6 Best Greenhouse Vertical Growing Systems For Small Spaces to Grow More Food
Maximize your small greenhouse harvest with vertical growing. Our guide reviews the 6 best systems to help you grow more food in a limited footprint.
The biggest lie we tell ourselves about a new greenhouse is that we’ll finally have enough space. The reality is that floor space is the first thing to disappear, leaving you with a lot of unused air. Going vertical is how you reclaim that space and multiply your harvest without expanding your footprint.
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Why Go Vertical in Your Hobby Greenhouse?
Every square foot in a hobby greenhouse is precious real estate. Once you lay out your benches, tool storage, and a small walkway, the actual ground available for planting shrinks dramatically. Vertical growing systems fundamentally change this equation by converting vertical volume—the empty air above your benches—into productive growing area. This isn’t just about cramming more plants in; it’s about smart design.
Thinking vertically allows you to layer your crops. You can have sun-loving vining plants climbing an A-frame while shade-tolerant greens sit below. It improves airflow around plants, which can significantly reduce fungal issues like powdery mildew that thrive in stagnant, humid air. For anyone with an aching back, bringing plants up to waist or eye level makes tending, pest-checking, and harvesting far more comfortable. It’s a shift from managing square feet to managing cubic feet.
Garden Tower 2: Composting System for Soil
The Garden Tower is less of a planter and more of a self-contained ecosystem. At its heart is a central compost tube where you toss in kitchen scraps. Red wiggler worms break down that waste, creating nutrient-rich castings and "compost tea" that directly feeds the soil in the surrounding pockets. This is as close to a closed-loop system as you can get in a container.
This system is for the grower who loves the process of building healthy, living soil. It excels at growing a diverse range of plants—you can have tomatoes on top, peppers in the middle, and lettuce and herbs in the lower pockets. Its biggest strength is its ability to create its own fertilizer, reducing your reliance on bottled nutrients. The tradeoff is weight and commitment. It’s incredibly heavy when full of soil, water, and compost, so pick its spot carefully. It also requires you to manage a vermicomposting system, which is a skill in itself.
Lettuce Grow Farmstand for Hydroponic Greens
Grow fresh produce indoors effortlessly with the Lettuce Grow Farmstand Nook. This self-watering hydroponic system includes 20 pre-sprouted plants and integrated LED lights for easy growing in small spaces.
If you want a constant, clean, and fast supply of leafy greens, the Lettuce Grow Farmstand is hard to beat. This is a true hydroponic system where a pump in the base circulates a nutrient-water solution to the plant roots. The setup is remarkably simple, and the weekly maintenance involves little more than adding water and nutrients and checking the pH.
The Farmstand is purpose-built for speed and efficiency with crops like lettuce, kale, chard, and herbs. You can get a harvest in a fraction of the time it takes in soil. It’s perfect for the busy grower who wants a "set it and forget it" system for daily salads. The main consideration is that you are committing to hydroponics. This means buying liquid nutrients, managing water chemistry, and relying on a pump. It’s also not the right tool for growing root vegetables or large, heavy-fruiting plants.
GreenStalk Vertical Planter: Best for Stacking
The GreenStalk is a brilliantly simple, soil-based stacking system. It consists of multiple tiers, each with several planting pockets. You fill each tier with your preferred potting mix and stack them up. The genius is its internal watering system: you pour water into the top reservoir, and it slowly trickles down, watering each pocket evenly from top to bottom.
Miracle-Gro Potting Mix feeds container plants for up to 6 months, promoting more blooms and vibrant color. This bundle includes two 8-quart bags, ideal for annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, and shrubs.
This is arguably the most versatile and user-friendly system on the list. It requires no electricity and works with any good quality potting soil. It’s fantastic for strawberries, herbs, flowers, and even compact bush beans or peppers. The ability to choose your tier height makes it adaptable to your space and needs. The primary tradeoff is the sheer volume of soil required to fill it, which can get expensive and heavy. You also need to be disciplined about watering, as it lacks a large reservoir like a hydroponic system.
