Lifestyle

Tower Gardening: A Guide for Beginners

I’ve been thinking a lot about growing a garden when we move back to our home. Growing some vegetables sounds like a lot to fun; but, I don’t have a green thumb! I’ve found the following information to be useful, and hope to be able to do something like this.

 Tower gardening is quickly becoming popular. It allows you to grow your own food at home. If you don’t have much space where you live, then a tower garden would be a perfect way to grow your own vegetables!

What is a Tower Garden?

A tower garden is a type of upright garden, that you use to grow food organically. A tower garden does not require soil, so you can grow fresh, rich in nutrients foods.

You can grow a large variety of plants up and down, which will save on space. Because a tower garden requires no soil, you can place your tower garden on a roof, patio, or balcony. If you have a small yard, a tower garden is a great space saver.

Tower gardens are alluring and can contribute a practical way to enhance a small space.  

Prices and safety concerns of produce rising are quickly erased by growing a tower garden, and it is a wise investment that will pay off. They’re perfect for anyone who’s interested in growing organic food for their family.

What are the benefits of a Tower Garden?

There are obvious benefits of growing your own food in a small space with a tower garden. There is a big pay-off when it comes to gardening. If you’ve ever grown food in the soil, you will enjoy the simplicity of a tower garden.

When you grow vegetables, using no soil, you can get rid of most garden pests. Because there’s no soil in a tower garden, most insects that would attack your plants won’t be an issue. You may from time to time have to deal with insects, but it will be on a much lesser scale.

Who loves to weed their garden? I know I wouldn’t! While it’s not unreasonable for weeds to make their way to your garden, you will find that there are not as many than you would have in a conventional garden. If you live in an area that has rabbits or moles, a tower garden will be a perfect way to keep them from destroying your fruits and vegetables.

Because tower gardens grow vertically, there will be less arching and sagging than you would have when working with a typical garden bed. If you have back or knee problems, this will be extremely helpful.

Tower gardens are additionally a money-saving way to grow your own food. The upfront cost of equipment may be a little pricey, but you won’t have to splurge much after that. The money you’ll save buying produce will more than pay for the cost of the garden.

Tower gardening allows your food to grow to maturity quicker than it would in soil. Less time to enjoy more food is a win-win for anyone!

How Does a Tower Garden Work?

A tower garden is made of a large plastic column that allows for water to flow throughout it. Inside the plastic column, a pump manages water by moving over the roots of the plants that you grow.

The tower garden also has a cistern that consists of liquid fertilizer that aids plants to get the nutrients they need so that they can have continuous growth. Sunlight is still critical so that they can develop and grow.

When you initially invest in a tower garden kit, you will have to assemble it. The process is simple and isn’t time-consuming. You will have to grow your seedlings individually, as they come with a seed starting kit to help you with that part of it.

Once the seedlings mature enough to be transferred, you can add them to your tower garden. After that, some routine maintenance to care for your plants.

Your water will require testing in your tower garden to make sure the pH is correct. Cleaning the filter that keeps bits and fragments out of the pump will need to be checked and conducted accordingly. A quick check for weeds or insect problems will need to be done, though these are rare.

It should only take a few weeks, to be able to harvest vegetables and greens from your garden. You can use them immediately in your kitchen. You will soon have fresh produce just outside your door!

How much does a Tower Garden cost?

Your best bet is to search for reputable sites, such as Amazon for prices and contents. A quick Google or Bing search could help with getting started.

You will want a tower that will give you enough space to grow up to 20 different plants. Extensions that allow you to plant up to 28 different plants are available. Getting acclimated with one tower is a great way to get started and become more knowledgeable.

If you have a large family to cook for, it might be in your best interest to purchase more than one tower. Searching for the availability of Tower Garden Family Garden packages will save you money by purchasing two or more towers at once. You can also buy supplies independently if you require extra accessories or restoration items. If you live in a cold climate, you may have to purchase a heater so that you can still grow in cooler temperatures.  

I imagine people wonder if a tower garden is worth the initial costs. A quick trip to the supermarket will tell you everything you need to know when it comes to cost and quality.  You can for a fraction of the cost make your own tower garden

What Can be grown in a Tower Garden?

