Tower Garden (Pod Squad)

What's in the box: The site does not detail membership contents, but the system runs on seeds, rockwool and Tower Garden Mineral Blend, so expect supplies along those lines.

Tower Garden is best known for its vertical aeroponic towers, and the Pod Squad Membership is the brand's subscription. The site lists the membership in its main menu, but its front page does not say what each delivery contains, how often it ships or what it costs, so check those details before you sign up. The system itself is simple. Seedlings start in rockwool, a spongy soilless material, and then go into the tower. A pump lifts a mix of water and the proprietary Mineral Blend to the top, the solution rains down over the roots, and a timer repeats the cycle. Because of that design you keep needing seeds, rockwool and nutrient solution, so a recurring plan for those supplies makes sense. The hardware costs a lot up front. Towers are listed at $670 for the FLEX, $725 for the HOME and $2,160 for the Family Tower Garden. LED grow lights cost $325 if you grow indoors. The brand says you get 30% more yield, harvests up to three times faster and 98% less water than with soil gardening. Those are the company's own figures, not independent results. Upkeep is light, mostly topping up water and cleaning the pump filter. The membership only makes sense if you already own a tower or plan to buy one, since the supplies are made for this system.