🌿 Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your First Tower Garden HOME

Welcome to the wonderful world of Tower Gardening! 🎉 Whether you're dreaming of fresh herbs on your kitchen counter or juicy tomatoes just steps from your dinner table, the Tower Garden HOME makes growing your own produce indoors easier than ever—no green thumb required. 🌱✨

Ready to get started? Let’s walk through how to set up your Tower Garden HOME from box to bounty!

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🧰 What You’ll Need

Before we dive in, here’s what to grab:

• Your Tower Garden HOME (obviously 😄)
  
  
• A flat surface near a water source
  
  
• Access to power for the pump
  
  
• Your seedling starter kit (or seedlings)
  
  
• Tower Garden LED Grow Lights (optional but required if growing inside)
  
  
• A helper (optional but fun!)

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🛠️ Step 1: Unpack and Organize

Start by unpacking your Tower Garden HOME kit. Lay out all the pieces and check them against the instructions. You should see:

• Reservoir base and lid
• Tower sections (3)
• Baby Greens sections (2)
• Shower cap and lid
• Pump & timer
• Swivel hose
• Access Port Lid
• Water Monitor
• Support rods 23"(2) and 15" (2)
• Wingnuts, bolts and washers
• And a few other fun bits!

If growing inside, you'll also need the Tower Garden LED Grow Lights

• LED Light Base
• LED lamps (4)
• Cord Conduit

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💧 Step 2: Position Your Tower Garden

Your Tower Garden HOME is perfect for indoors—but placement matters! Choose a spot that:

• Stays between 65–85°F (18–29°C)
• Has access to a power outlet
• Won’t get bumped or knocked over
• Remember, out of sight = out of mind!

Top Tip: You'll need your grow lights on for 14-16 hours of grow light time daily, so bear that in mind.

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🧱 Step 3: Assemble the Base

Now for the fun part! 

• Attach the wheels to the bottom of the reservoir using a 13mm wrench, being careful not to overtighten.  

• Use a level to make sure your base is even (this helps water flow properly!).
  
  
• Set the pump near the edge inside the reservoir (not in the center).
  
  
• Connect the blue tubing to the bottom of the reservoir lid, where the threaded fitting is located.
  
  
• Tighten it finger tight—snug, but not too tight.
  
  
• Connect the other end of the blue tubing to the pump.

🧵 Pump cord setup:

• Place the cord in the notch in the reservoir base when you put the lid on.
  
  
• Tie a loop (or small knot) in the pump cord just before it exits the reservoir—this helps stop water from running down the cord and reaching your electrical outlet. Safety first! ⚠️⚡💦

☀️ Sunlight Tip:
Make sure your Tower Garden is located in a spot that receives at least 5 hours of direct sunlight (8 or more if you are growing fruiting crops) per day if outside. 

💡Light Tip:
You'll need the Tower Garden LED Grow Lights on for 14-16 hours continuously, during daylight hours when growing inside for the best results, so consider this when deciding on it's location!

💡 Make sure the cord can reach your timer and outlet!

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🏗 Step 4: Assemble the Tower

• First, install the support rods by inserting them into the holes marked A on the reservoir lid.
• Secure each rod using a washer and wingnut as shown below 👇

Now let’s stack it up! ⬆️

• Take the next growing pot and feed the support rods through the holes marked B.
  
  
• Gently push down on the center tube to ensure a snug fit.
  
  
• Repeat again for the last two regular growing pots, alternating through the holes marked A and B.

• Take the 15" support rods and unscrew the wingnuts on the end.
  
  
• Screw the 15" support rods on to the support rods in the Tower as shown below 👇
  

• Take the baby green growing pot and feed the support rods through the holes.
  
  
• Gently push down on the center tube to ensure a snug fit.
  
  
• Repeat again for the last baby green growing pot.
  
• Add the shower cap and push down in the center to ensure a snug fit. Secure with the wingnuts and put the shower cap lid on to finish.

• Finally, insert the net pots by pinching them slightly and placing them into the regular growing ports on the tower. This helps them slide in easily and stay snug. There's no need to put net pots into the baby greens ports!

• Take the water monitor stick and screw it into the float.
  
  
• Carefully feed the assembled water monitor through the access port and through the water monitor hole. You may need to lift the reservoir lid to feed it through.
  
  

• Finally, using a screwdriver, secure the lid to the reservoir with the 3 bolts and wingnuts and put the Access port lid on.
  
