The Tower: Parts, Pot, and Pump
Notes from the Vertical Garden: Large Hydroponic Vegetable Tower (archive) page on MakerWorld, designed by Structales (released 2025-04-21). Summarized from a PDF printout of the page; the filament list at the page break and the video were not captured. Check the model page for anything you are about to buy or print.
At a glance
| Type | Pump-fed “rain” tower: pump in a sealed pot, 20 mm center pipe, sprinkler at the top |
| Height | Up to 180 cm with all three pot sizes stacked |
| Footprint | Pot 38 × 38 cm (printed lid 36.8 cm square) |
| Pot sizes | GrowBig4 (large crops), Grow8 (radishes, small salad), GrowSmall4 (head lettuce, herbs, flowers); each big pot is about 18 × 18 × 20 cm |
| Print time | Main tower profile: 72 h over 14 plates (P1S shown). Optional support rings: 15 h, 6 plates. Alternatives and options: 41.5 h, 4 plates |
| Filament | Lots of it. Designer: use PETG, smooth plate recommended |
| Track record | Tested outdoors for 5 months, wind-resistant per the designer |
What to buy besides the printed parts
From the designer’s list:
- A large plant pot, at least 40 L / 10 gal, square, thick upper rim, no drainage holes, plastic (preferably polyethylene), with a drillable rim. The model is sized for a 38 × 38 × 40 cm pot; the page lists several European planters and notes the lid’s STEP files can be adapted. A commenter points out you can screw the lid to a board and cut it to fit any pot, and another suggests an ordinary 5-gallon bucket works.
- A submersible pump. The designer uses a Sicce Syncra Silent 2.0 (the 1.5 should also work). Another commenter designed a connector for a cheaper Amazon pump (MakerWorld model 1625658).
- 20 mm outer-diameter sturdy pipe, 2 m, cut to length (designer used aluminum; one commenter used stainless).
- About 28 × M4 countersunk screws, 16 mm, with nuts; 2 × shorter M4 countersunk, 8 mm, for the filter flap.
- 12 × M5 screws and nuts for the base lid. Nuts go into the grow pots too: 4 per big pot and 2 per small pot.
- 3 cm aquarium foam, cut into a filter pad for the lid.
- Net pots for the plants. One commenter notes that nuts can get stuck, and suggests embedded nuts instead.
The designer’s growing setup: Terra Aquatica TriPart fertilizers, a pH meter and EC meter, filtered or rain water, rockwool cubes with vermiculite on top, then clay pebbles in the net pot after the roots develop.
Assembly order, in short
The designer says don’t use an electric screwdriver or overtighten: it cracks the printed and plastic parts.
- Base — screw together the base lid parts (12 M5 screws and nuts), put the pump in the pot, and make sure the pump output sits dead center in the pot (measure it).
- Lid and filter — route the cable through the square hole; drill two holes on each side of the pot to line up with the lid (they hold the rods); nuts in the small holes; foam filter with a center hole and a slit facing away from the filter flap.
- Structure — the 2 m pipe goes in the center and must line up with the pump outlet; two rods go through pot and base; fill remaining lid holes with the cover parts; put the GrowBig4 on top.
- Final — stack the pots, then the black sprinkler on top.
- Test — fill the pot halfway. If no water comes out the top, the pump is too weak or the pump-to-pipe connection leaks (add a sealing ring). Screw the grow pots to each other, then fit the lids. If the water gets too warm, use the white cap on the top; take it off on colder days to warm the water.
To clean the pot, remove the top lids, pull the two base rods, and lift the whole tower aside so the pipe slides out; the plants stay in place.
What commenters found
- Algae at seams. Each level snaps together, and one commenter got algae from water seeping at the seams, so they printed a cover that snaps inside to hide it. The designer says their own tower ran two months indoors on parquet without a spill.
- Leak at the pump diaphragm. One builder found the diaphragm isn’t airtight and sealed it with gaffer tape.
- Print problems. A builder had trouble at the grow pot’s connector; the designer says to use the “BigTower with connector supports” print profile.
- Water temperature. A commenter running two towers reports the high flow rate keeps the water temperature stable even in high ambient heat.
- Add-ons. A TPU cover cap for the plant holes (MakerWorld model 1526313) and a “Hydroponic tower light kit” from another designer.
Implications for the garage
- Pump: the 180 cm tower needs a pump with enough head to push water 2 m up. Pick by max lift, and don’t assume a cheap pump has it; see the shopping list.
- Reservoir heat: the sealed pot is a good place for a 50 W aquarium heater, and the white cap stays off in winter per the designer.
- Freeze risk: the pot’s water is insulated by the lid, but the 20 mm pipe, pots, and net cups are full of water in cold air. Drain the pipe before a hard freeze.
- Light: 180 cm of tower needs lights along its whole height; see Garage Grow Setup.