Grow Your Own Food With These 8 Garden Tower Selections

Quick Comparison of Our Top 4 Picks!

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• Best For Beginners | EXO| Find on Amazon
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• Best With AI Technology | Gardyn | Find on Wayfair

Garden towers are vertical gardening systems that can grow a surprising number of plants in a small amount of space. An eco-friendly alternative to traditional garden beds, these space-saving planters use less water and make growing fresh food easier (and more fun) than you think while supporting your healthy lifestyle. Placed on a balcony, patio, or sunny corner of your kitchen, they're an excellent gardening solution for apartment dwellers and homes with limited outdoor space.

In this brief overview of tower gardens, we're breaking down need-to-know info, reviewing popular products, and sharing helpful tips for first-time vertical gardeners. Plus, we'll offer step-by-step instructions for a DIY garden tower project.

What is a tower garden?

A tower garden is a vertical gardening system that allows you to grow a variety of plants in a small space, such as a balcony or patio. Most consist of a tall, cylindrical plastic tower (around four to six feet tall) with multiple levels of planting pots or trays. Filled with soil and placed in a sunny location, they can grow a wide range of vegetables, herbs, flowers, small plants, and other plants.

Designed with urban gardening in mind, tower gardens are an excellent option for apartments and homes without a proper yard. They're also a great solution for those who want to grow their own food but may not have access to a traditional garden plot. With proper care and maintenance, a garden tower can provide a sustainable source of fresh produce and beautiful plants for years to come.

Some garden towers are designed to be self-sustaining, reducing the amount of time and effort it takes to grow greater yields of your favorite organic produce. Water is stored in the base of the tower and is gradually released to the plants on each level through a drip irrigation system. The plants are also fed by a composting system located at the top of the tower, which breaks down food scraps into nutrient-rich compost.

The 8 best garden towers

The Lettuce Grow Farmstand 36-Plant Hydroponic Growing System is a revolutionary way to grow fresh produce at home. Its compact size, efficient design features, and easy-to-use controls make it our go-to pick for anyone looking to grow their own organic fruits and veggies. The six-foot-tall garden tower can accommodate up to 36 plants, allowing you to grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, or flowers at once.

Its hydroponic system grows plants using nutrient-rich water rather than soil, allowing for faster plant growth, higher yields, and more efficient use of space. A built-in LED lighting system provides the necessary light spectrum for plant growth, while a circulation system keeps the water fresh and fully oxygenated. It also has a smart controller that allows you to monitor and adjust the temperature, humidity, and pH levels of the water.

The Mr. Stacky 5-Tier Stackable Garden Planter is a convenient way to grow your own organic strawberry plants. Its space-saving stackable design allows you to create a self-sustaining vertical garden that can be placed on your balcony, patio, or even indoors. Made from high-quality, UV-resistant resin, it's durable and easy to maintain.

Each tier of the planter has its own water reservoir, allowing you to water each plant individually. This feature helps conserve water while ensuring each plant gets the right amount of hydration. A self-watering system prevents over-watering and helps busy (and forgetful) gardeners grow their favorite fruits and vegetables with minimal effort. Purchase a second set of planting tiers and a support pole to double your strawberry harvest without wasting any additional space.

The Click & Grow Wall Farm Indoor Vertical Garden is an innovative way to grow your own fresh produce indoors year round. Its unique Smart Soil technology ensures plants receive the perfect amount of nutrients and oxygen at a root level, while an automatic watering system and LED lights further optimize growing conditions.

But the Wall Farm isn't just convenient. It's eco-friendly too. The hydroponic system uses less water and energy than traditional gardening methods, and it reduces the need for pesticides and herbicides. With its help, you'll be able to grow healthy organic vegetables 365 days a year, beginning with the 54 complimentary plant pods included in the starter bundle.

This affordably-priced 5-Tier Vertical Garden Planter from GreenStalk makes an excellent choice for growing herbs. Each garden tower is manufactured in the USA from high-quality polypropylene plastic that's BPA-free and UV-resistant. Just fill it with five cubic feet of your favorite potting mix, and you're ready to start planting. While its space-saving design is ideal for a backyard herb garden, it can grow a variety of other fruits and vegetables too, including strawberries, leafy greens, and peppers.

GreenStalk's patented watering system makes it easy to maintain happy, healthy plants with minimal effort. Simply fill the top water reservoir to the 5-tier mark, and it'll self-water all of the tiers below. Unlike other models, each level will receive the same amount of water. With 30 air pockets, you can mix and match your favorite fruits and vegetables. Even larger vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini, corn, and peppers can be successfully grown.

