What is Tower Garden?

February 22, 2013

A garden without soil? Yep! Tower Garden is a vertical growing system that uses water and dissolved mineral nutrients to grow vegetables, herbs, greens, fruiting crops and flowers.

You can grow outdoors in a suitable sunny location or indoors with grow lights. Instead of spreading your planting across a garden bed, you grow around a tower—with the roots tucked inside.

If that sounds a little mysterious, don’t worry. The basic idea is simple. Here’s what a Tower Garden is, how it works and what you need to get growing.

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🌱 What Is It? 💧 How It Works 🪂 Our First Tower Garden 🥬 What Can You Grow? ☀️ Indoors or Outdoors? 🔧 What Plants Need 🏡 Choosing a System 🌿 Getting Started 📚 Continue Learning

What Is a Tower Garden?

A Tower Garden is a vertical aeroponic growing system. Plants sit in growing ports around the tower, while their roots extend into the space inside it. A reservoir at the base holds water mixed with mineral nutrients.

The system delivers that nutrient solution to the roots automatically on a timer. You don’t need soil or a watering can for each individual plant.

Growing vertically can make good use of a patio, deck, lanai or indoor growing area. Just remember to allow space for the mature plants, too. The tower itself may be compact, but a happy tomato plant can have rather ambitious plans.

How Does a Tower Garden Work?

A small pump sends nutrient-rich water from the reservoir to the top of the tower. The solution then showers down through the inside, wetting the roots before returning to the reservoir to be used again.

Here’s the process:

Fill the reservoir: add suitable water and mix in Tower Garden Mineral Blend according to the instructions for your plants and setup.
The pump sends the solution upward: water travels from the reservoir to the top of the tower.
The roots receive water and nutrients: the solution flows down inside the tower.
The solution returns to the reservoir: it’s recirculated rather than draining away after each watering.
The timer repeats the cycle: the pump runs at intervals using the appropriate setting for your growing setup.

The roots have access to water, mineral nutrients and air. Above the tower, leaves use sunlight or grow lights to power growth.

Automatic watering takes care of a repeated gardening task. You still check the reservoir, nutrients, pH, pump and plants to keep everything growing well.

Is Tower Garden Hydroponic or Aeroponic?

You’ll often see Tower Garden discussed alongside hydroponics. Both involve growing without soil and supplying mineral nutrients through water.

More specifically, Tower Garden uses aeroponic technology: the roots hang largely in air inside the tower and receive water and nutrients directly. For a closer look at the terms, read Aeroponics 101.

Our First Tower Garden: From Skydiving to Growing Dinner

My husband and I started using Tower Garden in 2010. Gardening definitely didn’t come naturally to us.

We were both skydiving instructors at the time. Jumping out of planes? Fine. Keeping a vegetable garden under control? Apparently, that was the tricky part.

We bought soil, lumber, ground cover and everything else we thought we needed for a traditional garden. We had visions of homegrown tomatoes and homemade sauce. What we actually got was an overgrown mess that eventually met a weed whacker.

Then my mother-in-law introduced us to Tower Garden.

Our first Tower Garden in 2010—the start of a much bigger growing adventure.

For the first time, we were growing food successfully. Having the watering handled and taking digging and weeding out of the equation made gardening much more manageable for us.

We still had things to learn—light, seasons, plant size and pests don’t disappear just because the soil does. But we finally had a way of growing that worked for us.

That first tower became a much bigger part of our lives than we expected. Today, we grow thousands of plants and seedlings and help growers across the country get started and work through growing problems.

What Can You Grow in a Tower Garden?

There’s plenty of choice, from everyday salad ingredients to larger fruiting crops.

Leafy greens: lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, arugula and baby greens.
Herbs: basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, mint and more.
Fruiting crops: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, strawberries and beans.
Other vegetables and flowers: suitable crops such as broccoli, celery and edible flowers.

