Hi writersblock,

Well, that's a hard one to answer. During the winter I wanted to grow strawberries in the Tower Garden since all of the other winter vegetables I planted were in the garden where they would have more space. I used the Tower Garden tonics all winter with poor results. The strawberries developed brown spots as they ripened.

I did converse with a member of the hydroponics forum who customized a special strawberry blend formula for me. For the last water change I used this custom blend. Unfortunately I did not follow his mixing instructions causing the fertilizers to not be dissolved properly. That caused terrible damage to the flowers and fruits. The plants did recover but by then it was time to remove the plants to replant for spring plants. I've got seedling greens in it right now using the TG A & B tonics.

Shortly after my TG mishap I mixed the same strawberry fertilizer formula correctly. Then I put it in five Earthbox reservoirs containing other strawberry plants. They are growing very well with no brown spots on the fruits.

So, I guess I have to say that I didn't start early enough to say that it works for strawberries grown hydroponically. I will be trying the base fertilizer formula for the greens after I practice mixing the ingredients properly. It's not as simple as mixing up a batch of Miracle Gro. :)

Christine

Thanks very much for such a detailed answer. I'd be interested in hearing how the greens work out.

My favorite greens that work well in the TG is Swiss chard. It's starting to get too warm for lettuce. I'm sure that dinosaur/Tuscan kale will work just fine too. I've got plenty in the garden right now so I didn't start any more.

Thanks again.

>It's starting to get too warm for lettuce.

I've heard a few people say that they're able to do lettuce all summer in these (just have to switch it out more often), but I don't see how.

With the higher temperatures that we are getting now the lettuce will bolt and get bitter very quickly. The latest growing time in the TG for heat tolerant varieties of lettuce would be June, not all summer (in my area). I tried it last spring so I can tell you for sure. It's best to save that for the fall planting.

Thanks. That's what I would have expected.

Yes I agree. I am zone 9b and my lettuce is growing great now.