3 Tier Stacking Planter-Flower, Herb, Stackable Garden, Vegetable-Self-Watering-Indoor/Outdoor, Gray

This was a birthday gift for my mother who is huge garden and plant fanatic. I've gotten her countless pots, plants, tools and nursery gift certificates for equally as many birthdays and mothers days. I found this cool stacking planter and thought it was really unusual and something that she definitely didn't have. She recently got it planted with some nice spring annuals and it looks great! The planters are plastic, even though they look like terracotta. They're convincing from a distance, though. It seems as though they are sold in other colors now. I'm pretty sure that when I purchased mine it was only offered in the one clay color.The pots seem well made and each layer is uniform to the next. The walls are thick enough to allow a good amount of weight in and above them. They stack nicely and although they don't "lock" together there is enough pressure on each layer to keep them from moving very easily. I did find the actual size of each pot to be a bit smaller than I expected, but I don't think that detracts from the beauty of the pot. Just don't go expecting to put much more than a 4" potted plant in each section for risk of overcrowding. I can't vouch for the self-watering system as mine was a gift and I'm not watering it myself, but I imagine it does it's job decently. It really just relies on the overflow from the top layer to feed the layer underneath it, and do that again for the third layer. So, I can imagine that if you have your dirt packed tightly it would take quite awhile to get enough overflow down to the bottom layer. It's probably just easiest and fastest to hit the whole thing with a watering attachment on your hose. Overall, it's a nice looking and unique planter that looks great whether it's hung or not. I might pick up a couple for my house and hang them from my porch!

I love gardening, and I would garden more if I had the space, thus the reason to give this stacking planter a try. I'm actually kind of sad that this didn't work out, and I'll keep trying different things with it, so maybe I can find a real use for it.Assembly is easy, except that if you want to hang it, you have to put in the chain before putting the dirt in. I decided that I might want to hang it, so I put the chain in.Then I put in my soil, little water, and excitedly planted my herb seeds. I figured I would use this as a mini herb garden.Problem #1Not enough light gets to the areas for the seedling to grow properly. I immediately noticed all my seedlings were very leggy. I tried to turn the planter through out the day as it sat in my south facing sunny window, but no go, just not enough light. Perhaps the solution would be to plant one side at a time until the plants are big enough and established to not have as much light. Or perhaps, transplanting full grown plants into the pots might be the better way to go, but then that defeats the purpose of a space saving planter.Problem #2The chain gets in the way if you're moving it. I found that I need to move it often to provide more light, but the chain actually gets in the way if it's not hanging. This was perhaps my fault, for putting the chain in place, but it's one of those put it on now or never kind of things. The chain became even a bigger problem when I decided to start separating my planter into three pieces so that my seedlings could get enough light. The chain is barely long enough to have all three pieces flat, and that includes being creative in positioning it, and then the chain moves the dirt around as you're trying to manage the planter when putting it back together (I just don't have the space to constantly leave it separated, and you only get one bottom dish with it).Problem #3This planter is not self watering in any way. I didn't expect it to be when I bought it, and I don't really care for self watering planters, but after trying it, I wanted to mention it, because someone might actually be counting on that.So overall, I think it's a great idea, but not if you're starting out with seeds. I have a few other ideas I might try using it for, and will post an update if I find something that works with it.

This planter is a great way to save space & can be used indoors or outdoors. It comes with a sturdy chain for hanging it & allows for drip tray to be snapped on to the bottom whether you are hanging it or setting it on a flat surface. Allows for planting 6 plants below top planter & you can easily plant 1 to 4 more plants on top. Perhaps even more depending on what types of plants you are growing. For instance I will be using the top planter for 4 different types of leaf style lettuce like Romaine & Bib, More lettuce will be planted in center planter and I will be planting herbs like thyme & oregano in bottom that will cascade downwards as they grow. This will be for hanging the entire planter. I bought 2 sets, so may add up to 2 more layers. 5 is limit for hanging with chain provided & because of weight bottom planter will be supporting when suspending. You can stack more if you run small PVC pipe or dowel thru center to stabilize & keep it from tipping over when placing on flat surface or stacking on pole off the ground with a stop put in place on pipe that will stop planter from sliding down the pole. Great way to help keep small animals from eating harvest and easier on the back because it is at a better height for you. I will be running small PVC pipe thru hanging basket just to give it better support but with just a set of three it is really sturdy enough on its own. Pictures below are of planter straight out of box. I may post more pictures after it is filled & growing.

I'm using this for an indoor pot and it's great! It was very easy to assemble and watering is a breeze. I have another pot that has a design much like this one, but it difficult to water. This is much easier and the water stays in the pot instead of flowing out of the plant openings. I can have an assortment of plants and colors inside in a compact area and don't have issues with water spilling or flowing out onto the table. I have many pots and plants all over already but wanted to variety without using a lot of space and this is perfect. I also bought a 2nd one that I will be using to grow fresh herbs. I am looking forward to growing and using the freshest herbs you can get all year long.