For almost 3 years, I have been obsessed with wanting to grow my own “living food,” but all my previous failures crippled my confidence and my husband’s faith in my ability to conquer my black thumb, but that has all changed now, thanks to discovering the Juice Plus Tower Garden. (Franchise link)
Over the years I have become increasingly conscious of where my food comes from so I try to buy the best quality fresh produce as close to home as possible, which is from our local farmers market.
Every spring, I start talking about starting a garden, and every spring my husband talks me out of it because of my terrible history of killing plants. The only success I have had with growing any form of living food is with growing sprouts.
As spring was coming this year, so was the worldwide Pandemic and complete shutdowns. It was becoming increasingly clear that it was going to be more and more challenging to get out to get the fresh produce we desire. We eat a primarily plant-based diet so getting quality fresh produce is vital. It is the main source of our diet.
So I thought with these new surmounting issues I could finally convince my husband to support my intense passion to overcome my black thumb… but no. Even though I kept telling him about the Juice Plus Tower Garden and how so many of my friends were having such success with it. Still no. Even though one of my friends, who is known as the Tower Garden whisperer, offered to help me every step of the way. Still no.
Sadness.
I don’t want you to think my husband is a jerk, he is actually a very nice guy. Even when he gets headstrong about something, he usually comes around. However, this time he just wouldn’t budge. I get it. There is a worldwide pandemic going on. The future is uncertain. And our future has been uncertain even before this due to a long period of unemployment that was close to coming to an end after a 5-month courtship with another company, but that quickly came to an end with a hiring freeze as fears about the virus and the economy began. So you see, he has good reason to put a halt on discretionary spending.
But…we have to eat! We need food. Never mind… I finally gave up trying to convince him.
However, my mom lives next door and she was listening to all my valid points and concerns and when she started wanting to learn more about plant-based eating, I invited her to a plant-based potluck style event where we were able to taste different plant-based recipes and learn more. The lady hosting the event shared more about Tower Gardening and we were able to ask questions and see her gardens up close and personal. She has several and has been using them for years. And guess what? She said she had a black thumb too before using these tower gardens. There’s hope!
My mom caught the bug. And guess what? She decided to buy one and asked me if I would want to get it up and running for her. Did you notice that I said she lives next door? So my answer…Yeck yea! My dreams have come true!
It has been so fun! And guess what? It is thriving! We started her Tower Garden at the beginning of the “shelter in place” orders and now a little over a month later we have living food!!! Victory over the black thumb!!! Yay!!!
We started it in her dining room and now it is on her screened porch. She can harvest greens and herbs daily now for a fresh living salad. I can pop out my side yard door and snip off fresh herbs for my meals as well.
It has been such a fun and fulfilling hobby, especially during these challenging times.
You may have noticed I keep referring to the food we are growing as “Living Food.” That is where my obsession comes in. Once I realized that eating food, freshly harvested is eating it while it is still alive and full of the peak nutritional value it has to offer, I knew I wanted more of that.
Fresh produce from local farmers is the next best thing to growing your own food from home. However, fresh produce, from grocery stores has been harvested before its peak readiness and shipped from who knows where and sprayed with who knows what. From the minute plants are harvested the nutritional value decreases each and every day.
So that covers my personal story of how I became obsessed with Tower Gardening. Now let me give you some practical information about the benefits, how it works, and how you can grow your own Tower Garden.
The Benefits of Growing a Tower Garden
The benefits are many and include being easy and fun to do, you don’t need a lot of space, you can harvest living food daily, it provides maximum nutrition, it is a sustainable living solution, it saves money, it reduces your carbon footprint, it promotes healthy eating, it is a therapeutic endeavor, it provides teaching opportunities for kids, you don’t need to worry about pesticide, harsh chemicals or gassing, it is a good family project, it is a satisfying endeavor, it brings peace & joy, it promotes positivity and a sense of accomplishment, and it is reassuring and fulfilling in challenging times.
By the way, if you have kids, then you know how hard it is to get them to eat their vegetables. Another huge benefit of having a Tower Garden is to be able to include your children in the experience. They will learn first hand how food grows from seed to seedling to full-grown plants that you can eat. Studies have shown that if you involve your kids in growing and preparing food, they will eat it. Win, win!
How the Tower Garden Concept Began
Have you ever visited the Land Exhibit at Epcot in Florida? Well, this is where the Tower Garden technology was developed. A man named Tim Blank worked his way up to Chief Horticulturist after starting to work there as a teenager. He became passionate about what they were able to do there and wanted to develop a way to create a Tower Garden for anyone to be able to grow their own food from home.
Juice Plus believed in this concept and it fits perfectly with their mission so they partnered with Tim Blank to begin offering Tower Gardens to individuals, communities, schools, restaurants, stores, companies, farms, and airports.
How the Tower Garden Works
You may have heard of Hydroponic Gardening before, which means the roots are suspended in water. Well, this concept is called Aeroponic Gardening because the roots hang in the air and the water is pumped to the top of the tower and trickles down on a regular schedule. It is actually a very soothing sound, like a fountain.
Interesting Facts About This Tower Garden System
Below you will see a picture of the two different types of Tower Gardens Juice Plus offers. Notice that Tower Gardens use 98% less water, 90% less space, 30% more yield, and 3 times faster than traditional gardening. This makes Tower Garden’s the future of growing!
Anyone Can Grow a Tower Garden, Anywhere
You can grow a Tower Garden in your kitchen, dining room, office, bonus room, living room, hallway, apartment deck or patio, home deck or patio, backyard, by your pool, on your front porch, side porch, screened porch, and even your bedroom if you want to.
What Kinds of Plants You Can Grow on a Tower Garden
You can grow all different types of lettuce, herbs, and all vegetables except root vegetables. You can also grow melons and berries. Here is an example below of a beginner’s Tower Garden.
Get Started Planning Your Tower Garden With These FREE Printable Planners
You can sign up to get these below or at the bottom of this post.
I have created some printable planners to help you plan your Tower Garden and Seedlings. These are also helpful for keeping track of what is growing where. I gave my mom one of these filled out so she knew what all the plants were around her tower.
If you are like me and you need some confidence boosting and support to brave your journey into this whole new world of Tower Gardening, we have a community to support you. If you need ideas and support for learning how to eat more plants or maybe to even move toward a plant-based diet, we can help you with that too.
I am a member of an awesome group of Health Made Simple PROS who are generous with their support, ideas, and encouragement. All are welcome to join us.
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Juice Plus: Health Made Simple Solutions
Please note: I am a franchisee of Juice Plus and a member of the Health Made Simple team.
If you want to learn more about Tower Gardening, sign up at the bottom of this post to receive the FREE Printable Tower Garden Planners.
When you get your planner, reply to the email and let me know you are interested in additional information and I’ll send you a link to a pre-recorded Zoom call to hear more from our Tower Garden experts. I will also send you a FREE Tower to Table Cookbook to thank you for interest in listening to the call.
So what do you think? Are you intrigued by the idea of adding “Living Food” to your diet?
It’s amazing, not only for the nutrient boost available to you anytime but for all the fun, satisfaction, and fulfillment that growing your own food provides.
I hope you’ll give it a try.
I think it will bring you JOY on your journey,
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