Emerge Gardens: Punta Gorda, Florida
From three backyard towers to a community-focused farm—Emerge Gardens shows how a small growing idea can put down bigger roots. 🌱
For Jeremy and Michelle Gwaltney, growing food brought together family farming roots, an interest in healthy living and a willingness to try something different.
Their Emerge Gardens project in Punta Gorda, Florida, used vertical aeroponic Tower Gardens to grow fresh produce while creating opportunities for education and community support.
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Meet Jeremy and Michelle Gwaltney
The Gwaltneys’ journey took them from Georgia and Virginia to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they spent six years before returning to the United States.
After losing loved ones, they reconsidered how they wanted to spend their time. Health, quality of life and a connection to growing food became important parts of their next chapter.
Finding Their Place in Punta Gorda
On their return, a stop in Punta Gorda became something more. Kayaking, biking and the pace of life appealed to them, and the town offered a place to build their next growing project.
They wanted to grow fresh food and share the experience with others. That combination helped shape Emerge Gardens, formerly known as Gwaltney Greenhouse.
Why Grow with Tower Gardens?
At Emerge Gardens, vertical aeroponic growing offered a way to produce fresh crops without traditional soil beds.
Plants grow in towers, with nutrient solution delivered to their roots and recirculated through the system. Growing upward makes productive use of ground space, while recirculation helps conserve water.
The approach suited the Gwaltneys’ interest in growing food close to the people who would use it. It also gave visitors a chance to see another way to farm.
Soil-free growing still needs plant care, appropriate nutrients and attention to growing conditions. The towers provide the growing system; the people behind them keep the farm moving.
Growing Food, Sharing Skills and Giving Back
Community involvement was a central part of the Emerge Gardens story. In our original feature, the Gwaltneys described several ways the farm supported local people and organizations.
Fresh Food for Local Organizations
The original account reported donations of Tower Gardens to The Homeless Coalition of Charlotte County, along with surplus produce shared with The Bread of Life Mission and Peace River Wildlife Refuge.
Those connections gave the growing project a purpose beyond its own harvest: helping useful food reach others in the community.
Hands-On Growing Education
The feature also described a junior intern program, work with Charlotte County schools and educational events at Scott Street Park.
For someone seeing a Tower Garden for the first time, there’s plenty to ask. Where’s the soil? How do the roots get water? Can I grow something like this? A working farm gives those conversations a practical starting point.
From Backyard Towers to an Urban Farm
Emerge Gardens began with three backyard towers, then grew to 12 towers in a community garden. By the time of the original project feature, the farm was reported to have 65 Tower Gardens, with further growth planned.
That progression offers a useful lesson for aspiring growers: a farm can develop in stages. Starting with a manageable setup gives you time to learn the crops, understand the work and build relationships with the people who will use your harvest.
Looking Beyond the Next Harvest
The Gwaltneys’ ambitions included reaching more people with fresh food, expanding training opportunities and helping others understand what modern growing could look like.
The tower numbers, outreach activities and expansion plans above describe the project as originally featured. For current information about Emerge Gardens, its offerings or visiting arrangements, contact the farm directly.
What Could Your Tower Farm Become?
Emerge Gardens brings together several reasons to start a farm: growing fresh food, teaching practical skills and building community connections.
Your own project might focus on supplying restaurants, supporting a school, growing for a nonprofit or serving a local community. Begin with the people you want to feed and the purpose you want the farm to serve.
- Define your goals. Decide what the farm should produce and who will benefit.
- Review your space. Consider climate, light, water, power and access.
- Choose suitable crops. Match them to your conditions and the needs of your customers or harvest recipients.
- Plan the work. Include planting, daily care, harvesting, maintenance and distribution.
- Set a practical starting budget. Allow for equipment, supporting infrastructure and ongoing expenses.
Living Towers can help with the system planning. If you have a space in mind, we can help determine how many towers will fit. If you know how much of a particular crop you want to grow, we can help estimate the tower count needed. We can also explore options around your available budget.
Visit our Tower Farm Planning Guide to work through the steps, or explore our Tower Farm systems.
Ready to get your own idea growing? Contact Living Towers and tell us about your project. 🌱
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