2. Go vertical – most people have heard of tower gardens but they are also not cheap, and can you actually grow anything substantial in them or are they just for herbs and lettuce? Yes, you can grow something substantial in a tower garden that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Here’s how.
While I have not come up with a way to grow potatoes and corn in a tower garden, you can grow chickpeas. Most beans sprout too large to get out of holes in the tower, but chickpeas have nice small sprouts.
The cheapest solution I have found are stacks of 5 gallon buckets. You can often find these in classified’s listings or buy them from home depot for ~$3, meaning a 5 foot tower will cost around $15.
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- Glue each bucket to the lid of the bucket underneath.
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- Cut a hole in the bottom of each bucket that also goes through the lid of the bucket below so the roots can grow right through.
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- Cut 3 small holes in the sides of each bucket (at least 6 inches apart) where you will plant your chickpeas (or anything else you want).
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- Fill the first bucket with soil then place the lid and next bucket on top and fill it with soil as well. Do not put the lid on the top bucket, the plants can grow out of the top.