Today, we’re pitting Mr. Stacky vs Greenstalk vs Garden Tower in a head-to-head three-way battle, going over each feature, durability, and cost. And, ultimately, give you our unbiased recommendation.
While the premise of hydroponic gardening is all about the controlled environment, the premise of vertical gardening is to maximize space by growing vertically. However, vertical gardening requires you to provide an equal amount of water and nutrients from the plants at the top all the way to the bottom.
Luckily, vertical gardening companies such as Mr. Stacky, GreenStalk, and Garden Tower address this issue with their clever and innovative liquid distribution systems. But which out of the three should you pick and why?
Here is our comparison guide of the three well-known vertical gardening brands and their top-rated products out in the market today.
Contents
What to Look for in a Vertical Garden Tower
Whether you’re buying your first vertical garden tower or looking to upgrade your current tower, there is a lot to consider when making your choice. But there are a few essential features that you should think through before making your final purchase.
- Budget
- Size
- Number of Plants Pockets
- Depth of each Pocket
- Sturdiness / Quality
- Watering System
Mr Stacky vs Greenstalk vs Garden Tower: A Side by Side Comparison
| Product | Mr. Stacky 5 Tiered Vertical Gardening Planter | GreenStalk Patented Large 5 Tier Vertical Garden | Garden Tower 2 |
| Number of Plant Pockets | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Watering System | Water top pot only, others are self-watering | Patented Water System | |
| Additional Features | Composting System, Tower Rotates, Castor Wheel Base | ||
| Size | 16″Dx16″Wx38″H | 19″D x 19″W x 18″H | 26″D x 26″W x 44.09″H |
| Amazon Rating | 4.5 stars | 4.5 stars | 4.5 stars |
| Price | $99.95 (See Latest Price) | $156.58 (See Latest Price) | $399 (See Latest Price) |
Number of Plants You Can Grow
Winner: Garden Tower
A vertical garden tower, as expected, can hold multiple plants as opposed to a regular terracotta pot. Every tier or level usually consists of four to six planting pockets where you directly add the soil and plant. You can also place a flower or herb already in a plastic container in the slot if the design permits so.
The total number of plants that you can use in a vertical tower for gardening will depend on two things - the number of tiers and the pockets per level.
When it comes to Mr. Stacky. vs Greenstalk vs. Garden Tower, the clear winner is Garden Tower.
Garden Tower, specifically their Garden Tower 2 model, will give you the opportunity to vertically grow as many as 50 plants at the same time. Greenstalk trails behind with a total of 30 plants. On the other hand, Mr. Stacky is in the last spot with only 20 plants.
All three vertical garden towers have the same number of tiers (five), the difference between them is the number of planting pockets per tier.
Winner of Number of Plants: Garden Tower
Garden Tower, specifically their Garden Tower 2 model, will give you the opportunity to vertically grow as many as 50 plants at the same time.
Type of Plants That You Can Grow
Winner: Tie
Many vertical gardening newbies believe that they can grow just about any plant, but that’s not entirely true. You’ll also need to consider the plant’s growing conditions, particularly how deep or shallow their root systems are.
For instance, some herbs like rosemary have a deep root system, so they are well-suited for planting pockets that are at least 12 inches deep. While perennial herbs like mint need 18 inches of horizontal growing space.
So, how about Greenstalk vs. Garden Tower vs. Mr. Stacky? Which one can accommodate different plant varieties?
It’s a tie because all three vertical garden towers can accommodate different varieties of plants.
For instance, with Garden Tower 2, you can grow basil, cabbage, and catmint. In the case of Greenstalk’s 5-Tier Planter, which has a 10” inches deep pocket, you can also grow vegetables, strawberries, flowers, and herbs. On the other hand, Mr. Stacky is also suitable for a herb and vegetable garden.
Expert Tip: For better vertical gardening success, we recommend planting peppers, onions, and other plants that thrive in well-drained soil at the top tier. Varieties that need more nutrients and can survive in damp conditions should be at the bottom.
