When I look out the door of what I call my "Garden Apartment", I see what is in this photo. It has taken a few years to accumulate these stackable planters, www.theezgro.com. The pots are just $6 each and you can easily rig up some way to stack them on 3/4 inch electrical conduit. I built these platforms and put 4 stacks of 4 pots on the corners. Each stack has 16 plant sites so four of them gives a total of 64 on the corners of a platform that is 4x4 feet. You can set nursery pots or some other type of containers in the middle of the platform. The nearest platform in the photo has four little Nancy Jane stackers in the middle of the platform with 36 plant sites pumping out strawberries. According to my figger'n, that is 100 plants growing on that one platform. I have five platforms so I dont plan on running out of grow space. I could add a fifth pot to each pole and add 16 more plant sites to each platform. Let's see, figger'n that out for 5 platforms, that would add another 80 plant sites. Im throwing all this out there just to give you some ideas about what is possible to grow in stackable planters. For some more photo's of stackable planters just staked to the ground, check out Boca Bob's post's over on the "Self Contained Box Forum." For some different types of stackable planters, check out www.instagarden.com. Using the right kind of grow mix in stackable planters is the key to success and it looks like the winner is coconut coir as far as my experience is concerned. Maybe a little perlite throwed in to lighten things up. Besides being a great grow mix, coir comes in lightweight de-hydrated blocks. No more lugging 40 pound bags of grow mix around and my aching back appreciates that.
I was relieved from the drudgery of gainful employment 26 years ago at the youthful age of 50 with back problems. This old beat up and battered 76 year old body appreciates the advantages of lighter grow mixes and stackable planters. No more constant stooping, bending, and lifting. I have finally got everything up to my level of physical ability. Anyone can set up a stackable container system if they have a yard area where a 1/2 inch electrical conduit can be driven into the ground to act as the stob to mount 3/4 inch conduit and stackable containers. The stackable containers can be mounted in any number and at whatever height is comfortable for you. You can custom tailor the system to fit your capabilities. For that matter, the NJ stackers and Agro towers can just be set around on the ground or a patio. If you dont stack them too high, you dont have to have a center pole. The reason I build platforms to mount my containers on is because I live on a ridge top where the ground is filled with limestone rock and slabs and it is impossible to drive a mounting stob into the ground without renting an air compressor and a jackhammer.
These grow poles are great for propagating seeds or sticking cuttings. For instance, I have planted 5 seeds each of African Daisies in the 16 sites of a 4 pot pole. So far, almost 100% germination. When they get to transplantable size I can prick out 4 plants from each site and have enough plants for 4 more poles of african daisies. Or I can just splatter them around on different grow poles mixed in with other flowers or vegetables.
I been a little too gabby here but I hope I have given you some ideas that can be of use to some of you.
