NMPL Installs Tower Garden

A Tower Garden was installed at the North Manchester Public Library thanks to the Poet Bioprocessing Community Impact Grant! The installation of the garden was a part of NMPL’s Homeschool Science program and the students worked with library staff and members of the Purdue Extension Wabash County to build the garden.

Tower Gardens operate on an advanced form of hydroponics called aeroponics. Aeroponic systems use water, liquid nutrients and a soilless growing medium to grow plants in an air or mist environment rather than soil. This method is quick and efficient, using 98% less water, 90% less space, growing 30% more, and 3 times faster than traditional soil methods. There is no need for digging or weeding, which means planting indoors becomes a viable option.

The Tower Garden will make urban farming accessible to the North Manchester community. Library users will be able to reserve tower sections during late winter/early spring (for spring/summer gardens) and late summer (for fall crops) for the purpose of plant starts. As plants reach the size of viability, users can take them home for transplant and a new set of patrons can start their own seeds (which they can choose at no cost from the NMPL seed library).

The Tower Garden will be accessible for everyone in the community any time they visit the library, and will provide families with access to fresh produce all year long. The homeschool students planted peas, chard, lettuce, herbs, and tomatoes.
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The library encourages the community to stop by the library to check it out in person - and stay tuned to harvest fresh produce!