Cool idea - The Garden stick

cool product I just saw. Could be something to add to garden or yard called the garden stick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGVGyAIfjtk&NR=1&feature=endscreen

That's really cool! And quite honestly, it looks like it would be easy to make. Looks like some wide PVC (maybe 4 inches) piping with a connector close to the bottom that transitions to a smaller pipe (probably 3 inches), with holes drilled in for the plants. I like the idea of having strawberries in something like that, and the flowers were lovely!

I can see probs with strawberries here in the UK if not onyour side of the pond .. You'd need to empty the tubes every 3 years and refresh with growth medium and new plants after sterilizing them to kill off the strawberry root saw fly .
The same would most likely apply to each other crop unless he rotates crops each year and uses liquid feeds for the nutrients.

I'll bet his water bill is high as well for the evaporative rate off such thin stick will be high . But if he is producing for the shops he won't be worring as the customer will end up paying for all his costs anyway .

very possible to have a high water bill, Just look cool had to share. I think there is a few people here who could build this

I am definitely building myself one of these for an indoor herb garden!

GG

I live in Florida - there are a growing number of farms that are using this idea, many of them are doing hydroponically this way. It's very popular for the u-pick industry because it's clean and you don't have to squat down or bend over to pick.

Several gardening friends and I trade stuff periodically when we realize we are not using it and someone else has better success with it. While swapping some stuff last week I told one of my friends about the Garden Stick. She happens to have SEVERAL lengths of plastic sewer pipe laying around (anywhere from 8-12" diameter) that were left at her house by a relative. She is going to drop a few by my house so I can try some 'sticks'!

GG

Juice Plus is coming out with a hydroponic system that looks similar to this in the spring. Of course, it's not sustainable because it requires nutrients and they want BIG BUCKS for it.

I love this idea!

I know the Garden Sticks come in 4" and 6" diameter, but I think the larger sewer pipe will work just fine for me. What I want to do is an indoor herb garden but I may just expand the idea to make some permanent 'sticks' out in the yard as well. It's all free, so why not experiment? What could happen?

GG

I love the idea for strawberries. I could free up one of my boxes with that.

Interesting idea! If you are limited on space this concept would be a great way maximize space by going up!
If you had a sunny deck in an apartment complex, you could still enjoy some fresh veggies. Thanks for posting!

I am thinking that one of those with herbs, could easily be taken into the greenhouse when it gets too cold here.

I have sent it to all my "apartment dweller friends"

I watched John's video on the garden sticks a while back. First thing that popped into my head was "how pretty would that be with Impatiens growing in it"...I am going to get some 8-12" diameter that is about 3' tall to try for my roofed porch this spring! I have pretty pots I can use it in.

If I make one I will use 8-12" pipe and put a 1/2-3/4" pipe inside to deliver water all the way to the bottom. This is just another version of the old strawberry pot and if you water from the top, the water runs out of the top holes and never gets to the bottom.

Kay

Kay, will the center pipe have holes in it for watering the center? I'm trying to picture how that will work.

Yes, it will need holes on all sides at intervals all the way down. I learned this with a strawberry pot session at a nursery in England.

Kay

I saw the video about the Garden Stick and wondered about their irrigation system. I e-mailed the company and asked if their irrigation accessory only dripped into the top of the stick or whether the irrigation tube ran inside the pipe down the length of the pipe. I received an answer from the e-mail stating that they only irrigate at the top of the stick and the water will run down. They use this method of irrigation for all their Garden Sticks they are growing on the farm and that works good for all their plants they are growing. They said that any pipe/tube down the center of the stick will take away room for the soil/growing medium inside the pipe and also limit the ability of the roots to grow.

Interesting, and I believe it with the 4 and 6 inch tubes. So obviously the best way to keep the tubes moist is with a slow, steady drip.

Kay

I'm gonna say "Wow!" for two completely different reasons, lol.

1) Wow! This is such a simple but great idea! I'm going to grow flax this year and it would look beautiful in one of these, and I would LOVE to try broccoli/cauliflower. I don't want to get booted off the forum, lol, but this might have the potential to replace SFG! (Joking, joking!!! It might have the potential to further maximize space, but at the expense of much, much more work.)

2) Wow! Has anyone looked at the website for these? They want $100 for the 6" x 66" potted one! And who knows how much to ship something that big/heavy! That's highway robbery!

Anyway depending on my funds I'd love to try to make some of these...If anyone is interested to know I worked out the approximate cost, at least in my area:

A 6" x 10' pvc pipe will run about $26 and a coupling about $7. So, the most cost effective way to do it would be to get 2 pipes, cut them at 6' 8", and then get one coupling to connect the two short pieces left over (creating a 3rd 6' 8" pipe). So that would run you $61 plus tax. Unfortunately the hard part would be drilling the holes...Idk about you guys but I don't have any bits that big! Also, you'd want to fashion your own lid...those run $11 and I certainly wouldn't want to add $33 to the bill; worst case scenario I would duct-tape it!

P.S. - The 6' 8" tube would take about 1.3 cubic feet of MM to fill. That doesn't seem like enough to me, but I did the calculation a few times to make sure...

V = 3.142 x .25 ft. (3 in.) squared x 6.666 ft. (6' 8") = 1.309 ft. cubed

Something similar

You can probably find some free pallets and save some cash.

You can use lots of stuff to hold the potting mix in there. Landscaping fabric, cardboard, etc. Obviously, each has their own benefit and/or drawback.

I agree with what EatYourVeggies said, that this would be ideal for keeping squirrels (or in my case-chipmunks) off your strawberries. I like the pallet idea, too, especially since those are free and when grown out they look so beautifully rustic. But I think the critters would easily climb their way up that fat ladder!

I'm going to try out some leftover drain pipe for a small strawberry stick. I figure I can drill a four 1-inch holes in a square pattern and then use my jig-saw to cut connect those holes into one large circle. PVC cuts very easily. You'll just have to slow down and let the bit or blade cool off every few holes. If it try to do it all at once and they get too hot, you'll end up melting the plastic into the teeth.

HieronRemade wrote: Unfortunately the hard part would be drilling the holes...Idk about you guys but I don't have any bits that big!

Hole saw bits to fit in a drill can be found pretty cheap! I can't wait until the first free sewer pipe arrives so I can start drilling!

GG

trukrebew wrote:I agree with what EatYourVeggies said, that this would be ideal for keeping squirrels (or in my case-chipmunks) off your strawberries. I like the pallet idea, too, especially since those are free and when grown out they look so beautifully rustic. But I think the critters would easily climb their way up that fat ladder!

I'm going to try out some leftover drain pipe for a small strawberry stick. I figure I can drill a four 1-inch holes in a square pattern and then use my jig-saw to cut connect those holes into one large circle. PVC cuts very easily. You'll just have to slow down and let the bit or blade cool off every few holes. If it try to do it all at once and they get too hot, you'll end up melting the plastic into the teeth.

Good luck with the critters. I don't think there are many ways to keep them away (there are some videos on youtube where squirrels run amazing obstacle/assault courses).

I too plan to get a little creative with some of these vertical growing ideas this year.