Check out our Tower Garden demo at Maine Center for Natural Health!

AEROPONIC GARDENING

Aeroponic gardening, while new to consumer availability, is not a new concept. The term was first used in the late 1950s and studied until it was later made available for growing commercial food in the early 1980s. It is type of hydroponic gardening that supports the growth of plants without soil where instead of submerging plant roots in water (as with hydroponics), the roots are sprayed with mineral-rich water and exposed to air between watering. Aeroponic gardening is a fast-growing industry as a way to navigate water shortages in agricultural fields by reducing more than 90% water usage than standard farming practices. The Tower Garden by Juice Plus claims to use 98% less water because of how the system collects and recycles the water inside a fairly closed system, preventing excessive and unwanted evaporation.

WHY TOWER GARDENS ARE POPULAR IN MAINE

With our short Maine growing season, it can be difficult to get fresh, quality greens year-round. Even in ideal growing conditions, we get a burst of fresh greens for a while and then spells of heat that cause them to become bitter or bolt. Now you can grow an abundance of greens for salads, juicing, and cooking available when you want without worrying about eating it all before it goes bad. These systems are not limited to simply greens but can grow most anything aside from root crops. Popular crops are tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, kohl rabbi, herbs (such as basil, cilantro, sage), kale, collards, broccoli, cabbage, peppers, etc. – pretty much all that one wants to grow in the Maine garden.

What’s even more useful is that instead of spreading out with standard rows of vegetables, vertical gardening is saving more space than ever! Tower Gardens are being used in both commercial and residential settings – with the same units seen below. Whether a small patio, deck, or even alongside the house, the tower garden fits into most residential areas.

While there is an initial startup cost, true of all hydroponic and aeroponic systems, maintenance costs are low enough that true savings can be seen in just a short time. Fewer trips to the grocery store, less wasted food due to spoilage, faster harvesting times, fewer risks of pest and disease – this all adds up to long-term savings because means more goes on your plate than in the compost.

For more information and to see Tower Garden options, visit this link: petley.towergarden.com.

Order through the link above to become part of a growing Tower Garden Community and take control of your food sustainability. Know where and how your food was grown! Disclaimer: I am an affiliate and I earn a commission on referrals.

COMPARING THE HOME AND FLEX TOWER GARDEN GROWING SYSTEMS

There are two models offered by Tower Garden: FLEX and HOME. See a comparison chart to see which one best fits your needs. Both are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and both can be used with the LED full spectrum lighting system when growing indoors. The HOME model is more streamlined for indoor use and takes up less space. A two-foot square in the corner of the room is all that is required. The FLEX model is the original model with a larger reservoir (20 gallons versus 13 gallons in the HOME model) and this offers outdoor benefits of fewer refills even during extreme heat and the physical stability in wind. Both are ideal when there is limited growing space in and around the house or when hoeing and weeding are not ideal.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE USING BOTH THE HOME AND FLEX TOWER GARDENS

I started out with the HOME unit and fell in love at the very start. I was impressed that I was able to improve the diversity of my greens instead of having to choose what wasn’t wilted or overpriced at the grocery stores. As a gardener, I have a fascination with heirloom vegetable varieties, and it didn’t take long to try them out on the tower with great success. I keep the HOME tower running in the house all year and because of the controlled climate, I can have tender lettuces any time I want.

My setup has become more elaborate over the years as I outgrew my single HOME tower with creative ideas and experiments and the desire to feed more people around me. I now have four FLEX units that are lined up on my outside patio from early spring to late fall, and this is where I grow my tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, and a few heat-tolerant greens. I harvest more than enough for canning and pickles every year. This allows my garden beds to focus on larger vegetables such as squash, corn, and dry beans. With the local critters eager to eat my garden before I can, having the towers up next to the house deters all but the flying insects, and those are minimal compared to stressed garden plants while being easy to monitor and control. In the winter months, I also grow on two FLEX units – partly because I love having three sets of lights running to brighten the dreary winter days of Maine, but I also deliver greens to friends and family.

LEARN, EXPERIEMNT, AND SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

Maine Center for Natural Health hosts an occasional free Tower Garden Salad Lunch & Learn – build your own salad with fresh greens straight from the Tower all while learning about the benefits of aeroponic gardening. Maine Center for Natural Health also hosts periodic Tower Garden Dinners. Call or email the office for the next date!

Be sure to take part in our seed swap while at a Lunch & Learn or Tower Garden Dinner. Because of the amazing yields from each seed, it takes a long time to work through some packets of seeds – so we swap seeds as a way add diversity and share experiences and stories. Swapping seeds and stories is a fun way to learn how to adapt your tower to your preferences and needs. We support our growers by providing answers when possible and tapping into Dr. Petley’s long history of studying plants.

RESTAURANTS, SCHOOLS, OFFICES, & MORE!

If you are a restaurant owner and want to add local food to your menu, Tower Gardens can be scaled up to meet your needs. They are perfect for producing herbs and vegetables that are not consistently available. Tower Gardens are excellent for waiting rooms, schools, and offices!

Dr. Petley is available and happy to answer your questions about Tower Gardens and aeroponic gardening. Be sure to use the link petley.towergarden.com!