As someone who has lived most of her life in apartments, gardening has always felt out of reach. When I moved to Brooklyn a few years ago, I was lucky to find a spot with a deck and started keeping herbs in railing planters. Then I tried growing tomatoes in a container, which was not that successful and yielded a meager crop of just three tomatoes from one plant. So, when Vego Garden asked me if I wanted to try one of their products, I heartily said yes.
Based in the Houston area, Vego Garden is known for their modular garden beds made from food-safe materials, which can be configured in multiple ways to fit different spaces. Sadly, I don’t have enough real estate for even their smallest garden box on wheels. But they make other gardening products, and I soon zeroed in on Vego Garden’s EZ line of self-watering planters.
There’s one specifically for tomato plants (though of course you could use it for other plants). With this planter, could I actually succeed at growing more than three tomatoes? Let’s find out!
Vego Garden gave this product to me and this post contains affiliate links. As always, I decide what to write about and all opinions are my own.
Properties of the EZ Self-Watering Tomato Planter
The inner and outer pots of the EZ Self-Watering Tomato Planter, right out of the box.
Vents in the inner pot allow for air circulation and water wicking.
The EZ-Self-Water Tomato Planter can hold 1 cubic feet of dirt (that’s a whole bag!), but isn’t bulky at 15 x 15 inches. While the pot itself is plastic, the 40-inch trellis is metal. You can use it indoor or outdoor. And you can move it around; there are small wheels at the base.
But the most interesting aspect of this planter is the self-watering mechanism. The planter consists of an inner and outer pot and contains a water reservoir that can hold up to 2.5 gallons. The inner pot is designed with a wicking system so that your plant can draw what water it needs, as well as vents for air circulation to the soil.
Assembling the Vego Garden Tomato Planter
First, props to Vego Garden for the plastic-free packaging. The parts came in paper bags, which was inside a cardboard box. Not a plastic bag in sight!
The small wheels are easy to insert into the base. Also, I appreciate the plastic-free packaging.
The first step was to put on the wheels (if you want) at the bottom of the planter. That was easy. The go right in with no issue. Next, I filled the planter with a mix of dirt and compost and put my little tomato plant in. Then I popped the water gauge into its slot.
The plastic connectors and metal pieces for constructing the trellis.
The last step was constructing the metal trellis. The trellis has three tiers, but you can also build it with fewer depending on your needs. Tomato plants can get quite tall, so I built all three tiers.
Assembling the trellis took some time. The process is pretty self-evident: the plastic pieces connect the metal pieces. Though it’s not hard, assembly is a bit tedious. The only hiccup with the trellis, at least for me, is that one of horizontal pieces kept popping out. It still won’t stay in place. I have tried tightening every connection but this one piece keeps defying me.
Coming Soon: A video of the assembly process
My Experience Using the Vego Garden Tomato Planter
At first the water gauge didn’t seem to be working. But I looked inside the reservoir and that’s when I saw that the outer tube of the gauge had detached from the top. I just fished it out, put it back together, and plopped it back in place. No problem.
The water gauge reporting that I have a nearly full tank.
I love the self-watering design of this planter. It saves time and makes my plant happier. Tomato plants are thirsty! But I don’t have a water source on my deck. That means pre-Vego Garden, I’d fill a watering can in my kitchen or bathroom, then traipse through my apartment to the deck, and then back again. I made multiple trips just to water my tomato plant once.
But now I can water less frequently, yet provide the tomato plant with what it needs. Water in the reservoir can last for weeks. There’s a knob that allows you to set the capacity of the planter (and a plug that can be removed for outdoor use so that extra water can come out if it rains).
I set the capacity of the tank to 90, the maximum, which is recommended for outdoor use. It can be set lower for indoor use. There is also a cap that can be removed if using outdoors to accommodate for rain water overflow.
Is the Vego Garden Tomato Planter Worth It?
Vego Garden EZ Self-Watering Tomato Planter – $139.95 (on sale for $119.90)
I’m impressed by this planter and its thoughtful design. The self-watering system ensures the plant stays hydrated while the trellis (minus the one piece popping out on mine) provides sturdy support for the tomato plant (or other climbing vegetables like peppers) as it grows.
Its compact enough for a patio, deck, or balcony. And the fact that it’s mobile is so helpful — though larger wheels would make it easier to move. (My deck is uneven, so even with the wheels, it takes some nudging to move a planter filled with 1 cubic feet of dirt.) And while it’s a pricier planter than a more conventional planter or even other self-watering planters, its design, features, and strong quality materials seem well worth the price.
I’m curious to see how my tomato plant does in this planter and will report back with its progress. At least I’m setting it up with the right conditions this time, thanks to Vego Garden. Overall, I recommend this planter. And if you don’t have the space for a 15 x 15 inch planter, there are also small versions of the EZ planter that can fit on a countertop or table like this mini planter or this one for herbs. (And pssst, Vego Garden is running a sale right now.)