Ease of Assemble
Winner: Mr. Stacky and Greenstalk
All three vertical garden towers will require assembly out of the box. However, Mr. Stacky and Greenstalk are the winners for the easiest to assemble because each tier simply snaps into place.
On the other hand, Garden Tower has more components - 17 parts total plus bearing! It is not particularly hard to assemble per se and doesn’t require any power tools, but it does involve more steps to do. So, in this case, Garden Tower lands on the last spot for ease of assembly.
Winner of Ease of Assembly: Mr Stacky & Greenstalk
Both Mr Stacky and Greenstalk have a simple snap into place assembly.
Sturdiness and Stability
Winner: Garden Tower
Obviously, you don’t want your vertical garden tower to get knocked down during a windy day or have it tipping over when you use all the tiers. Out of the three - Mr. Stacky vs Greenstalk vs Garden Tower - Garden Tower will keep your vertical farm upright, even if you fully maxed out its 50 plants growing capacity.
All three garden towers use plastic, but the kind of plastic they use dictates which is sturdier and more stable. Garden Tower excels in this aspect because they’ve opted for HDPE plastic, which is thicker and more durable. As a matter of fact, it can support up to 1,000 lbs!
Their tower is also UV stable, meaning that it will not degrade or crack even repeatedly exposed to sunlight - that’s one thing to consider if you will be planting sun-loving plant varieties!
Another great thing about Garden Tower is its perforated tube section in the middle (more on this later) which provides extra stability for all five levels. To top it all off, the Garden Tower has three large feet that securely snap into the base of the planter.
Between Mr. Stacky vs Greenstalk, they both use polypropylene plastic. However, for the second spot, we’re giving it to Greenstalk because they indicate what number of polypropylene plastic they use (polypropylene #5 plastic, to be exact), UV treated, and offer a 5-year warranty.
Mr. Stacky is in the third spot because of the lack of warranty, and there are several reports of durability and stability concerns. Fortunately, there are two ways you can work around these issues.
First, you less potting soil mix if you can. Second, you can make it more stable by adding a pole in the middle of the tower for support.
Winner of Sturdiness and Stability: Garden Tower
Garden Tower will keep your vertical farm upright, even if you fully maxed out its 50 plants growing capacity.
Space Required
Winner: Mr. Stacky
Although vertical gardening allows you to grow more plants even when you don’t have a backyard, it doesn’t mean it won’t eat up floor space - it just needs less. And, between Mr. Stacky. vs Greenstalk vs. Garden Tower, Mr. Stacky is the most space-saving vertical tower that you can get for your home.
Horizontal-wise, Mr. Stacky only measures 16 inches, whereas Greenstalk is 19 inches and Garden Tower is 23 inches. This is expected since Mr. Stacky offers the lowest number of plants it can accommodate.
Winner of Space Required: Mr Stacky
While Mr Stacky may offer the lowest number of plants, 20 plants is still a large number of plants for a very small space.
Watering System
Winner: Greenstalk
Both Stacky and Garden Tower rely on gravity to deliver water from the top to the bottom tiers. In Stacky, each tier has drain holes. When you water at the top, the water will go down to the subsequent level. Garden Tower follows the same principle.
This can be a problem if you haven’t arranged your plants according to their water needs. For example, you have water-hogging plants at the top and middle tiers. By the time water reaches the bottom plants, they won’t get enough water that they need (if there is anything left).
In most cases, you’ll need to water each pocket to ensure all your plants have water.
Greenstalk addresses this vertical gardening watering issue. Although it also uses gravity to distribute water from the first tier to the base tier, what makes it different is how it distributes the water.
As a matter of fact, out of the three, Greenstalk has the most innovative watering system, so much so that they’ve patented it.
So, how does it water your plants?
At the top, you will find its water reservoir. When you pour water in, the level’s mini reservoir will catch the water and will overflow to the subsequent tier’s tank. Once the water goes all the way through the bottom, the mini reservoirs will then slowly trickle each pocket with water, all at the same time.
