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After a couple of backyard garden expansions, I was still out of room, and no way to expand further in my yard. I started researching vertical garden options. I wanted to replace the single pots on my patio with something I could fit more plants into. After much research, I decided on the Greenstalk Vertical Garden.
Gardening has been something I have done since I was a small child. I love being outdoors and in the dirt. Gardening is one of those activities that has health benefits too. There are numerous studies that show being outdoors is good for your mental health. One study shows that being in nature for as little as five minutes can reduce stress and its effects by regulating the sympathetic nervous system. The microbes in soil can also help your immune system. All around, gardening is a wonderful hobby.
Why I chose a Greenstalk Vertical Garden
I did quite a bit of research on which choice was best for a vertical garden. I know you can get the inexpensive stackable pots everywhere (including the local dollar stores), but my understanding from looking at them and talking to friends is that they aren’t deep enough for good root development. They just stack and are not very secure from wind and such. The other issue is that it is thinner and cheaper plastic that degrades easily in UV light and can warp and crack.
I then researched hydroponic towers and from what I learned there are not organic-based nutrient solutions readily available for the home gardener. I really don’t like the non-organic chemical based nutrient solutions for the amount of growing I want to do. The hydroponic towers I looked into were also extremely expensive in comparison to the Greenstalk.
The Greenstalk uses soil for the growing medium, so you can choose your own potting soil that you like (or mix your own) and use whatever fertilizer you prefer to grow your plants.
The plastic is thick and a grade made to be outside in the sun and weather. They warrant the units for five years, so that was a huge bonus for me. The tiers are made to clip together. When the garden is full it is quite heavy and sturdy. Of course, a major storm or wind can knock anything over, but the Greenstalk seems to be very well built. We do have ours tied to some garden fence posts for safety (we have a dog that runs around the yard and we live in the midwest where it gets windy).
Cost
My opinion is that the Greenstalk is a very affordable option. I find they do run sales on their website often. There are two versions of the Greenstalk. The Greenstalk Original, which has 5 stackable tiers and deeper pockets for growing longer root plants; and the Greenstalk Leaf, which has 7 tiers which are shallower pockets for things like lettuces, herbs, Swiss chard, radishes, etc. Greenstalk also offer a mix and match option, so you can grow from both the deeper and shallower tiers on one Greenstalk. They come in a variety of colors, which I have an assortment, I love having different colors in my garden. There is also a variety of accessories to add to your Greenstalk to increase the choices in using it.
Watering a Greenstalk
The Greenstalk Vertical Garden comes with a watering disk for each tier. You put this in the middle of each tier and line the small holes up with each growing pocket. There is a water reservoir that goes on the top tier. You pour water into the top reservoir and it will overflow down the middle to the other tiers and the small holes will drip into the top tier to water the plants. When the water reaches each tier and it is filled, it will overflow into the disk in the tier below and then drip into each pocket to water the plants. Once all the levels are filled with water any extra water will drain out the bottom.
We have an auto irrigation system for our patio plants, so we stuck one of the hoses into the top of each Greenstalk and water will go in every day on the timer. They do also make a watering system that can hook up to the Greenstalk (I just already have a system, so I didn’t purchase the Greenstalk one).
Make sure you don’t get the little holes in the disks clogged or it can not drip into each pocket.
I did purchase the lid for my Greenstalk to keep debris out. You could also attach a screen or net over it instead of getting the lid.
What grew well for me…and what didn’t
I grew a variety of items. I had great success. Mini bell peppers and cayenne peppers were prolific from the plants I grew in the Original Greenstalk. Lettuce grew amazing in the Leaf Greenstalk. Swiss Chard and Kale grew well in the Leaf, but they did not get quite as big of leaves as in the ground.
Herbs grew great in the Leaf. I grew parsley, cilantro and basil. The summer squash grew well, but did get powdery mildew, we harvested several squash from each plant. The dwarf cherry tomatoes grew well, I will do some again, they are so fun in the vertical garden.
Nasturtium plant got gigantic, I may not grow it again there, just because it took up so much space for other plants around it. The marigolds grew well and I love interplanting them in every garden.
I used a smaller fruit variety of eggplant and it grew well and we harvested several fruit, but my husband prefers the large eggplant, so I probably won’t grow it again. I tried snow peas and it just didn’t work well. The Malabar spinach grew well, but it goes everywhere, and we didn’t really love it, so I won’t do it again. I grew some regular spinach and it was fine, but it got too hot and bolted, I want to try again.
Unboxing the Greenstalk
I videotaped unboxing my Greenstalks. Hopefully, this will help you to see the product, how well it is made, and what to expect.
How to fill and set up a Greenstalk
Soil
Setting these up was not difficult. You do need a lot of soil, and they recommend potting mixes not a garden soil . The Original Greenstalk takes 1 cu. ft. of potting mix per tier. The Leaf Greenstalk takes .75 cu. ft. of soil per tier. Once you fill them, however, you should only need to top them up in future seasons.
I used a mix of Happy Frog potting mix, Bordine’s (local greenhouse) potting mix, and compost from my compost bin. The fertilizer I use is a combination of fish emulsion and Trifecta Plus from MIGardner. I have used these fertilizers in my raised bed garden for years. They both work well. I love Trifecta Plus, it has worked so well for us and is appropriate for organic method gardening. The booklet that comes with the garden gives guidance on which plants do well and how many to put per pocket.
Video
I did a video of setting up and planting my Greenstalk, so you could see what is involved. This was my first year using it, but I love them. Since I bought these first two Greenstalks I have bought 3 more. This video is a bit long, but I wanted to be thorough and give you as much information as possible. I want you to know that you aren’t wasting money and understand what to expect. I hope you learn something wonderful and enjoy your gardening adventure.
