Small space city and suburban dwellers may only have a little (or maybe not any) land, but that doesn’t have to stop you from using every inch of your space to start growing food in a small space. A great option for making the most of your tiny patio, balcony, or rental is to use a Green Stalk Vertical Planter. Why? Because you’ll create a bountiful (and beautiful) garden! Better yet-you don’t need seed starter kits, grow lights, soil amendments, special tools or anything else to get started.
Are you a frustrated small space grower?
There’s always more I want to grow, than space to fit it. I mean, have you seen a Baker Creek or Seed Savers Exchange catalog, recently? Don’t you just want to put everything (no seriously, everything) in your virtual shopping cart?
And you almost do… until the fantastical daydream of planting and watching your seeds sprout, flower and grow into beautiful herbs and vegetables abruptly comes to a crashing halt–
…because of the pesky fact that you actually live in an apartment (or in my case a town house) and not on some rural ranch. Maybe you’re in a rental with just a sliver of of a land and all you have is a teeeeeeny tiny balcony or patio.
Yeah, that kinda puts a damper on things.
Luckily, all hope is not lost! That’s because it is possible to grow tons of food in a small small with a Green Stalk Vertical planter!
Looking for a Small Space Growing Solution?
Here on my blog and over my YouTube channel Becoming a Farm Girl I share ways to live a farm fresh live without land or livestock. I’m a ‘homestead dreamer’ grafting myself into a more natural, self-sufficient lifestyle in a small space and in my spare time. That means any move I make is centered around tweaking readily available conventional information about gardening for those of us in tinier, urban or suburban spaces.
A 5 Tier GreenStalk Vertical Planter gives you 30 planting pockets that you can plant with a variety of full size and hybrid vegetables, herbs, flowers, root crops and strawberries. All you have to do is fill each tier to the top with 1 cubic foot of high quality potting mix and plant with starter plants or seeds and water daily to once every couple of weeks depending on what you plant (or the time of year).
That’s it.
Hands down, its an easy small space growing solution that helps you maximize your ability to plant, grow and harvest way more food in a small space than container gardening alone.
Fact: Growing in Containers has Downsides
There. I said it. Because….it’s true!
(and I suspect that if you’re considering a vertical gardening unit, you’re coming to this realization too!)
Like many beginner gardeners that tip toe their way into growing, I started with a modest collection of around eight to ten 5-gallon buckets. These buckets were cheap and easily accessible so it felt like I wasn’t spending too much on my “gardening hobby.” Over the next several years as my hobby became a lifestyle, I amassed a collection of over 20 of those $5.00 Lowe’s blue and white paint buckets! I successfully grew a variety of full sized fruit and vegetables in them.
They were a great idea, until, well…they just weren’t.
3 Cons to Container Gardening
1.Plastic is non-biodegradable
While plastic is convenient and cheap, this material will never decompose. As I’ve started to move away from single use plastics in other areas of our home, I wanted use something eco-friendly in my garden too, so I I transitioned to cloth grow bags, which also had the added benefit of better root support, drainage and temperature for plants.
Did I prefer growing in cloth bags vs. plastic buckets or clay pots? 1000%! They outperform buckets in terms of being lighter to move, and are easier to store because you can fold them away. They also come in a variety of sizes, and are generally the same price, if not a bit cheaper than other plastic containers.
2. Individual Containers DON’T maximize space!
Like I just said, I loooove my cloth grow bags.
But, they still didn’t solve my problem of having limited floor space to fully maximize my land challenged landscape! My primary growing space is a town house moderately sized deck that I share with hubby’s grill, a playful french bulldog and our family and friends for outdoor meals. While I dream of a densely packed deck, I know that it wouldn’t be practical or comfortable for others. I needed more room!
3. Containers AREN’T exactly efficient.
Simply put, container gardening requires more frequent and careful attention to how adequately a pot is watered. This is especially true if you have an assorted collection of plastic, cloth, and clay pots in different sizes growing different plants that have varying water needs. Your watering and fertilizing routine can easily become more involved as you expand your container garden. So, while container containers are quick, the more of an eclectic container collection you have, they aren’t exactly easy.
Do you need something simple, effective and efficient?
Yeah, me too. And, I’ll also be the first to admit that:
- assembly instrutcions SCARE ME!
- anything I purchase has to combine beauty AND function.
- I don’t mind paying a bit more for durability and satisfaction.
Well, wouldn’t you know, the Green Stalk checked all the boxes (and then some)!
Why I finally decided to purchase a Green Stalk:
A Green Stalk Saves Money…and Space!
A Green Stalk is something you can enjoy now as well as for the long term. Cloth bags deteriorate and pots can eventually break or crack. While a Green Stalk is practically a perfect solution for small space growers, it also has mass appeal for folks that aren’t tucked in an apartment, or townhouse like me. Better yet a Green Stalk is something us small space folks can enjoy now and it’ll still be useful when we get our larger growing space! I’ve enjoyed seeing how home owners and country dwellers use it to start their seeds indoors under the protection of a green house or garage, and simply wheel it out out nice days. And, gardeners with limited mobility can still enjoy gardening without the bending and stretching container gardening requires.
