Starting Seeds for the Tower Garden
- Shuba Modavive
- Apr 18, 2017
- 2 min read
In the very first post, I gave you an illustration of what the tower garden looked like last season just before the winter cold kicked in. Now that the snow and frost is gone, I have decided to germinate a new batch of seeds. Within just one day, I noticed tremendous growth. This goes to show how growing without soil proves to be just as effective (if not more effective). I have one plant in question and that is the spinach which looks like one string. Spinach is bit picky and I am hoping that, over time, it will correct itself. The empty pods are basil, celery, and bell peppers but they are generally a little slower at starting up.
PREPPING THE TOWER WATER AND MINERALS
On the day I started my seeds, I cleaned my tower garden water base with a baking soda and water solution. Mine was not so dirty since I bought it last August and only used it about 3 months. I live in a midrise building on the 4th floor so it endured the harsh winter. Luckily, all I needed to do was to wipe it clean with a wet towel from the baking soda and water mixture. I also took apart and wiped down each of the five pods on the tower that holds each plant. This process was very easy and I can provide a demonstration in another blog if you like. There are a total of four portals on each pod equalling to a total of 20 plants at capacity. An extender can be purchased to add up to 8 additional plants.
As for the water, I filled the base with about 17 gallons of water. Place the provided water pump in the bottom of your base submerging it under the water. When you purchase your tower, the minerals will be included and you will need to add about 20 mL per gallon of water. A measuring cup will also be provided. Once added, stir the water with a long-handled spoon. You will also get a pH testing kit to balance the mineral setting. Everyday since day 1 of planting seeds, my water has been pumping. As of yesterday, I have been watering my seeds with the tower water.
TIPS WHILE WAITING FOR TRANSPLANTATION
As of today, I will just continue with watering my seeds until the plants develop a root system for transplanting into the tower. A great tip to remember when starting your seeds is to label your seeds. Some people purchase their own labels but I draw a map on paper to illustrate which plant is which. They look a lot alike when they are baby seedlings as you can see. I also label the tower (as seen in the photo below) from top to bottom according to my map. Another thing to consider is that you want your lettuce type plants to be on top and your heavier plants on the bottom. I will show how I have my pepper, broccoli, cucumbers, etc on the bottom row. I found that bok choy grows heartily so I decided to put it on the bottom as well.
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