I finally tried vertical planters and now I'm a total convert

I was so skeptical of those tower planters for years. Thought they'd just dry out and look dumb on my 6th floor balcony. Then I set up a 4-tier one from Amazon for $35 back in April and my cherry tomatoes and basil are going absolutely nuts. Has anyone else had luck with the self-watering kind or is that just a gimmick?

2 comments

2 Comments

mia_anderson5d ago

...so I actually just read a whole deep dive on those self-watering setups from a gardening blog that said the key is the wicking material not the system itself. Apparently the cheap ones use this felt strip that can get moldy after a few months if you don't flush it out regularly. I've got the same basic tower planter from Amazon and honestly my basil is thriving but I do have to water it every single day in this heat wave we're having. The self-watering reservoir on mine just doesn't seem to keep up when it's 90 degrees plus on my balcony. Maybe I need to try a better brand or something.

hugoharris4d ago

@mia_anderson said "key is the wicking material" and I bet nobody checks the airflow behind their planters.