Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I've seen lots of strawberry towers, but I haven't seen say... kale towers or any other plant. Is there any reason for this? Because strawberry plants are relatively small maybe? Has anyone tried any other plant?

my understanding is because strawberry that hang down and touch a surface (like dirt or grow media) provides a path for bugs and may bruise the fruit.

I have seen basil and some other herbs in towers.

Um, because strawberries are DELICIOUS!!

High value, small plant. The classic picture was of a strawberry hydro operation in Israel that used them, which is I think where the idea came from?

I ve got a hydroponic book from the early 80s that had them in it
The guy said the yield was 4 times more than dirt and if he was to only do one thing hydro it would be strawbs.

Got me interested.

I've grown baby spinach, basil, silver beet, spinach, strawberries, rocket, lettuce, and peas in strawberry towers. The peas were just temporary, and all did fine until I tuned the water off for 4 days.

The reason I started was to use the wall of my grow house that didnt block the winter sun, and because I was having a few issues with fruit rotting when it touched the media.

Towers seem to be better for snails and slugs as well, I think because there is nowhere to hide, and the snails have to commute each night from where ever they sleep.

I also found snails very easy to spot with a quick visit at night because you could see a trail on the PVC

My towers are holes drilled in PVC that hold a plastic cup full of media (scoria)

Mine leaked a lot at the cup/PVC interface, but I'm about to start using them again by mounting them over my grow beds so any leaks dont matter.

You can grow kale, basil, lettuce... all sorts of things... in towers...