A tower garden gives you a lot of options to grow a wide variety of foods. Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, lettuce, peas, and spinach can be grown in a tower garden.

tower garden

Want to add some sweetness to your garden? You can also grow tomatoes, strawberries, and melons!

tower garden

I am looking forward to planting fresh herbs, as they’re quite pricey at the store. A tower garden would be a blessing to enjoy my favorites. There is nothing like fresh herbs!. Basil, chives, cilantro, cumin, dill, lavender, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme can all be grown in a tower garden, but you can grow just about any type of herb.

tower garden

If growing flowers is your preference, or you just want to add a few flowers in your vegetable garden, there are several flowers that will grow well in your garden. You can plant marigolds, salvia, pansies, and sunflowers with enormous success.

tower garden

If you love gardening, or, if you’re a beginner like me, you’ll be delighted to know that you can grow almost anything you could grow in a conventional garden, taking up less space and using fewer natural resources. You’ll also be harvesting a large crop in no time.

Is Tower Gardening Organic?

A fundamental rule of organic gardening is the use of soil, and tower gardening is restricted to organic gardening because it doesn’t use soil. However, you won’t need herbicides and pesticides by using this garden.

It is important to add a fertilizer solution to the plant roots because there is no soil to get nutrients. Because this type of gardening yields less space and requires less natural resources than traditional gardening, it’s a perfect garden for your family, especially if you’re wanting a more eco-friendly setup.

How Will Produce Taste from a Tower Garden?

If you’ve ever had fresh food from a garden and you miss it, or if you’ve never had fresh food from a garden, you’ll be amazed when you take that first bite of something you’ve grown.  By the time the store you regularly shop at gets the produce grown commercially, it’s been harvested for days, weeks, and even months. This greatly affects the quality and taste.

Food in local supermarkets is often picked before it’s ripened to lengthen its shelf life. When you eat food that you’ve grown at home, you can pick it when the food is ready and you’ll be able to encounter a new level of flavor.

Fresh is best! If you enjoy distinct flavors in vegetables or fruits, you’ll find those flavors are enhanced when you eat produce that you’ve personally grown. Tomatoes will be sweeter, peppers will have strong layers of flavor and berries will be juicier.

Once you’ve tasted produce from your own tower garden, you will never get produce from the grocery store again! If you grow more food than you can eat in a short time, there are several ways to preserve those fresh flavors, like canning.

Is the Plastic in a Tower Garden Safe?

This is a big concern that people have when deciding on buying and using a tower garden that is made of plastic. Plastic can seep chemicals into the surrounding water and soil if it gets heated.

Great news! This class of plastic is treated with a UV protector that helps keep it from deteriorating. 

You can be at ease knowing that your garden will grow healthy produce that will be unaffected by chemicals that leach from the plastic because of this assurance. The plastic also helps keep the roots of your plants cool and restricts the growth of algae.

Can Children Enjoy a Tower Garden?

Being a grandparent of small children, I look forward to spending time with my grandkids in the garden, like my grandparents did when I was little. Gardening is one of the best ways to encourage children to eat healthy foods by allowing them to have a role in growing it. Tower gardens are a perfect way to introduce children to the world of food production via gardening.  

Many kids who grow up in urban areas have no idea where food really comes from. They simply see it at the store and some even believe that it’s made in factories.  

A tower garden is perfect for urban areas to give kids who live in a city the ability to see how food is grown and to enjoy the process. It’s a good idea to let kids choose some different varieties to grow and watch what happens.

This is a great way to bring healthier foods to your table and give your children an education about safe and environmentally responsible food production.

Tower Gardening Is Healthy Gardening

Now that you understand some basics about a tower garden, it’s important to also understand the health benefits for you and your family. Many people don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables. This is sometimes because of the cost, but it’s also about the flavor.

When you grow your own food, you’ll be saving money and you’ll have foods that are better in flavor. You’ll spend less time and energy on grocery shopping and more time enjoying food that grows outside your back door.

You’ll also be able to enjoy food that’s free from toxins. Many researchers suggest that pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers can cause problems with inflammation, weight gain, cancer, and auto-immune diseases.

