History of the Tower Gardens

“Inspiring Healthy Living Around the World”

Quick Quiz

Where in the world was your lettuce the you bought at the grocery store

grown?

"The Salad Bowl of the World"

Salinas Valley, California grows 70% of the nation’s lettuce, including most of the organic lettuce, kale, and spinach.

Quick Quiz

How many miles does the lettuce travel to get to a grocery store in

Orlando, FL?

A: 2,733 miles

Made it to the grocery store!

Quick Quiz

Out of every $1, how much money does the farmer make?

A: 16 cents!For every dollar we spend on food, only about 16 cents goes

to the farmer. The other 84 cents go towards what economists call “marketing.”

Those 84 cents pay for the diesel and truck and driver to move the food from farm to processing plant or warehouse;

the mill or the factory where food is processed, or the cost of storing it until it is sold. They also pay for the people who sell it wholesale or to grocers, the restaurant cooks who prepare it for us when we eat out, the satellite and databases to track

shipments, and the workers, forklifts, warehouse and refrigeration at the grocery store.

Quick Quiz

How many miles?

How many cents?$144 a year to grow $770-$1100 worth of crops= $0.82 cents goes to the farmer!

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The word, Hydroponic, comes from Latin and means working water. Simply put, it is the art of growing

plants without soil.

Aeroponics: Greek aero- (air) and ponos (labor).

Aeroponics is a way of growing plants without soil and with very little water.

Quick Quiz

Where in the Orlando area have you seen aeroponic systems being used?

Tim Blank

A pioneer in the field of aeroponics is our Tim Blank, from Eustis, FL. Tim took this futuristic growing technique from the theme park to our back yards!

From 2000 - 2005, Tim Blank was Chief Horticulturist at Epcot Center. He managed a team of scientists and horticultural interns. Tim co-authored several academic papers pertaining to the extensive collaborative research at The Land.

Tim Blank also served as a research liaison for the Department of Energy and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) partnership with Walt Disney World.

We’ll see why this is so important….

Quick Quiz

Why would NASA want to grow their vegetables to feed the astronauts

using aeroponic methods?

Water is Heavy! No Soil = Less DiseaseTo Grow Crops Faster and Healthier

Higher Nutrient Density = Healthier Astronauts

NASA worked to develop mineral solutions that would put more nutrients into plants so that they could grow

a healthier plant and thus a healthier astronaut!

Quick Quiz

How do you feed plants without soil?

NASA’s Amazing Research into

Aeroponics

“…..growers choosing to employ the aeroponics method can reduce water usage by 98 percent, fertilizer usage by 60 percent, and pesticide usage by 100 percent, all while maximizing their crop yields by 45 to 75 percent. By conserving water and eliminating harmful pesticides and fertilizers used in soil, growers are doing their part to protect the Earth. -NASA’s Spinoff Magazine, 2006, “Progressive Plant Growing Has Business Growing”

“Moreover, the NASA SBIR results demonstrated that this aeroponic technology delivers an 80-percent increase in dry weight biomass per square meter, when compared to hydroponic and soil-based growing techniques. (When a dry weight measurement is taken, all water is removed from roots, leaves, and stems—thereby, removing water from the biomass.) These results essentially proved that aeroponically grown plants uptake more minerals and vitamins compared to other growing techniques.”

-NASA’s Spinoff Magazine, 2006, “Progressive Plant Growing Has Business Growing”

University of Mississippi National Center for Natural Products Research

In every crop, phenolic content was slightly higher in the Tower Garden than in soil! “Over the years, research on antioxidants has gained enormous popularity and emerged as potential therapeutic agents to prevent free radical generated damage in the human body. Antioxidants as a natural product, compared to the synthetic antioxidants present in the market, have attracted considerable attention by consumers and by researchers since there is concern of synthetic antioxidants consumption due to their instability and possible activity as carcinogens” downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/aip/253875.pd

Our Tower Garden AdventureBegan March, 2011

28 minutes to assemble!

The next day, we planted

our garden in 8 minutes.

A little over 3 weeks later!

Day 24

By May, 2011, we’re hooked!

Huge, healthy lettuce plants

Three lettuce plants (already harvested multiple times) ~ last harvest yields 10 gallons of lettuce!

2012 ~ Pembroke Pines, FLOur experience is ‘typical’ and has been repeated all over the country!

Two weeks later, January 30, 2012

Planted from seedlings grown in rock wool

January 17, 2012

Three weeks later, February 7, 2012

With Tomato Cage Added

Fully grown at 6 weeks of age!

5 weeks from plantingFebruary 19, 2012

4 weeks from plantingFebruary 13, 2012

6 weeks from plantingFebruary 26, 2012

Is it Expensive to Grow a Tower Garden?

Purchased March 6th 2014

•Green Leaf Lettuce•Swiss Chard•Red Pepper•Cucumber•Grape Tomatoes

$11.60 x 4 = $46.40

Tower Garden® Growing SystemThe complete Growing System includes:• Tower Garden vertical aeroponic garden• Seeds for growing gourmet lettuce, cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, basil, and cucumber• Seed starter enviro-dome• 20 rock fiber seed starter plugs and net pots• Pump, timer and drain tube• Tower Tonic® plant food (1 qt each) • pH test kit and 1 bottle each of pH+ & pH-• 100 ml measuring cup

Payment Options:•12 payments of $45.25/month•Or $525 one-time payment•Plus applicable shipping and tax.First installment will include entire $50 shipping charge.

The complete Tower Garden Family Garden includes:•Three Tower Garden vertical aeroponic gardens, with 3 pumps and 2 timers•Three Tower Garden Extension Kits•One Tomato Cage, for tomatoes and other large vegetable crops•84 rock wool seed starter cubes and net pots, with seed starter enviro-domes•Tower Tonic™ Mineral Blend, 1 Gallon Size and 3 quarts, with measuring cup•Two pH test kits, including 2 bottles each of pH+ and pH-•Seeds for growing gourmet lettuce, cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, basil, and cucumber•One drainage hose

12 payments of $142.33/monthOr $1,690 one-time payment

Plus applicable shipping and tax.

First installment will include entire $160 shipping charge.

We’re looking for motivated, health oriented people who want to join us in making a difference in the lives

of others.