I developed this vertical planter tower to grow strawberries outside, but obviously it is suitable for every small, edible plant you want to grow, for example lettuce, salad etc.
The main advantages are:
- It is using normal soil as a growing medium
- its equipped with a water distribution system, so every plant is getting the same amount of water
- the watering is controlled by a water reservior in each section, so the plants are getting just the right amount of water each day. The rest of the overflowing water will exit on the bottom.
- it can be connected to an irrigation system, if you dont want to water manually each day
- on the bottom you can optionally attach a protection against snails
- the venting openings prevent the soil from getting moldy
- the tower can be fixed to the ground with printed nails or ground screws, stl's inlcuded (for a maximum of 3 modules)
- alternatively you can fix the tower to the wall, so it doesnt tip over (for 4 modules or more its strongly recommended)
As its intended to be used outside, the best material for all components is PETG or ASA, as they are resilient against UV radiation.
For using, just snap together the parts, fill the modules with good quality soil (potting soil), put the plants or seeds in and dont forget to water every day. You dont need to pour water on the soil directly, the smart water distribution system will do the job for you.
If you want to connect the tower to your irrigation system:
- print the planting modules for the “automatic irrigation”
- insert one M4 heat insert into the hole of the top part, put an M4 screw in. This can be used as flow control, by squeezing the irrigation tube. Set to minimal flow, because the rest of the water will drain at the bottom anyway.
- connect the standard 5mm small irrigation tube on the top part.
- set the irrigation timer to 10 minutes per day.
BENOengineering
