Grow Your Own Vertical Farm in This DIY, Raspberry Pi-Controlled, 3D-Printed Tower

Apartment dwellers are limited in what vegetables and herbs we can grow at home. Spreading plants out horizontally takes up a lot of space…

Cameron Coward
6 years ago3D Printing

Apartment dwellers are limited in what vegetables and herbs we can grow at home. Spreading plants out horizontally takes up a lot of space, so you may not have enough room even if you’ve got a large patio or indoor area to use. Fortunately, you can dramatically increase your arable density by stacking your plants vertically. The Little Green Tower is a DIY mist-based “vertical farm” that you can 3D print yourself to pack a lot of plants into a small space.

Chris Johnson designed The Little Green Tower to be a vertical farm that automatically delivers nutrients, oxygen, and water via a fine mist. It’s made up of up to four stacked pods, and each pod can hold up to four plants, giving you a total of 16 plants. Pretty good for those of us without backyards! Each pod can be 3D-printed, but it will probably take a pretty long time to do so.

The physical structure of The Little Green Tower is only half of the equation, and the rest concerns the control system and the mister. The controller is based on a Raspberry Pi, and is able to measure the pH, conductivity, and temperature of the nutrients that are fed to the plants. The Raspberry Pi also hosts a web interface for monitoring the system and that can send you a text when it’s time to add water. The mister is built from a 12V, 3 GPM, 55 PSI water pump and a simple push-fit spray nozzle connected with a hose. If your space is limited but you still want a garden, this looks like a great DIY option.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist.
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