Don't think you have enough of a green thumb to grow your own food? The EXO Garden Tower Hydroponic Growing System will make you think again! It utilizes hydroponics, a method of growing plants in water rather than soil, and a closed-loop system that recycles and reuses water and nutrients for a lower environmental impact.

The space-saving, modular EXO Garden Tower is made from durable, high-quality materials. It features a built-in LED light system that provides optimal light for plant growth, as well as a water pump and filtration system to ensure that your plants receive the necessary hydration. Offered in four versatile sizes, it's a practical addition to any home.

This rotating Garden Tower 2 is the ultimate tower you need to grow your own food while it handles your compost. With a built-in composter, you can turn kitchen scraps into organic fertilizer to grow your produce while replicating a natural ecosystem to allow plants to access nutrients recycled through the composting processes.

An upgrade from the original Garden Tower, Garden Tower 2 has a 360-degree rotating capability, and it is Made of 100% UV-stable food-grade high-purity HDPE plastic in the USA. With this Garden Tower, you can grow 50 plants in 4 square feet nearly anywhere, and perfect for nearly any vegetables, herbs, or flowers.

With this Aerospring 27-Plant Vertical Hydroponics Indoor Growing System, growing vegetables, herbs, and other plants year-round just got a whole lot easier. Not to mention, it is a stylish and beautiful addition to any style home. Measuring 1 meter wide and 1.9 meters tall, it can fit just about any space and nook. With this indoor growing system, you can grow healthy, nutritious, sustainable, and pesticide-free food with great taste.

Whether you are an experienced hydroponic gardener or new, this growing system is intuitive and uncomplicated, focusing primarily on productivity. With this growing kit, you can grow indoors during the winter months and move it outdoors during warmer months to maximize growth. It comes with a tent, wheelbase, bucket, and tower. You can grow 27 plants, and it is easy to set.

With Gardyn Hydroponics Growing System Indoor Garden with Full AI Technology, you can produce food in just weeks. Unlike the other hydroponic growing system, the Gardyn home kit can grow 30 plants year-round. With a paid membership, you can control the light and water schedule via an app, monitor water level, vacation mode, time lapse to view your plant's growth, and more.

Gardyn requires no water lines and just powder and wifi. You can grow 30 plants with the seed starter kit, and it uses 95% less water than a traditional outdoor garden. With only 5 feet tall, you can place this kit just about anywhere.

Can I make my own tower garden?

Gardeners with a free afternoon and a set of power tools can build their own planter with this easy DIY garden tower project. You'll need the following materials to build your own hydroponic vertical garden:

1. A large plastic container or barrel measuring at least 3 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter

2. A drill with a hole saw attachment

3. A water pump and tubing

4. A timer for the water pump

5. A growing medium suitable for a hydroponic growing system, such as rockwool, perlite, or coconut fibers

6. Seeds or seedlings

Before you start your DIY garden tower project, you'll want to find a suitable location for your planter. It should receive ample sunlight and provide easy access to a water source. Once you've finalized your location and gathered your supplies, it's time to start building:

Step 1

Start by drilling holes in the sides of the plastic container or barrel, about 6 inches apart and 6 inches from the bottom. These holes will allow the plants to grow and access the water and nutrients in the tower garden.

Step 2

Insert the water pump and tubing into the bottom of the container or barrel. Connect the timer to the water pump according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Step 3

Fill the container or barrel with the growing medium, leaving about 4 inches of space at the top.

Step 4

Plant your starter plugs or seeds according to the recommendations for the specific plants you have chosen. Water them to double-check that the water pump and timer are functioning correctly.

As the plants grow, prune and train them to grow up the sides of the tower garden, allowing them to reach their full growth potential without wasting precious planter space. Monitor the water levels of your tower garden, adding more as needed. Ensure that the plants are getting enough light, food scraps, and water to thrive. With proper care and attention, your tower garden will soon be thriving with a variety of healthy plants. Enjoy the fruits of your labor by harvesting and eating the plants you have grown.

What grows best in a garden tower?

Some of the best plants to grow in a garden tower include herbs, leafy greens, and small vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. These plants are well-suited to growing in a small, contained space, and they can be grown vertically to take up less room.

It is important to choose plants that are suitable for your local climate and soil conditions, as well as those that will thrive in the specific conditions of your garden tower. Some plants, like lettuce and spinach, prefer cooler temperatures and may do better in a shaded location, while others, like tomatoes and peppers, need plenty of sunlight to thrive.

You'll also want to consider the watering needs of your plants when selecting what to grow in your garden tower. Some plants, like tomatoes, need a lot of water, while others, like herbs, are more drought-tolerant. Make sure to choose plants that will be able to thrive in your garden tower's specific watering conditions.