Carol

Do you want to have your own fruit and vegetable garden, but your backyard doesn’t have enough space? Check out this vertical Garden Tower 2 that has 50 planting pockets where you can grow all sorts of food.

This vertical garden measures almost 4 feet tall. However, the container only takes up 4 square feet of ground space.

Therefore, you can set it up on a patio, deck or even a balcony. You can easily grow your own organic produce at home, even if you live in an urban area.

The Garden Tower is not only conveniently compact and space-efficient, but it’s also very user-friendly.

In other words, you don’t have to be a master gardener to successfully grow your own food at home. The organized pockets also make it more fun and interesting for kids.

Which Plants to Grow in Your Vertical Vegetable Garden?

First of all, the company provides a garden planner that shows you exactly which vegetables and herbs to plant in which pockets for optimal spacing and best growing results. Planting your own “salad garden” can’t get much easier.

Download the planting layout here for free. You can even grow root vegetables like turnips and beets.

Below are some of the vegetables included on their recommended planting list. They also suggest herbs like cilantro, parsley, basil, mint, stevia, oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary, chamomile, garlic and dill.

• Tomatoes
• Cabbage, Radicchio
• Brussels Sprouts
• Eggplant, Summer Squash
• Onions, Leeks
• Beets, Carrots, Turnips, Sweet Potatoes
• Melons, Cucumbers
• Cauliflower, Broccoli
• Bell Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers
• Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Dwarf Kale, Spinach
• Strawberries
• Snap Peas, Green Beans
• Radishes
• Kholrabi
• Celery
• Okra

Note: Put larger plants (ie tomatoes) in the top spaces. You can even add stakes or cages to support taller growth. Plant vining varieties (ie squash, melons, zucchini) in the lower pockets, since they can take advantage of ground area and spread out more (no trellis needed).

How to Set Up Your Garden Tower:

Start by placing the planter in a sunny location on a flat hard surface. The sunshine will maximize plant growth, and the hard surface will prevent the container feet from sinking into the ground.

Next, get potting soil for your planting medium. This will optimize water retention as well as drainage and air flow, resulting in healthier plants with less work.

Assemble the container base, tiers and composting tube. Then, you can fill it with your potting soil (6 cubic feet). Add water, and now it’s time to plant. Get more details (with pictures) in their easy-to-follow instruction guide.

This Planter Composts & Feeds Your Plants Too:

The center vermicompost tube is where you can dispose of kitchen scraps to break down into fertilizer for your plants. This efficient, green system means less garbage for you, and more nutrition for your garden.

To help your kitchen scraps decompose faster, get red wiggler worms. The worms work quickly eating the scraps and leaving rich worm castings behind for nutrient-rich soil.

In addition, excess water will drain into the bottom tray, bring along worm castings and making “worm tea”. Use this liquid as extra fertilizer for your garden, pouring it on top before your next watering.

Note: Although the Garden Tower is designed as a composting planter, you don’t need to add worms in order to grow a garden. Instead, add an organic soil amendment or fertilizer to provide nutrients to your plants.

My Review of the Garden Tower for At-Home Gardening:

I like how this vertical container garden comes as a simple do-it-yourself kit. Just assemble the parts, add soil, seeds/seedlings and keep your plants watered and fed.

You don’t need a lot of space, time, tools or even gardening knowledge. Plus, the Garden Tower doesn’t require electrical power like hydroponic systems do.

Furthermore, you don’t need to worry as much about critters eating your vegetables or weeds overtaking your garden. Vertical gardens offer several advantages if you like low-maintenance gardening.

Of course, the free organic fertilizer from the built-in composter is the icing on the cake. You don’t have to worry about rotating a compost bins and continually adding it to your garden. The Tower (and the worms) do all of that work for you.

Garden Tower VS Greenstalk & Lettuce Grow:

If you like the idea of a vertical or stacking garden for vegetables, lettuce or herbs, you may want to take a look at 2 similar garden kits.

First is the Lettuce Grow Farmstand. This freestanding planter comes in a variety of sizes, where you can grow between 12 and 36 plants in less than 4 square feet of ground space.

However, the Farmstand operated hydroponically without soil. It also requires electricity for the irrigation and timer. This style of gardening allows for less water usage, faster growth and higher nutrition. It also runs on an automatic watering system, so it doesn’t require extra work once it’s up and running.

The Greenstalk Vertical Garden, on the other hand, has a simple design that consists of 5 stacking tiers. It also costs less.

The container features 30 pockets, but if you want to grow larger vegetables, you’ll want to get their support frame accessory.

Also, neither the Farmstand nor the Greenstalk provide the composting feature that comes with the Garden Tower.

Specs for the Vertical Garden Tower 2:

• Dimensions: Size: 43″ Tall & 24.5″ Diameter
• 2 Colors: Terra Cotta or Warm Sandstone
• Material: Food-Safe HDPE Plastic (BPA & PVC free)
• UV Protection: Yes
• Container Weight: 36 lbs
• Weighs ~220 lbs with moist soil
• Soil Capacity: 6 Cubic Feet
• Grows 50 Plants
• 5 Tiers
• Rotates: Yes
• Composts: Yes
• Self-Watering: No
• Electricity Needed: No
• Model: Garden Tower 2
• Instruction Manual
• Brand: GardenTowerProject
• Made in USA
• 5 Year Warranty
• Customer Reviews: 4.8 Out of 5 Stars
• For Sale: Where to Buy the Tower Planter