The Garden Tower 2 is a revolutionary vertical gardening system that allows you to grow up to 50 plants in just 4 square feet of space. It combines a composting core with a soil-based planting system to create an efficient, self-fertilizing garden.
Design and Construction
Here are more details on the design and construction of the Garden Tower 2:
Dimensions and Materials
With a height of 43 inches and a diameter of 24.5 inches, the Garden Tower 2 has a compact footprint yet provides ample growing space. It is made from durable, food-grade, UV-resistant HDPE plastic that is manufactured in the USA to ensure quality and safety.
The empty tower weighs just 36 pounds, making it relatively lightweight and easy to move when not filled with soil. However, once fully planted, it can weigh up to 220 pounds, so anchoring or using the optional caster kit is recommended.
Central Composting Core
A key innovation of the Garden Tower 2 is its central composting core. This 6-inch diameter column runs through the center of the tower and is designed for efficient aeration and nutrient distribution.
Compared to the previous model, the new composting core has 265% more perforations in its walls. These numerous holes allow air to circulate freely and enable nutrients from the vermicompost to easily transfer into the surrounding soil columns where your plants are growing.
The increased aeration also helps maintain the ideal environment for the composting worms that reside in the core, ensuring they can break down kitchen scraps effectively.
Compost Tea Drawer
In addition to providing solid vermicompost from the worm castings, the Garden Tower 2 also produces a nutrient-rich compost tea that collects in the removable drawer at the base.
As you water your plants, the moisture filters down through the vermicompost in the composting core. Nutrients are extracted from the castings, creating a liquid fertilizer solution that drains into the drawer below.
This compost tea can then be diluted with water and used as an additional foliar spray or soil drench to give your plants an extra nutritional boost when needed.
Rotation and Height Adjustment
To ensure your plants receive optimal sunlight exposure, the Garden Tower 2 can rotate a full 360 degrees on an integrated bearing track in its base. This allows you to easily turn the tower to follow the sun’s path throughout the day.
The tower’s planting columns are also designed with stackable rings, giving you the flexibility to adjust the overall height as desired. Adding or removing rings changes the soil volume and number of pockets, allowing you to customize the tower for different plant varieties.
Sturdy Base and Mobility
The wide, reinforced base of the Garden Tower 2 provides excellent stability, even when the tower is fully loaded with soil and plants. The feet can be anchored or weighted down on surfaces like rooftops or patios to prevent tipping.
For those who want to move their garden tower around, an optional caster kit can be added to the base. This allows you to easily roll the 220-pound tower to catch optimal sunlight or move it out of the way when needed.
With its smart design, durable construction, and innovative composting features, the Garden Tower 2 offers a convenient and productive way to grow an abundance of plants in even the smallest of spaces. Its vertical, self-fertilizing system makes gardening easy, sustainable, and accessible to anyone.
How It Works
1. Setting Up the Soil Columns
The outer rings of the Garden Tower 2 are designed to be filled with a high-quality potting soil or soilless growing medium. Leave the central 6-inch diameter core empty, as this will act as the composting column.
For best results, use a well-draining potting mix formulated for vegetable gardens or containers. Avoid using soil directly from your garden, as it may contain weed seeds, pathogens, or poor drainage.
Once the outer rings are filled with soil, gently firm and level the surface to prepare it for planting.
2. Adding Composting Worms
The key to the Garden Tower’s composting capabilities are the worms that will reside in the central core. Specifically, you’ll want to add composting worms like red wigglers or red worms.
Add 1-2 cups of worms (approximately 1,000 worms) directly into the empty composting core. The worms will quickly establish a colony and begin processing any organic material you add.
Be sure to give the worms a few days to acclimate before adding any kitchen scraps. During this time, you can add some moist shredded paper or coir to the core to help retain moisture.
3. Planting Your Garden
With the soil columns and worm colony prepared, you’re ready to start planting your garden! The Garden Tower 2 instruction manual provides a recommended layout for spacing and alternating crops.
