How to Turn a Bicycle Wheel Into a Rotating Vertical Garden
June 26, 2012 by Robin Plaskoff Horton
Take one decommissioned bicycle wheel, insert a felt soil pocket between the wheel spokes, grab some wood and some bits of hardware and you’ve got yourself a rotating vertical garden.
In Rethinking the Wheel, Vanessa Nevers, a graduate student in Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon, guides vine growth in a spiraling pattern via the wheel’s free rotation.
To DIY, You Will Need:
• a decommissioned bicycle wheel
• a felt soil pocket inserted between the wheel spokes
• a wooden mounting panel
• 1 x 6? carriage bolt run through the panel and wheel
• 2 x radial bearings placed on either side of the wheel
• 1 x cap nut to lock all components in place.
1. Attach the wheel to a flat surface with a wood mounting panel.
2. Once the panel is secured, place remaining items on to carriage bolt in this order:
–radial bearing
–bicycle wheel vessel
–radial bearing
–cap nut
Via Horticultural Building Systems and Lushe.
Category: Creating, Garden Design, Green & Sustainable, Reclaimed & Recycled, Vertical Gardens
Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to Urban Gardens!
share | 
e-mail a friend | comments (28)
I love this and have to try it!
— June 27, 2012 @ 07:33
Brilliant *and* beautiful. I’m sharing this with all of my gardening friends!
— June 27, 2012 @ 09:25
Recycled Water From Draining Dishes in Dish Rack Irrigates Kitchen Garden | Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] by Milan-based design firm, Design Libero whose shelftop rotary hydroponic garden, Green Wheel, we wrote about recently, Fluidity is another of this firm’s […]
— June 28, 2012 @ 16:01
» 5 Of Our Favorite Bicycle Hacks BrightNest Blog Pingback said:
[…] Photo: Urban Gardens […]
— July 5, 2012 @ 16:24
Wow. Amazingly beautiful and thought provoking.
— August 16, 2012 @ 22:42
OK, fine, but what the h-e-double hockey sticks is a “felt soil pocket” and where does someone acquire one??
— September 14, 2012 @ 10:23
Colorful Reclaimed Pipe Upcycled Into Garden Planter | Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] part of a local recycling project, Barcelona, Spain industrial designer Fabian Andino of Espaibuenrollo reclaimed colorful […]
— October 5, 2012 @ 18:53
Cross-Stitched Modular Shelving and Vertical Planter | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces | Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] The 600h x 600w x 200d boards have circular cut-outs to accept flower pots, making it nice for indoor plants (though I would make sure they are adequately drained before placing them so they don’t drip onto anything below that you’d like to keep dry.). If one were to create a grid using only those pieces with the holes, the result could work as a great indoor vertical garden. […]
— December 3, 2012 @ 14:42
Organic Concrete For Living Green Facades | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces | Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] researchers have developed a living concrete that may define a new method for creating vertical gardens and living walls on building facades. Capturing rainwater, the multilayered cement encourages […]
— January 10, 2013 @ 12:51
Wow…what a cool idea
— February 13, 2013 @ 13:04
Guerrilla Gardening by Bicycle in Holland by Dutch Urban Gardeners Pingback said:
[…] two began guerrilla gardening by bicycle, planting bike gardens in public […]
— January 7, 2014 @ 23:10
14 Ways to Repurpose a Bicycle Wheel - Dukes and Duchesses Pingback said:
[…] … or take it outdoors and turn it into a rotating garden. […]
— August 22, 2014 @ 08:32
Reclaimed Boat Sails Reborn as Portable Planters - Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] Not just planters, but portable flat-folding, space-saving babes that can even travel on a bicycle’s […]
— December 14, 2014 @ 17:48
Ten Cool and Creative Upcycling Ideas - Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] Colorful Reclaimed Pipe Upcycled Into Garden Planter As part of a local recycling project, Barcelona, Spain industrial designer Fabian Andino of Espaibuenrollo reclaimed colorful […]
— December 20, 2014 @ 13:54
Ten Cool and Creative Upcycling Ideas Pingback said:
[…] Colorful Reclaimed Pipe Upcycled Into Garden Planter As part of a local recycling project, Barcelona, Spain industrial designer Fabian Andino of Espaibuenrollo reclaimed colorful […]
— April 28, 2015 @ 12:08
Solar Energy From the Palm of Your Hand - Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] One can wear the lamp with an attached lanyard, attach it to a base for tabletop use, mount it on a bicycle, or hang it on a wall or […]
— June 24, 2015 @ 20:45
Modular Compact Green Roof System - Urban Gardens Pingback said:
[…] bags are made of a partly recycled outer textile material to promote drainage, a layer of carpet waste, and expanded clay for water retention, and are […]
— July 1, 2022 @ 09:06
Your talent for storytelling are remarkable. You had me enthralled from the initial line.
— March 3, 2025 @ 10:46
Your blog keeps me engaged from beginning to end. I can never move on without absorbing your entire post.
— March 15, 2025 @ 18:15
Your posts have the perfect balance of knowledge, illustrations, and personal accounts.
— March 16, 2025 @ 07:41
Someone essentially help to make seriously articles I would state. This is the first time I frequented your website page and thus far? I amazed with the research you made to create this particular publish extraordinary. Excellent job!
— May 15, 2026 @ 01:57
Just wish to say your article is as surprising. The clearness in your post is simply spectacular and i could assume you’re an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the gratifying work.
— May 17, 2026 @ 09:54
I enjoy what you guys are up too. This kind of clever work and exposure! Keep up the awesome works guys I’ve you guys to our blogroll.
— May 18, 2026 @ 12:42
Hey this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
— May 18, 2026 @ 18:50
Hello, Neat post. There is an issue with your website in web explorer, would check this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a huge part of other folks will pass over your excellent writing due to this problem.
— May 20, 2026 @ 03:42
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this fantastic blog! I suppose for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will talk about this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
— May 20, 2026 @ 12:40
Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I?ll definitely comeback.
— May 21, 2026 @ 23:29
Hello my loved one! I wish to say that this article is amazing, nice written and include almost all important infos. I would like to see extra posts like this .
— May 23, 2026 @ 02:49