Waiting time for your plants to get their dose of water is relatively short - the whole process will take about five minutes, and if there is any excess water, it will simply drain out through the mini feet of the tower.
Expert Tip: If you want to know if your plants need water, dip your finger (or a stick) into the soil. If the soil attaches to your finger and feels moist, don’t water just yet. Another trick you can do to avoid overwatering is to have a water log book.
Cost
Winner: Mr. Stacky
Greenstalk, Garden Tower, and Mr. Stacky are cheaper than Tower Garden by Juice Plus+ (subscription-based vertical gardening that costs $55 a month or $600 per year!).
But Mr. Stacky is the cheapest out of the three. For less than a good button-down shirt, you get five stackable tiers with four gardening pockets. Of course, in the expense of durability and versatility.
As for Greenstalk and its patented watering system, it will set you back twice as much as Mr. Stacky. But considering it has an innovative way of keeping your plants well hydrated, it is definitely worth the price jump from Mr. Stacky.
Garden Tower, on the other hand, which is the most expensive, will cost you ten times more. Yes, it’s that expensive. But given its durability, the number of plants it can accommodate, and an extra quirk (more on this below), we say that it’s well worth the investment.
Extra Features
Winner: Garden Tower
Mr. Stacky is the cheapest and most space-saving than Greenstalk and Garden Tower, but it is also the most basic vertical gardening tower that you can get - which is not a bad thing when you are just starting out.
On the other hand, Greenstalk has its patented watering system, and that’s about it (you can get accessories like tomato support and a base with caster wheels at extra cost, though).
With Garden Tower, has two extra quirks up its sleeves. You are not only vertical gardening; you are also vermicomposting, AKA worm composting!
We’ve mentioned earlier that it has a middle tube section. This component is particularly for composting. You can put kitchen scrap (don’t forget the brown materials like dried leaves) and add red worms.
The column has large perforated holes, allowing nutrients from the composted scraps to move through the plant’s roots. The patented GT2 vermicomposting tube also ensures that you can keep your worms alive and maintain the right temperature for your compost.
But where will the compost tea go? At the bottom, you will find a dedicated 2-gallon capacity compost tea drawer. When it fills up, you can use it again to give nutrients to your plants, chemical-free!
Another extra feature of the Garden Tower 2 is that you don’t have to wiggle your way through your already crowded patio to access your 50 plants. This is because it, aside from its large and curved 50 pockets, can rotate 360 degrees. This is all thanks to its integrated bearing track.
This extra feature is also excellent when you have a mix of sun-loving plants and varieties that prefer indirect sun. You just simply rotate it and you’re all set - a caster base can also be purchased separately if you want to put your vertical garden indoors during winter.
In Summary
Vertical gardening allows anyone to finally have their dream garden, even if they don’t have a backyard or extra outdoor space.
If you are deciding between Greenstalk vs. Garden Tower vs. Mr. Stacky, all three offer exceptional features for vertical gardening. However, we highly recommend Garden Tower 2.
Despite its premium tag, this vertical garden tower simply blows out the competition with the number of plants you can grow, durability, and of course, the unique vermicomposting feature. Over time, the initial investment will pay for itself - considering you get a bountiful harvest of up to 50 plants!
If you already have a separate worm compost or don’t intend to have one (you should, by the way), Greenstalk’s 5-Tier level comes in a close second.
You’ll get to enjoy growing up to 30 herbs, flowers, and vegetables of your choice. Plus, you have the planter’s patented slow drip watering system, which avoids oversaturating the top tiers and drying on the lower levels.
On the other hand, Mr. Stacky’s 5-tier with four planting pockets per level is highly recommended for those with a limited budget and are new to vertical gardening.
Hopefully, our in-depth three-way comparison guide has helped you finally make a decision on which one of these three vertical gardens to get.
Be sure to check out our hydroponic gardening series as well.