Plant seeds directly into the soil columns, or transplant seedlings you’ve started indoors. Pay attention to plant heights and root depths when deciding what to grow where.
Smaller plants like greens, herbs, and radishes can go in the upper rings, while larger vegetables like tomatoes should be planted in the lower rings closer to the nutrient-rich composting core.
4. Adding Kitchen Scraps
Once your plants are established, you can begin adding your kitchen scraps to the composting core for the worms to process. Aim for a ratio of approximately 1 part food scraps to 3 parts carbon-rich bedding like shredded paper or cardboard.
Bury the food scraps under the bedding material to prevent odors and deter pests. The worms will quickly consume the scraps, leaving behind nutrient-dense castings (vermicompost).
Suitable food scraps include fruit and vegetable peels/trimmings, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, and small amounts of grains or bread. Avoid meat, oils, dairy, and overly acidic or salty foods.
5. Nutrient Distribution
The numerous perforations in the composting core allow air to circulate and enable the nutrients from the worm castings to transfer into the surrounding soil columns.
As you water your plants, the moisture absorbs nutrients from the vermicompost. The nutrient-rich water then drains down into the compost tea drawer at the base of the tower.
Your plants’ roots can also grow through the perforations to directly access the nutrients in the composting core.
6. Watering and Compost Tea
The Garden Tower 2 is designed to be watered from the top, allowing the moisture to slowly absorb into the soil and filter down through the worm castings.
As mentioned, this water collects nutrients on its way down and drains into the removable compost tea drawer as a concentrated liquid fertilizer.
You can dilute and use this compost tea as a foliar spray or soil drench to provide an additional nutrient boost to your plants when needed.
7. Rotating for Sun Exposure
For optimal growth, most plants need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. The Garden Tower’s rotating design allows you to turn it throughout the day to follow the sun’s path.
Simply spin the tower on its integrated bearing track to ensure all sides receive sufficient light exposure. This is especially important if you have the tower positioned in a spot that only receives partial sun.
By understanding these key aspects of how the Garden Tower 2 functions, you can maximize its efficiency and grow a bounty of fresh produce in a compact, self-fertilizing system. The combination of soil columns, composting core, and sun tracking creates an easy, sustainable way to garden vertically.
Benefits
Here are more detailed explanations of the key benefits of using the Garden Tower 2 vertical composting garden system:
Compact Footprint for Urban Growing
With a diameter of just 24.5 inches, the Garden Tower 2 has an incredibly small footprint compared to traditional in-ground or raised bed gardens. Yet within this 4 square foot space, you can grow up to 50 plants!
This space efficiency makes the Garden Tower ideal for urban areas, patios, balconies, rooftops, or anywhere with limited gardening room. You can maximize your yields without sacrificing precious outdoor living space.
The tower’s vertical design also helps deter pests like rabbits or groundhogs that can’t easily access the elevated plants.
Closed-Loop Composting System
One of the biggest advantages of the Garden Tower is its ability to recycle your kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich fertilizer for your plants through vermicomposting.
The central composting core provides the perfect environment for composting worms like red wigglers to break down fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and other organic waste from your kitchen.
This closed-loop system reduces the amount of household waste sent to landfills while providing a continuous source of all-natural plant food.
Dual Fertilizer Production
Not only does the Garden Tower produce solid vermicompost from the worm castings, but it also generates a nutrient-dense compost tea that collects in the removable drawer.
As you water your plants, the moisture absorbs nutrients from the vermicompost and drains into the drawer as a concentrated liquid fertilizer.
This compost tea can be diluted with water and used as a foliar spray or soil drench to give your plants an added nutrient boost whenever needed.
Having both solid and liquid vermicompost fertilizers provides flexibility and ensures your plants receive a steady supply of organic nutrients throughout the growing season.
Water Conservation
Thanks to its efficient soil columns and moisture retention capabilities, the Garden Tower 2 requires less frequent watering compared to traditional in-ground gardens.
The tower’s design allows water to slowly absorb into the soil from the top down, minimizing excess runoff or evaporation. The vermicompost also helps retain moisture within the soil columns.
