Heard a podcast tip about stacking pots for more space

I was listening to some gardening show on my commute Tuesday and this lady mentioned using stackable planters to triple her balcony veggie output. She said she fit 12 strawberry plants in a tower that only took up one corner. I went out and bought a 3-tier stacking pot set for $25 at the hardware store, got my basil, lettuce, and spinach all in one spot. Has anyone else tried those vertical stacking pots for herbs with good results?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielwhite7d ago

My sage totally took off in one of those stackable pots last summer. I had it on the south side of my deck and it went crazy for months, I was cutting fresh leaves almost every week. The trick for me was making sure the pot above wasn't blocking too much light from the one below, so I moved it around until the top tier only stuck out about two inches past the middle one. I tried basil in the bottom tier once and it got a bit leggy from the shade, but my thyme and oregano did just fine down there. If you give each tier enough water and occasionally rotate the whole tower, the harvest is pretty amazing for how little space it takes.

wells.brooke7d ago

Rotating the tower is key, I didn't do that and got uneven growth.

hayes.tara3d ago

Actually rotating can cause more problems than it fixes if you're not careful, I tried it with a three tier system last spring and the plants that liked consistent light ended up stressed from the constant changes. @danielwhite mentioned sage doing well on a south side, which makes sense since some herbs are super adaptable, but for finicky stuff like basil the rotation just made mine leggy and confused. Leaving the tower in one spot with a fixed light angle let my rosemary and chives thrive in the shade while the sun lovers stayed on top, no extra handling needed.