  

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💧 Step 5: Fill with Water & Nutrients

Your Tower Garden HOME holds approximately 13 gallons when filled to within 3 inches of the lid.

🚱 Important water tips:

• Do not use softened water—it contains salts that can harm your plants.
  
  
• It’s best to use filtered tap water to remove chlorine and chloramine, which can stress plants. An inexpensive filter like this can be used.
  
  
• RO (reverse osmosis) water is also fine, but it’s not necessary unless your water is particularly hard or problematic.

🚿 Now it's time for nutrients—but just a little to start!

• Since you're starting with seedlings, they don't need full-strength nutrients.
  
  
• Add half-strength Mineral Blend:
  ➡️ 10ml of Mineral Blend A and 10ml of Mineral Blend B per gallon of water.
  ➡️ For a full 13 gallons, that’s 130ml of A and 130ml of B.
  
  
• Mix well to ensure nutrients are evenly distributed.
  
  
• Use your pH test kit to check the water, and adjust if needed (ideal range: 5.5–6.5).
  
• Lower the pH by using a teaspoon to a tablespoon of pH-, or raise the pH by using a teaspoon to a tablespoon of pH+. Ensure the solution is mixed well before re-testing.

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⏱ Step 6: Set Up the Timer

Keeping your pump on the right watering cycle is key to happy, healthy plants! Here's how to set up your timer depending on which model you have:

🔌 Digital Timer

This timer comes pre-programmed, so setup is super easy!

• Plug the pump into the timer, and then plug the timer into your outlet.
• Press the gray mode button on top to toggle between:
  • I for indoor growing
  • O for outdoor growing

That’s it! The timer will automatically run the pump:

• Indoors: 3 minutes ON / 45 minutes OFF
• Outdoors: 3 minutes ON / 12 minutes OFF

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💡 Step 7: Install Grow Lights (Optional but required for indoor growing)

• Remove the shower cap lid and slide the light unit inside the shower cap, aligning the timer with the access port lid so that the cord runs down the back of the tower.
  
  
• Bend the light arms down towards the Tower.

• Connect the wire terminals and snap the lamp and arm together.  Repeat this for the remaining 3 lamps.
  
  
• Ensure the lamps face the tower and adjust them so that are equally spaced.
  
  

• Separate the two halves of the conduit and trim to the height of the four regular growing pots as shown in the image below.
  
  
• Use the velcro to attach the conduit to the tower.  Feed the cord through the conduit and snap the cover on it.
  
  

⏲ Setting the Timer:

The built-in timer is a 24-hour timer with 15-minute interval settings

• Rotate the dial clockwise, making the arrow point to the current time. 
  i.e. if it's 9am point the arrow to 9 as shown below.

• Push the pins outward for the times you want the lights to be on. 
  
  
• Slide the switch to the clock symbol and the timer will function.  When the switch is on I the lights will be on continuously.
  
  
• Set the grow lights to be on during daylight hours to mimic a natural growing rhythm—around 14–16 hours a day. Setting the timer to turn on at 7am and off at 9pm is one example.

The grow lights will come on and turn off on the same schedule every day.  You will need to reset the current time in the event of a power failure.

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🌱 Step 7: Add Your Seedlings

• Insert your seedlings (in rockwool cubes) into the net pots that are already placed in your tower. Net pots are not needed in the baby green pots and you can place the seedlings directly into those growing ports.
  
  
  
  
  
• Make sure the rockwool touches the bottom of the net pot so it can absorb the water that drips down through the tower.

🌄 Plant like a pyramid!
Place your larger plants (like tomato or squash) toward the bottom of the tower and smaller plants (like lettuces or many herbs) near the top.

This pyramid-style layout ensures that all your plants receive adequate sunlight or grow light and aren’t shading each other as they grow.

🪴 Beginner-friendly crops:
Lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, basil, and bok choy are great for your first grow!

💚 Watch for growth in just days—your Tower Garden is officially alive!

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🌟 Final Tips from Living Towers

✅ Check water levels weekly and add water and minerals as needed. More information on adding minerals can be found here.

✅ Don’t be afraid to experiment — Tower Gardens are super forgiving!

✅ Oh… and feel free to talk to your plants (they love it 😄)

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Happy growing! 🌿💦 You've just taken the first step to growing your own food with less space, less water, and way more fun.