Grow your own, in a corner of the patio
Not everyone has an allotment, a vegetable bed or even a scrap of lawn. Plenty of the best tomatoes are grown on balconies, roof terraces, courtyards and back steps, in containers that have to look decent because they're right outside the kitchen door. The Garland Self Watering Grow Pot Tower in red is built for exactly that. It's a neat, dark grey pot with an 11 litre planting capacity, a 4 litre water reservoir underneath and a 1.5m support frame rising out of the top. One pot gives you one productive plant, and a lot less watering.
What is the Garland Self Watering Grow Pot Tower?
It's a container and plant support in one, designed for growing a single tall plant. The pot has an 11 litre planting capacity with an easy-fill 4 litre water reservoir beneath the compost. A float indicator shows the water level. The aluminium frame stands 1.5m high with four support rings and slots securely into the pot. There’s an anchor point in both the pot and the frame for an optional central bamboo cane, useful for heavier crops. The cane isn’t supplied. The pot is made from 100% recycled, BPA-free plastic, and the whole tower assembles in minutes. This is the red version, a deep charcoal grey that suits contemporary patios, slate and porcelain paving, modern planters and dark-painted fences. It’s also available in green and red.
Who makes it?
Garland Products is a British garden products manufacturer based in Kingswinford in the West Midlands. Its wide range covers propagation, patio growing, plant supports, watering and storage. The company manufactures in the UK and uses recycled plastic extensively across its products.
Why choose a self-watering pot for a balcony or patio?
Containers in small, sunny spaces dry out fast. Pots on balconies and roof terraces are exposed to sun and wind on every side, and paved patios reflect heat back at them. In midsummer, a pot of compost can go from damp to dry in a single afternoon. A reservoir beneath the compost means the plant has a reserve to draw on between waterings. You can see when it needs topping up from the float indicator rather than guessing. It’s a real advantage when you’re out at work all day, away for a weekend, or simply don’t fancy carrying a watering can up three flights of stairs twice a day.
Does colour affect how plants grow?
A little. Darker pots absorb more heat from the sun than lighter ones, so the compost in an red pot tends to warm up a little faster in spring. Heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, peppers, chillies and aubergines can appreciate that early in the season. In the height of summer, the same effect can make compost in dark containers warmer than ideal in full, baking sun. On very hot days, keep the reservoir well topped up. You can also shade the pot itself by grouping other containers in front of it, so the roots stay cooler while the plant enjoys the sun.
What can I grow in it?
Garland recommends tomatoes, peppers and sweet peas. The 11 litre pot and 1.5m frame also suit: Cordon or bush tomatoes, one plant per pot. Sweet peppers and chillies. Aubergines, which need support once they’re fruiting. Sweet peas, several plants per pot, trained around the rings. Annual climbers such as morning glory, black-eyed Susan and climbing nasturtiums. Cucamelons and small climbing edibles. For balconies and small patios, a couple of towers with a tomato in one and sweet peas in the other gives you food and flowers in very little floor space.
How do I assemble it?
Slot the aluminium frame sections together and into the pot. The poles are deliberately a tight fit, and Garland advises tapping them firmly into place. When it's built properly, the tower should feel rigid enough that you could lift the whole unit by one pole. If it wobbles, tap the poles in more firmly.
How do I plant it up?
Fill the pot with good quality multipurpose or container compost. Peat-free compost is a good choice. Plant your young tomato, pepper, sweet pea or climber, firming the compost gently around the roots. Water thoroughly from the top to settle everything in. Fill the reservoir using the easy-fill system, and check the float indicator. For heavy crops, add a bamboo cane to the central anchor point.
How do I keep plants tidy on the frame?
Use the four rings as tie-in points as the plant grows. Tie tomato stems loosely to the rings or central cane, and pinch out side shoots on cordon varieties. Let pepper and aubergine branches rest on the rings as fruit swells. Guide sweet peas and climbers up the frame, tying them in until they start to cling for themselves. Leave each tie slightly loose so stems can thicken without being pinched.
How often does the reservoir need filling?
That depends on the plant's size, the weather and how exposed the spot is. Early in the season, a small plant uses very little. In midsummer, a large fruiting tomato in full sun can use the reservoir much faster, sometimes within a day or two in hot, windy weather. Check the float indicator daily in summer and top up whenever it's low. On very hot days, an occasional extra watering from above keeps the whole root zone moist.
Do I need to feed plants in a self-watering pot?
Yes. The reservoir supplies water, not nutrients. Container compost runs short of food as the season goes on, and fruiting crops are particularly hungry. Once tomatoes, peppers, chillies and aubergines start to flower, feed them regularly with a liquid high-potash feed, following the pack instructions. Sweet peas also benefit from regular feeding while they're in flower.
Is it stable on a balcony?
A tall plant on a 1.5m frame can catch the wind, and balconies and roof terraces are often breezy. Place the tower in the most sheltered spot available, ideally against a wall or in a corner. Use the central cane for extra support, and keep the reservoir filled, since the weight of water helps keep the pot steady. In very windy weather, it's worth moving it somewhere more sheltered.
Why recycled plastic?
The pot is made from 100% recycled plastic, so it reuses material that already exists rather than adding new plastic to the world. It's also BPA-free, a reassurance for anyone growing food crops in containers.
End of season care
When the plant has finished, lift it out and empty the compost onto the compost heap, unless the plant was diseased. Drain the reservoir completely before the first frosts, since standing water can freeze. Clean the pot and wipe the frame, then store both somewhere dry for next year. A quick scrub before replanting in spring helps keep pests and diseases from carrying over.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the pot hold? It has an 11 litre planting capacity. How much water does the reservoir hold? 4 litres. How tall is the frame? 1.5m, with four support rings. Is it suitable for balconies? Yes. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot and use a central cane for extra stability in breezy positions. Is the bamboo cane included? No. There’s an anchor point for an optional central cane, which isn’t supplied. What’s it made from? The pot is made from 100% recycled, BPA-free plastic, and the frame is aluminium. What other colours are available? Green and red.