When you grow your own food, you can eliminate anything that you don’t feel is safe. The fertilizer used for this system comes from minerals, rather than harsh chemicals that can be dangerous.

The time that it takes food to travel from a large farm to a grocery store produce section is time for the nutrition to dwindle. When you eat fresh food from your garden, you’re getting more vitamins and minerals than supermarket produce provides.

You may have thought you could never have a garden because of limited space or the inability to bring in soil, but a tower garden makes it possible to have a garden in any area that receives sunlight. You can also add a grow light if your patio doesn’t get at least four hours of sun each day.

A tower garden is a cost-effective way to enjoy fresh produce throughout the year. You’ll enjoy the ease of use, the speed of growth, the fresh flavor and the nutritional quality of the foods you eat.

Are you a pro when it comes to gardening? Have you ever heard of tower gardening? Would this be something you’d consider as an alternative?

 
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Rog Willis

Husband, father to 3 kids, Papa to 2 grandkids. I love rock music (mostly), travel, and social media. I am currently a Manager at Dunkin Donuts so my wife Becky (previously owner of What U Talking Bout Willis) has been holding down my website for me. She has over 15 years experience online so I know you are in good hands.

104 thoughts on “Tower Gardening: A Guide for Beginners

  • This is such a great idea for those with a small space, we have been planning converting parts of our garden into some raised planters for veggies as I hate relying on the shops for things – especially with how the world is at the minute.

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    • I can’t agree more! While we have tons of space at our house, I still would like to create a tower garden

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    • Tower gardening looks like so much fun. I’d love to grow a variety of herbs in one! I love plants in my home.

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      • It’s very easy to grow in a tower garden! I personally think these were designed for the novice gardener!

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  • I have never heard of a tower garden before, but do love the idea of it, there really is nothing nicer than home grown produce

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    • I agree that homegrown produce is the best

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  • I’ve never heard about tower gardening. It seems like a good solution for a small garden. I wonder if it can be done on a balcony?

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    • Yes, it can! They’re perfect for small spaces!

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  • This is really interesting, I’ve not thought about tower gardening before but it would be perfect for all different sort of consumable plants and perfect within the smaller space we have.

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    • An excellent choice for anyone who wants to grow their own, PLUS anyone can do this! Very user-friendly

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  • One of my friend lives in an apartment and has the tower garden set up, she is successfully growing lots of different types of vegetables and shares the photos with us

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    • That’s so cool! Bonus is she can be your resident expert on how to get started!

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  • A tower garden sounds perfect for us. Although we have a garden, we live in a rented property so we are restricted as to what we can do. We currently have some chilli seeds planted in soil in some plant pots on our living room windowsill!

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    • Awesome! I hope you’ll find the perfect tower garden!

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  • I’ve not come across a tower garden before but it sounds perfect for those with a limited outdoor area or even for those with mobility problems.

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    • I agree that it’s a perfect choice! There are so many options out there to choose from

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  • I love the idea of a tower garden when you’re limited on space, so this sounds like a great option. And to be honest I love the idea of no soil x

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    • It’s a really cool concept!

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  • This sounds like a really lovely idea. We live in a flat so are limited spacewise so I’d need to check and see if there’s an option that would suit us. The kids would love to grow their own flowers, fruit and veg.

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    • Check Amazon! I know they offer a variety and I’m sure there will be one that will suit your needs

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    • Thank you for some great tips.

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  • I want to plant more now I am home – I want to start with herbs and then move on. These sound and look like a great idea. Also growing flowers – that is so good and would love to grow them

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    • I think that’s a great idea and a great place to start! I’m getting excited to begin some gardening, and I plan on trying my hand at tower gardening for herbs!

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      • I would love to have a Tower Garden in the backyard. Thanks for the ideas.

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      • I have never heard of a tower garden. I will try it.

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  • Sounds very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

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    • You’re welcome! I hope that you find a tower garden to suit your needs!

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  • I’ve never used a tower garden but have thought of it. I use EarthBoxes which use soil but have a black tarp over so no weeds! I also love that I cannot overwater it!