Create and Efficient & Enjoyable Gardening Routine
I fit gardening in after work and family in the evenings and a bit more on the weekends, but can I tell you that since having a Green Stalk, the ability to spot check, water and fertilize 40 plants, or provide frost or heat protection for my garden just by standing in one spot and simply pivot the grower is so liberating! Because everything is centralized, I have less back and forth repeated routines to perform. I also don’t miss playing musical chairs with my containers in attempt to catch the sun. It’s so much easier to move or rotate 40 plants with a vertical planter on wheels!
Obtain Higher Crop Yields
Let me be honest, I’m a curious grower. Yes, I’m happy to grow the things I “know” will work for a small space, I also want to grow the things captivate my heart, intrigue, or just to know what will (or won’t) work for myself, even if the “experts” advise it against it (because, sometimes I’ve proven “them” wrong)! This season, I actually purchasedtwo Green Stalks which allowed me to quadruple my plantings from last season with and only take up 2 square feet!
Less Weeds, Pests and Disease
Another advantage to growing in a Green Stalk is that your garden needs less space, less water, less weeding and doesn’t suffer from pests and disease as much as land based crops. As such, you’ll also get a higher yield from your fruits and veggies than you would with regular gardening.
What can you plant in a Green Stalk?
Better stated this question should be, “What can’t you grow in a Green Stalk?” because you can grow a variety of full sized (and hybrid) herbs, fruits and vegetables. The Green Stalk website and Instagram regularly show gardeners growing potatoes, kale, spinach, lettuce, strawberries, cucumbers, petunias, watermelon, onions, carrots, squash, tomatoes broccoli, basil, beets and more in a Green Stalk. If it roots or shoots you can stalk grow it in a Green Stalk! To learn how to calculate how much food you can grow in a Green Stalk Vertical Garden, click here.
How many plants can you grow in a Green Stalk?
A minimum of 30 full sized if your using the original and 40 small to mid-sized plants if you’re using the leaf. The original green stalk provides 30 planter pockets that are 10 inch deep and 7 1/2 wide distributed across 5 tiers. The innovative design provides sufficient space for roots to spread out making it ideal to grow a variety of full size herbs, fruits and vegetables.
While there are 30 pockets, my experience is that you can easily grow tons more if you combine/take full advantage of vertical and companion planting by interplanting vining crops like beans, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers with low growing herbs and veggies that stick closer to the base like lettuce, radishes, baby carrots and oregano in a single pocket. If you use tis method you’ll add an additional 10 to 15 crops! According to the website you can fill up to three small plants per pocket!
How much space does it take up?
The Green Stalk takes up just 2 square feet of floor space making it a convenient option to plant anywhere. Fully assembled, it measures 19.00 W × 55.00 H × 19.00 L. This planter is a lean, green (but also comes in the chocolate brown, stunning stone and classic terra cotta) grow 30 or more plants machine!
What Comes with a Green Stalk Order?
- 5 Original Planters each (with 6 Planting Pockets)
- 4 Grey Watering Disks
- 1 Top Water Reservoir
- Instructions
- Optional (but highly recommended): The Green Stalk MOVER, which is excellent for easily moving and rotating the planter as needed (especially as a 1-person job).
How difficult is the Green Stalk to Assemble?
The Green Stalk can be put together in a matter of minutes and does not require any tools to assemble! Depending on the size you choose, your planter will come with 3 or 5 trays, watering disks and a reservoir.To build, you basically fill each layer with soil, place the water disks on the center tube, and stack them together. The instructions use simple clear language and show the process with colorful photographs for each step, printed on heavy-weight card stock. You can’t go wrong because assembly doesn’t require any tools and automatically interlocks! Everything you need to assemble comes right in the bag, and you’re not dealing with hundreds of tiny pieces. If you’ve missed placed your guide or you want to check out the directions you’ll get in the box, to see just how easy it is!
How durable is the Green Stalk? What is it made out of?
All Green Stalk planters are made from food-safe polyproplyne plastic #5 are free of BPA, BPS, and PVC. Every Green Stalk comes with a free 5 year warranty that promises the planter won’t crack and the color won’t fade on the plastic. This vertical grower was designed with maximum durability in mind. The company has a drop test video showing the planter not showing signs of damage after a 30 foot free fall drop on concrete . Above this, in the even something happens, you need only to send a picture to customer service and the company will replace the part at no cost to you! This family-owned business truly stands behind their product!
How do you water and fertilize plants in a Green Stalk?
Whenever your planter needs to be watered, simply fill the top water reservoir and add in your water soluble fertilizer solution. The GreenStalk’s internal slow drip watering system will deliver fresh water to every tier at the same time so you don’t have to water each pocket by hand (time-saver!). Your watering and fertilizer frequency will vary based on what you’re growing, the location of your planter and the time of year.
And speaking of fertilizers, did you know you can save a ton of money by making your own organicNitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium fertilizer right at home? Check out 6 different fertilizer recipes here.
Looking for a discount code for your Green Stalk?
I’ve got ya covered. You can use my affiliate code to take $10.00 OFF your order! I’ve purchased both of my own Green Stalks because I’m a just an actual, very satisfied customer. I am very thankful to Green Stalk for offering small space growers an affordable and effective growing option and an additional discount to offer my fellow farm gals (and guys) $10.00 off your Green Stalk purchase by entering the code: BEAFARMGIRL at checkout. The ‘BEAFARMGIRL’ code doesn’t expire and doesn’t have a limit, so use it as much as you’d like, when you’re ready to jumpstart your garden!