During hot summer months, you may only need to water the Garden Tower every 2-3 days, as opposed to daily watering for in-ground beds. This saves time and conserves water resources.
Accessibility and Ergonomics
With its elevated design, gardening in the Garden Tower 2 requires very little bending, leaning, or kneeling – a major benefit for those with limited mobility.
The tower’s height of 43 inches brings the planting columns to a comfortable working level for most adults. This helps reduce back strain from excessive bending.
The open center column and 360-degree rotation also provide easy access to all sides of the tower without excessive reaching or maneuvering around it.
For those in wheelchairs, the optional caster kit allows you to easily roll the tower to the ideal working height and position.
Durable, Long-Lasting Construction
Built from UV-resistant, food-grade HDPE plastic in the USA, the Garden Tower 2 is designed for years of outdoor use with proper care.
The tower’s sturdy construction can withstand harsh weather conditions, and the materials are guaranteed safe for growing edible plants.
Garden Tower Products backs their system with a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty, so you can invest with confidence.
With its combination of space efficiency, closed-loop composting, dual fertilizers, water conservation, accessibility, and durable construction, the Garden Tower 2 provides an innovative and sustainable solution for urban gardeners or anyone looking to maximize their planting space. Its unique vertical design makes growing your own food easy and productive, even in the smallest of spaces.
What You Can Grow
The Garden Tower 2 can accommodate a wide variety of plants including:
Vegetables
The Garden Tower’s soil columns and composting core provide the ideal environment for growing a bounty of nutritious vegetables:
Tomatoes: Plant cherry, grape, or patio varieties in the lower rings for ample room to trail downwards.
Peppers: All varieties of sweet and hot peppers thrive in the Garden Tower’s nutrient-rich soil.
Beans: Bush, pole, and half-runner beans can be trained up trellises inserted into the planting pockets.
Peas: Snap or garden peas grow well with their climbing tendrils supported by trellises.
Leafy Greens: Lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula and other greens flourish in the upper rings.
Root Crops: Beets, radishes, carrots and other root vegetables can be grown in the lower rings.
Squash: Compact varieties of zucchini and summer squash make good candidates.
Herbs
With its excellent drainage and aeration, the Garden Tower is perfect for growing a wide array of fresh herbs:
Basil: All varieties of basil thrive in the warm, sunny environment.
Cilantro: The ample soil volume prevents cilantro from bolting too quickly.
Parsley: Grows lush and full with the nutrient-rich vermicompost fertilizer.
Mint: Can be contained by planting in a perforated basket within a ring.
Rosemary: Benefits from excellent drainage and aeration in the soil columns.
Thyme: Drought-tolerant thyme loves the warm, sunny tower environment.
Fruits
While larger fruit trees won’t fit, the Garden Tower can accommodate many compact fruiting plants:
Strawberries: Plant strawberries in the upper rings and allow runners to trail down.
Dwarf Citrus: Smaller citrus varieties like limes, lemons or mandarins can be grown.
Grapes: Train grape vines up trellises inserted into the planting pockets.
Raspberries/Blackberries: Cane fruits can be planted in the lower rings and trained upwards.
Flowers
In addition to fruits and veggies, you can beautify your Garden Tower with a variety of flowering annuals and perennials:
Marigolds: Help deter pests while adding bright splashes of color.
Petunias: Trailing petunias add color to the upper rings of the tower.
Zinnias: Easy to grow from seed and available in many colors and varieties.
Nasturtiums: Edible flowers that also help repel pests like aphids.
Geraniums: Do well in the hot, sunny tower environment.
With the Garden Tower’s versatility, you can create an attractive edible landscape by mixing flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables together in creative combinations. The elevated design makes for easy harvesting and maintenance of your bountiful garden.
Bottom Line
With its efficient vertical design, composting capabilities, and ease of use, the Garden Tower 2 is an excellent choice for anyone looking to grow their own fresh, organic produce in a compact space. While the initial cost is higher than basic planters, its long lifespan and self-fertilizing features make it a great investment for avid gardeners.