Garden Tower 2 Vertical Garden Planter 50-Plant Composting Review
![Verdant Garden Tower 2 with a variety of plants and bright flowers in a vertical arrangement.](https://gardenersyards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Garden-Tower-2-Vertical-Garden-Planter-Gardeners-Yards.webp)
The “World’s Most Advanced Vertical Garden Planter.” Discover the innovative world of vertical gardening with the Garden Tower 2 Vertical Garden Planter. Perfect for urban gardeners, this 50-plant composting system revolutionizes how you grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers in small spaces like patios or rooftops.
Crafted from durable, food-grade plastic, the Garden Tower 2 features a unique rotating design for easy access and customizable planting tiers. It’s an efficient, space-saving solution that brings the joy of gardening to any home.
This blog will explore how Garden Tower 2 can transform your gardening experience. We will also look at the advantages of vertical gardening, from saving space to enhancing your environment, and address its challenges.
Overview
The Garden Tower 2 is a 50-plant vertical gardening system that composts to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers organically. It features a rotating design to make access easy from any angle and modular planting rings to customize height.
Made from food-grade and UV-protected plastic components that have a 7-12-year lifespan, even in harsh conditions, the tower aims to enable gardeners to grow crops in a compact, well-built, vertical planter.
With six cubic feet of planting capacity across multiple tiers, it creates an efficient and self-contained ecosystem to compost kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich fertilizer for the integrated garden.
Product Description
Key features and components of the Garden Tower 2 vertical planter include:
- 43” tall x 24.5” broad base
- 36 lb empty weight (~220 lbs filled)
- Six cubic foot soil capacity
- Rotates 360 degrees on integrated bearing
- 50 planting holes across 3-5 tiers
- Plastic UV coating for durability
- Perforated central compost tube
- Drain pan and spout
- Anchorable stabilizing feet
- Modular planting tiers
- Access doors for compost tea
- Optional wheeled caster kit
- 100% made in USA
With a central compost chamber that converts food scraps into plant food, customizable heights, and a slim profile, the Garden Tower 2 makes indoor gardening gardening highly productive.
Pros
- Grows 50 plants in just four sq ft
- On-site composting reduces waste
- UV-protected plastic lasts over a decade
- US-made from food-grade HDPE
- Rotates 360° for easy access
- Stackable planting tiers customize the height
- Compost tea byproducts fertilize plants
- Anchoring feet for stability
- No weeding, electricity, or nutrient loss
- 5-year manufacturer warranty
Cons
- Heavy when filled, hard to move
- Can’t grow extremely tall plants
- Soil compaction over time
- Only kitchen plant waste can be composted
- Relies on red worms and nightcrawler worms to compost matter
- More costly compared to similar units
- Adding compost in small areas can be messy
- Limited customization options
Who Should Use a Garden Tower 2 Planter?
Any gardener who needs to optimize their growing space, whether you have a tiny balcony or a big backyard. Let’s explore who can benefit the most from using these efficient garden setups.
City Dwellers with Limited Space
Vertical gardening is ideal for a city apartment with a small balcony or a tiny patio, as you won’t need much ground space to grow your favorite plants, enabling you to create a mini garden.
People Who Find Bending and Kneeling Hard
Gardening can be demanding on the body. If bending down to tend to plants is difficult, a vertical garden brings the plants up to your level, possibly reducing strain on your back and knees and making it a more comfortable way to enjoy gardening.
Schools and Community Centers
Vertical gardens can be a fun and formative educational tool in schools or community centers, enabling children and community members to learn about gardening in a compact space. Plus, they’re a great way to improve the appearance in common areas.
Restaurants and Cafes
Vertical planters are an excellent solution if you are running a restaurant or cafe and want to grow fresh herbs or vegetables. They fit in small spaces and are easy to manage, making it easier to have fresh ingredients right at your fingertips.
Anyone Looking to Beautify Their Space
Vertical gardens aren’t just for growing food. They also enhance your environment by turning a balcony or small patio into a vibrant area to enjoy
Eco-conscious Gardeners
Vertical gardens are perfect for those passionate about the environment. They help clean the air through photosynthesis, especially if situated inside, and can even provide insulation for your home. Plus, it’s a way to garden that doesn’t use many resources.
How Garden Tower 2 Differs From Other Vertical Gardens
The Garden Tower 2 differentiates itself from other vertical planter products in several ways:
- On-Board Composting: Rather than requiring external compost bins and fertilization, food scraps placed into the tower are converted by red worms into nutrient-rich compost to feed plants.
