Superior Yield of Tower Garden

University of Mississippi Researchers

Confirm Superior Yield of Tower Garden

Researchers at the University of Mississippi have confirmed what experienced Tower Gardeners everywhere already know: Tower Garden by Juice Plus+ yields more produce, more quickly than traditional soil-based gardening.

We asked researchers at the University of Mississippi National Center for Natural Products Research to put Tower Garden to the test by comparing the “yield” of produce grown aeroponically by Tower Garden® to the yield from the same types of plants grown in soil ­ ­– under identical growing conditions.

The researchers grew eight different vegetables and herbs – tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, squash, chard, green basil, parsley, and red kale – side-by-side, in Tower Gardens and in the soil. They planted both sets of crops on the same day, and also later harvested samples of healthy, mature crops on the same day for analysis. The total yield of each crop was calculated and compared between the field-grown plants and Tower Garden-grown plants.

“We wanted to have this test conducted by the best third-party researchers we could find,” explains Steve Williams, Director of Tower Garden. “Since soil-based gardening is inherently more challenging than Tower Garden gardening, we wanted to ensure the soil-based ‘control’ plants were cultivated under the most optimal circumstances possible – for the fairest possible comparison.”

To accomplish this, the company turned to the University of Mississippi National Center for Natural Products Research, the nation’s only university-affiliated research center devoted to improving human health and agricultural productivity through the discovery, development, and commercialization of natural products.

The result?

The Tower Garden yielded substantially more produce in every single case, generating 30% more produce on average than the soil-based crops over the same time period. The yield improvement varied from 7% more in the case of cucumber to a 65% greater yield with red kale, as shown below:

Red kale                                              65% greater yield

Bell pepper                                         53% greater yield

Squash                                                 50% greater yield

Cherry tomatoes                            35% greater yield

Parsley                                                21% greater yield

Basil                                                    19% greater yield

Chard                                                    8% greater yield

Cucumber                                             7% greater yield

“These yield results confirm what we already know: that Tower Garden grows more fresh produce, more quickly than traditional gardening,” Williams continues. “That means that in many cases – such as with lettuce, basil, and tomatoes, for example – you can harvest and consume your fresh produce more times during each growing season, allowing Tower Garden to pay for itself even more quickly.”

Williams also reminds us that these greater “yields” are accomplished in an environmentally sustainable way.  “When you can get 30% more fresh produce from a growing system that utilizes less than 10% of both the land and water than traditional gardening – well, you can see why people are beginning to call Tower Garden ‘The Future of Food.’

Chandra, Suman, et al. “Assessment of Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Content, Antioxidant Properties, and Yield of Aeroponically and Conventionally Grown Leafy Vegetables and Fruit Crops: A Comparative Study.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2014 (2014).