Your best choices depend on the season, available light and space. Larger plants may need support or help with pollination, especially indoors. Root crops such as carrots and potatoes aren’t practical choices for standard Tower Garden growing ports.

For help deciding what to plant, read Best Plants for Hydroponics: What Can You Grow?. Once you’ve chosen a few crops, visit the Hydroponic Crop Library for individual growing guides.

Can You Grow Indoors and Outdoors?

Growing Indoors

Yes—with suitable grow lights. A room can look bright to us while still leaving plants short of the light they need.

Choose crops and varieties that fit within your lighting and available space. Leafy greens and herbs are practical starting points. Compact fruiting varieties can work too, provided you meet their light, support and pollination needs.

Our Tower Garden Light Guide explains lighting, and Best Compact Plants for Indoor Tower Gardens offers variety ideas.

Growing Outdoors

A sunny patio, deck or lanai can be a good growing location when temperatures suit your crops. Think about sunlight throughout the day, wind exposure, seasonal weather and access to electricity.

Growing without soil doesn’t remove a plant’s temperature preferences. Match your planting to your conditions and adjust your care as the weather changes.

Choose a stable, level surface and leave room to reach the reservoir, inspect plants and harvest. You’ll appreciate that access once everything fills out.

What Do Tower Garden Plants Need?

The growing method changes, but your plants still need the basics: suitable light, water, mineral nutrients, air and temperatures.

Seeds or Seedlings

You don’t need soil. Seeds are commonly started in rockwool cubes, then planted in the tower once the seedlings have established roots and are ready to move.

You can start your own seeds or use ready-to-plant seedlings to skip germination and early seedling care. Our Seeds & Seedlings Guide explains both options.

Mineral Nutrients

Tower Garden Mineral Blend has two parts, A and B. Both are mixed into the reservoir water according to the product instructions and the stage of plant growth.

New seedlings generally begin with a weaker solution than established plants. For mixing instructions and seasonal adjustments, use our Tower Garden Nutrient Guide.

Suitable Water

Your water source matters because it forms the base of the nutrient solution. Check its suitability rather than assuming every kind of filtered, softened or well water will behave the same way.

You’ll also check pH so plants can access the nutrients in the solution. Our Water Guide covers water sources, filtration and reservoir care.

Regular Checks and Cleaning

Tower Garden handles timed watering, but you’ll still check water levels, pH, pump operation and plant health. Harvesting, pruning, replacing finished crops and periodic cleaning are part of the routine.

For the practical steps, visit our Cleaning & Maintenance Guide.

Wondering what ownership actually involves? Read Is a Tower Garden Worth It? for realistic harvest expectations, weekly care, cleaning and costs.

Which Tower Garden Should You Choose?

The two main home systems are Tower Garden FLEX and Tower Garden HOME.

They use the same basic growing technology, but their capacity, reservoirs and features differ. HOME is designed with indoor growing in mind, while FLEX offers versatility for outdoor growing, larger crops and expansion.

Start with 3 Simple Questions to Find the Right Tower Garden for You to think through your space and planting plans. Then use our FLEX vs HOME comparison for the model details.

What Comes With a Tower Garden?

Check the current product listing for your chosen model or bundle. Systems include the core growing equipment, with supplies and accessories varying by package.

You’ll need a suitable location, electricity, water and plants. Depending on your setup, you may also need grow lights or plant supports, so include those in your plans before ordering.

Is Tower Garden Suitable for Beginners?

It can be a very approachable way to begin growing food. You don’t need previous gardening experience—we certainly didn’t have a successful track record!

Start with a manageable planting of crops suited to your conditions. Lettuce and a few herbs you enjoy eating give you a chance to learn the system before adding larger plants.

You’ll still make adjustments and learn as you go. Understanding light, water, nutrients and plant size helps turn that first planting into a garden you enjoy caring for.

Ready to get started? Our Get Started with Tower Garden guide walks through setup, planting and ongoing care. You don’t have to figure everything out at once.