Vertical Garden Planters: Towers, Wall Pockets and Tiered Stands

Vertical planters grow many plants on a small footprint. Stacking towers hold the most plants and need no drilling but get very heavy. Wall pocket panels free the floor but need screws in the wall and your landlord’s permission. Tiered and corner stands hold ordinary pots and are the easiest to undo when you move.

This comparison belongs to our balcony planters section. For the space above and in front of a wall, see hanging planters and railing planters.

How do vertical planters compare?

The figures below are each maker’s own, from the pages cited.

Vertical planters, towers and plant stands

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Stacking towers: the most plants per square foot

GreenStalk says to fill the reservoir until water drips out of the bottom, so a tower on a balcony needs a tray under it. Watering needs vary: the maker reports summer crops in Knoxville, Tennessee, needing water at least every 1 to 2 days, and spring and fall plantings every 1 to 2 weeks.

Weight is the catch. GreenStalk’s FAQ says each planted and watered Original tier weighs about 30 pounds, so a 5-tier Original comes to 5 × 30 = about 150 pounds. It gives about 23 pounds for each Leaf tier, so a 7-tier Leaf comes to 7 × 23 = 161, about 160 pounds. Both are the maker’s approximations multiplied out, not weighed towers. That load sits on a footprint about 19 inches wide. Before you buy one, read how much weight a balcony can hold and ask building management, your landlord or HOA, or a licensed structural engineer.

Wind matters too. GreenStalk says any free-standing planter can fall over in high winds or if assembled incorrectly. It recommends a level paver at least 16 by 16 inches, locking every piece together, and placing the tower near a structure that shields it from wind.

Wall pocket planters: plants without floor space

Wall pocket planters hang flat on a wall and hold plants in fabric or plastic pockets. Florafelt says its Pocket Panels have a solid plastic back that keeps walls dry, and that the panels stack to make a larger living wall. Its 12-pocket panel measures 32 by 24 inches and 2 inches deep.

Mounting a panel means screws or anchors in the wall, and on a balcony that wall belongs to the building. Ask your landlord, building manager or HOA before you drill, and get their answer in writing if you can. Pockets are shallow, so check them often in hot weather and keep to small plants such as herbs and trailing flowers.

Tiered and corner stands: the easiest to undo

Tiered stands, corner stands and ladder shelves hold the pots you already have. Nothing is fixed to the building, and each pot can drain into its own saucer. Use only the per-shelf weight the maker states; where none is given, treat it as unknown and keep heavy pots on the floor.

Two placement points matter on a balcony. University of Maryland Extension warns that dark containers can heat the potting mix and injure roots, which matters on a stand in full sun. And Primary Care Alberta advises keeping furniture and other items away from railings, because children can use them to climb, so stand shelves against the wall, not the rail.

Which vertical planter should you choose?

Start with what your building allows, then with how much you want to grow.

• A stacking tower gives the most plants and needs no drilling. Choose it only once you know the floor can take a load of 150 pounds or more on a small footprint, and you have a sheltered corner and a tray for runoff.
• A wall pocket panel keeps the floor free. Choose it if your landlord or HOA agrees to screws in the wall, and pick a panel with a waterproof back so moisture stays off the wall.
• A tiered or corner stand is the easiest to undo. Choose it if you move often or already own pots, since it comes apart and nothing is fixed to the building.

Whichever you pick, check moisture below the surface, not just at the top. GreenStalk’s FAQ advises always checking that the soil is moist underneath the top layer.

What grows well in a vertical planter?

Match plant size to pocket depth. GreenStalk recommends larger plants in its Original, with 10-inch pockets, and smaller plants in the Leaf, with 7-inch pockets. Herbs and compact flowers suit shallow wall pockets. For which herbs can share a pocket, see growing herbs in pots, and for bigger crops that need deep containers, see grow bags vs pots.