Come check out the Garden Tower!

Lucy Carlstedt - Hamilton SWCD Conservation Intern

What is a Garden Tower? Located at the front entrance of our building, you will see a tiered terracotta-themed planter with a variety of produce and herbs. This is called the Garden Tower 2™, which features 50 different planting “cells”, presenting endless opportunities for virtually any type of plant, vegetable, or fruit you may desire. Additionally, there is a chamber that runs from the top level to the bottom, where you can put compost through the top and it will disperses down and throughout to nurture the plants.

​At first glance it may seem tedious to water each plant, but the truth is that it’s a lot easier! You generously water all around the top tier and the existing plants intake exactly what they need. The remaining water filters down, and the process is repeated in each layer until it reaches the bottom. To ensure you’re providing enough water, check the bottom rows of the tower for dehydration and viability of the plants. This makes the upkeep very simple and practical. 

Top view of the Garden Tower.

How can I get one started? ​A Garden Tower is very similar to your average garden bed, but with a larger price tag so it is not a necessary purchase. There are many less expensive alternatives that you can succeed with. These steps can be applied to any planting medium as well as plant or seed type. Depending on how your green your thumb is, one route is to start the seeds indoors, which is what I did in the spring. In years past, we’ve also purchased seedlings and transplanted them into the tower. If you’re an intrigued beginner such as myself, I’ll let you in on the guidelines I followed: 

1. Materials: We purchased a variety of 14 types of seeds, a seed starter tray, and 4 biodegradable pots for any seedlings that outgrow the starter tray faster than the others, and we decided that no herbicides or fertilizers will be used. With the understanding that not all seeds survive, not all seeds start at the same time, and there are 50 planting sites, we wanted to be prepared for all outcomes. 
2. Planning: The seed packets provided the time frame to plant them indoors, with respect to the day of the last frost. So, on my calendar I made sure to document the time frames for each seed type and which ones I can start indoors in the starter seed tray. Some seeds said 6 to 8 weeks while others were 8 to 10 before the last frost. So, in the end I planned to start 7 types in the starter tray. 
3. Indoor planting: With very minimal knowledge of gardening, I was able to use these first indoor seeds as my “guinea pigs”. I was able to gauge if I watered too much or not enough, as well as to induce the humidity with the provided humidity lid, or if I needed to tilt the lid for more oxygen. I noticed that my jellybean tomato and bell pepper seedlings were out growing the others and decided to move them over to the biodegradable pots and keep them indoors with the other seedlings. This made it easier for the transplanting process.  
4. ​Outdoor planting: Once it was time for all the indoor seeds to go outside, and the weather was warm enough for the rest of the seeds, I planted and transplanted everything to the tower. There were some other seedlings there from years past that I had left so I could see their turnout, which mainly ending up being weeds. However, I marked the outside of the cells and transplanted the seedlings over to the tower while also planting some of the seeds from the indoor types to see the success rate of the same type of plant either started indoors or outdoors. 
5. Maintenance: Now, we are watching the seedlings grow and react to their newfound environment, as well as watching out for dehydration and developing vegetables. The tower is watered by our judgement, but also at a minimum of once a week. Often, I will go out and check on the plants to make sure they are remaining in their space and are in good health, as we won’t be able to harvest the vegetables and herbs until the end of the summer.  

Seed starter tray

Side view of Garden Tower

What now? ​Whether you decide to utilize the garden tower, a garden bed, or even start just one potted plant to try it out, anyone can do it! Gardening is a fun way to challenge and improve your skills, and you can watch yourself grow as a gardener as your plants grow too. It may seem overwhelming, so please stop by for more details, questions, and to check out our garden!  

For more information, see this website:  https://www.gardentowerproject.com/pages/how-it-works