- Space-Saving Design: The vertical orientation condenses up to 50 varied plants into a four sq ft footprint. No sprawling raised beds are needed.
- Rotating Construction: A rotating track built into the broad base allows easy pivoting of the tower 360 degrees to access plants on all sides.
- Durable Materials: Thick, UV-resistant HDPE plastic protects against environmental exposure, allowing a decade of reliable growing.
- Stackable Tiers: Interchangeable planting tiers enable the control of plants’ total height and spacing as desired at various levels.
- Made in the USA: From materials to manufacturing, the entire Garden Tower 2 production process is based stateside, ensuring reliable quality.
In summary, Garden Tower 2 aims to make vertical gardening achievable on patios or small spaces by packing many crops into a slim, rotational, robust tower.
The Upside of Vertical Gardening: More Greens in Less Space
Vertical gardening is proving popular for its compactness and convenience, and there are many benefits to motivate almost any gardener to consider the Garden Tower 2 system.
Saves Space
In addition to saving space, the positioning of the towers can create privacy on balconies.
Easy to Reach
With vertical gardens, plants are at a higher level and more easily accessible, with less bending and reaching.
Adds Beauty
Garden Tower 2 can create decorative focal points in areas that otherwise would not be suitable for growing plants.
Not just aesthetically pleasing, these plants will make your space feel more peaceful and natural, bringing a piece of nature into your home, patio, balcony or yard.
Good for the Environment
Vertical gardens can benefit our home environment, place of work, and the planet by helping to clean the air, which is an essential environmental consideration, especially in cities with higher pollution rates.
Growing multiple plants is like having a natural air purifier, as plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen.
Can Grow a Variety of Plants
You might think you can only grow small plants in a vertical garden, but that’s not true. You can grow various plants, from tiny succulents to larger vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and strawberries, which grow particularly well in raised planters.
Herbs like basil, chives, parsley,, and cilantro are some of the numerous herbs perfect for vertical gardens. Planted amongst vegetables, herbs act as ‘companion plants’ and help deter flying pests from harming your plants. However, planting flowers will attract pollinating insects, making it an excellent eco-friendly gardening choice.
Start by planting the taller plants and those requiring more sunlight at the top of the tower.
Keeps Pests Away
Another advantage to vertical gardening is that it can help keep ground pests away. When plants are elevated, it’s more challenging for pests such as rabbits or snails to feed on your plants. It will also help prevent some plant diseases that spread in soil.
Easy to Water
With an inbuilt water system, watering couldn’t be easier; just ensure the system is refilled regularly.
Challenges of Vertical Gardening
While vertical gardening is a fantastic way to grow plants in compact spaces, it has some challenges. Understanding these limitations is beneficial to making the most of your Garden Tower 2.
Weight Worries
Garden Tower 2 can be heavy, especially when loaded with soil and water. Before starting, ensure the chosen site meets the demands of this extra-weight load.
Light Distribution
Sunlight is super crucial for plants. Not all plants get the same amount of light in a vertical garden. Those at the top might block the sun from reaching the lower plants.
Think carefully about where to place your Garden Tower 2 and what plants to put at each level.
Plant Choices
Large shrubs and vegetables like carrots and potatoes need more space for root growth. As a vertical garden has limited space, not all plants will be suitable for this method of growing.
Maintenance and Accessibility
As a method of growing more plants within a limited space, regular inspection is essential to ensure no signs of overcrowding or disease.
Siting the tower in a sheltered space and allowing for enough surrounding space to carry out replanting or pruning is advisable.
Cost
A Garden Tower 2 can sometimes be more expensive than other brands, and costs can rise if additional accessories are purchased. However, the initial purchase will include everything needed to get started. It is a robust, quality product backed by a 5-year manufacturer warranty.
Soil and Nutrient Management
A soil moisture indicator will be useful to check moisture levels, but as the tower system has both an inbuilt watering system and a fertilizer dispenser, all that is required is to keep both regularly topped up.
Conclusion
The Garden Tower 2 is a creative and efficient way to grow plants, but it’s essential to be aware of its limitations. Challenges like weight management, ensuring enough sunlight, choosing the right plants, and maintenance are all part of the vertical gardening journey.
Despite these challenges, vertical gardening remains an exciting option, especially for those with limited space. With some planning and creativity, you can overcome these limitations and create a stunning and productive vertical garden. It’s all about finding the right balance and adapting to the unique needs of your vertical space.