because I have seen fresh holes throughout the gutters before. I have also noticed squirrels will go after fresh dirt. They find it easy to dig up. So the gutters are a great spot for them.

window screen attached to gutter gardens — *Old window screens keep wildlife out of your gutter gardens.*

This screening barrier has been working great in so many ways. It has kept falling nuts and obtrusive animals out, but it also allows water and sunlight to get in. The mesh net traps the rainwater and drips slowly onto the soil.

You can see to the left how the lettuce has absolutely no problem germinating under the window screening. But there is a problem when the lettuce and spinach grow too big for the screening. They haven’t grown enough to be removed yet. So, I came up with a genius, yes genius, way to give the lettuce more room, old electrical wire bridges. I found some unused…not attached to electricity mind you…thick electrical wire. Then cut it into pieces that fit my gutters and raised up the screening. I use three per gutter. Make sure to cut the window screening a little longer then, the gutters. When raised it ensured everything covered and protected. Once your lettuce grows in fully, you can remove the bridges. Typically, the squirrels will leave my gutters alone once they are full of greens.

*Electrical wire bridge holding up screening on gutter garden.*

I like to water my gutter gardens everyday. That might seem a little nuts. However, I have found that the gutter garden loses moisture much faster than a garden in the ground. I have the gutters on a slight slant. This helps to drain the excess water when we get a week straight of rains. These rains typically occur in April. So that may have something to do with it, as well. But also it is a small container with the weather wrapping around it from every side. I didn’t water the gutters for 2 days and the lettuce started to brown. It looked burnt which was silly since it was early March and not yet 95+ degrees.

The window screen is also useful during those out-of-character snowstorms. The screen protected my tender spinach from the nearly two inches of snow in this picture. The screen kept the heavy snow from crushing the plants. It also prevented any ice burns from occurring. It is very easy to throw the snow off as well; just lift off the window screen.

Now it’s time to harvest and eat your own lettuce!

So you look outside, and you have lettuce. You did everything correctly. The beautiful greens and reds are growing together in harmony and look good enough to eat. Don’t worry, you can, and it’s easy. With a clean pair of scissors, cut your lettuce at the bottom. I leave about 1/2 inch of stem on the plant. If the lettuce plant is strong, then it will grow back for another harvest in about a week or two.

Sometimes some plants don’t make it. I pull the wilted plants out of the soil and add new lettuce seeds to the open area. So now you have all the information to go outside and make your own lettuce garden! So go…do…eat and enjoy!!!!

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