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  • I’d love to grow my own veggies. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  • I have to admit, the idea of gardening this way fascinates me. I really want to try this. This might be the year!

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      • I would love to try tower gardening. I don’t have a green thumb. I have tried gardening outside but without any success.

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  • I’ve always had somewhat of a garden every year and I was honestly think of Tower gardening this year. I have plenty of ground space, but in the country I tend to loose a lot of my produce because of animals.

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    • I overlooked animal deterrent! Good catch! Now I need to update my post! Thanks for noting that

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  • I enjoyed reading about tower gardening. I can imagine I am one of many that are trying to figure out how to be more self reliant for vegetables these days.

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    • A lot of people already do gardening as a means to cut cost of buying produce and to know what’s going in their fruits and vegetables. I feel this may become a way of life for many, considering the crisis we’re all facing.

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  • Oh I love how you can grow Strawberries in the Tower Garden, something we don’t usually grow in our main garden during the summer time, but great delicious tomatoes.

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  • I have never tried a tower garden before but it sounds interesting and I live in a spot with hardly no land I may try one .

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  • Great idea! I live in an apartment without balcony. This would be great for parents to do

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  • I’d never heard of tower gardening before so this is a really helpful guide. We only have a small garden so I think it would be great for us.

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  • I don’t have much space or a green thumb either. But I love homegrown veggies. A tower garden may be the perfect thing for me!

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  • Pingback: 5 Tips to Save You Money when Gardening ⋆ Life as Rog

  • I have never heard of a tower garden before but it looks and sounds quite interesting. Thanks for sharing.

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    • You’re welcome! I think a tower garden is the way to go!

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  • I wish I had my own yard. I would love to grow a garden like this.

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    • You really don’t need a yard! You can grow a tower garden on your balcony or front porch! They don’t require much space at all!

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  • The weather is warming up. I might actually try this.

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  • Heard so much about these Tower Gardens lately.

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  • I have not heard of a tower garden before but it sounds a great idea. The kids love growing food

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    • It is a really neat concept! I think the kids would love this!

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  • I would love to grow a tower garden. This is really great information for getting one started.

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    • I appreciate the comment! I hope you grow one. I think you’ll be amazed!

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  • This would be perfect for me because we dont have much space.

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    • I think you would love the simplicity and just how perfect it will fit!

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  • They’re perfect for small spaces. Thanks.

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  • These are truly great! We have used them before

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    • That’s awesome! I want to add one or more of these when we move into our house!

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  • We have a lot of animals and kids in our area that always find their way into my yard and garden so this would be great.

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    • Yes! This would be perfect for just that reason! I’m going to utilize some tower gardens in the Fall and Winter to grow some vegetables when I can’t outside!

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  • I like the idea of vertical or tower gardening. I think strawberry plants would be excellent crop for this type of setup.

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  • This is the first I have hears of this, what a great idea!

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    • I was surprised when I saw it too! It’s a very neat concept

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  • I’ve considered it, however my plant beds are too large and tend to weigh a lot!

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  • Thank you for all the info. This is a great idea for my vegetable garden!

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    • You’re welcome! I think you’ll love the many options that are out there!

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  • This is such an awesome idea! It seems like a good solution. I currently have some herbs in a windowsill garden

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  • This is latest planting I am doing. I loved this post! I am also starting all mine from seeds.

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    • That’s awesome! I hope that you have a bountiful harvest if you’re planting fruits and vegetables!

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  • I really like the idea and have seen some of my neighbors use it, but have never tried it myself. They grew strawberries last year.

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    • Tower gardens are very versatile! You can grow both fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers for color

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  • We have a neighborhood garden in our cul-de-sac

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  • This is such a great idea for those with a small space!

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  • Great tips, I would love to try and do this!

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  • This guide to tower gardens is very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

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  • This is very interesting.. I have to try this!!

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  • Thanks for posting this information! I have been curious about tower gardens for a while!!

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    • You’re welcome! I hope you found the information handy and useful

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  • I’ve been thinking of trying this. My knees and back just ain’t what they used to be, lol. I think you’re right about this being easier on the knees.

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  • I have issues too with my back and knees. It’s like tower gardens were made for us!

    Reply
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