Vevor A-Frame Hydroponics for Vining Crops
A-frame systems are the workhorses for maximizing light exposure in a tight space. These kits typically use Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), where a thin film of nutrient solution flows through channels, constantly bathing the plant roots. The angled design ensures that plants on the bottom rows aren’t shaded out by the ones on top, making it incredibly efficient.
This is the system you want for high-density production of vining or trailing crops. Think commercial-level strawberry production scaled down for your greenhouse, or a wall of compact cucumbers. It allows these plants to trail naturally without taking over your floor space. The learning curve is steeper here. NFT systems are sensitive to pump failures or clogs, and you need a solid understanding of hydroponic nutrient management to succeed. It’s a fantastic tool, but it’s for the grower who enjoys the technical side of things.
Mr. Stacky 5-Tier: Top Hanging Planter Pick
Sometimes the most valuable unused space is directly over your head. The Mr. Stacky planter is a simple, lightweight, and affordable way to tap into that vertical real estate. These plastic tiers stack together and can be placed on a bench or, more effectively, hung from the structural supports of your greenhouse.
This is the perfect choice for lightweight, fast-growing crops that you want to keep off your primary benches. It’s an ideal home for a cascading strawberry patch, a mix of lettuces, or an array of culinary herbs. By hanging the planter, you free up valuable bench space below for larger plants or seedling trays. Its key advantage is its low cost and space-saving hanging capability. The main limitation is weight. Once filled with wet soil and mature plants, it can get heavy, so ensure your hanging point is secure. The smaller pockets also dry out faster than larger containers.
Vivosun Wall Pockets for Simple Herb Gardens
Grow a lush vertical garden indoors or outdoors with this durable felt planter. Features 36 pockets for diverse plants and easy mounting with zip ties, nails, or screws.
Don’t overlook your walls. An empty, sun-facing wall in a greenhouse is a wasted opportunity. Fabric wall pockets are the simplest way to turn that vertical surface into a living wall. Made of a thick, felt-like material, these pockets are lightweight and easy to hang. You just fill each pocket with soil and plant directly into it.
These are tailor-made for creating a dedicated herb garden right by your greenhouse door or for growing a small crop of leaf lettuce. They keep small, frequently harvested plants organized and accessible. Because the individual pockets are small, they aren’t suitable for large plants. The biggest challenge is watering. The fabric material is breathable, which is good for roots but also means they dry out very quickly, especially on a warm day. You’ll need to check them daily and be prepared for some water to drip down the wall.
Choosing Your Ideal Vertical Growing System
There is no single "best" vertical system; there is only the best system for what you want to accomplish. The right choice depends entirely on your goals, your preferred growing method, and the crops you want to grow. Don’t get sold on a high-tech tower if all you want is a simple herb garden.
Before you buy, ask yourself a few key questions:
- Soil or Hydroponics? Do you enjoy the biology of soil and compost, or do you prefer the clean, controlled efficiency of hydroponics?
- What’s Your Crop? Are you growing light leafy greens and herbs, or heavy-fruiting plants like tomatoes and cucumbers? The plant’s size, weight, and root system will dictate the best system.
- What’s Your Budget and Time? A simple stacking planter is a small, one-time cost, while a hydroponic system is an ongoing investment in nutrients and electricity.
- Where Will It Go? Consider the final weight of a system filled with wet soil and plants. Can your floor, bench, or ceiling support it?
Ultimately, a vertical system is a tool. The goal is to choose the right tool for the job you want to do. By matching the system to your specific needs, you can dramatically increase the productivity and enjoyment you get from every square foot of your greenhouse.
Stop seeing your greenhouse as a floor plan and start seeing it as a cube of potential. By growing up, you’re not just adding plants; you’re adding possibilities. The best system is the one that gets you growing more of what you love.
