When the “Easy” Strawberry Tower Didn’t Go to Plan

The plan was simple

This strawberry tower was supposed to be an easy setup.

The idea was to get it running, head off to work, and come home to strawberries ready to pick. Instead, within the first few days, a heatwave hit, the black drum held too much heat, and the olla flooded the bottom of the tower instead of watering it the way I expected.

So it turned into more of a lesson than a success.

Why I built it

I built it because I’m renting and wanted a way to grow more in a smaller space without building anything permanent.

Strawberries felt like a good option because the kids and I both eat them, and I also wanted something that could manage with less daily attention while I’m away at work.

That’s why I tried the olla system instead of irrigation. I also put the whole thing on wheels, which turned out to be one of the better decisions because it made it easier to move and rotate.

What I planted

The tower had strawberries, marigolds, basil, thyme, and rosemary.

At the start it looked like a good mix and a good use of space.

The heat hit hard

In the first few days we had temperatures well over 40 degrees, and that was enough to do real damage.

The strawberries were hit worst. I put up shade cloth after the first day, but I didn’t realise it was only 50% shade. I doubled it over, which helped a bit, but it still wasn’t enough for the conditions.

I’ve now swapped over to 90% shade cloth. Time will tell if that’s too much or exactly what’s needed.

The black drum was the wrong choice

The black drum was part of the problem.

In this climate it just held too much heat. In a cooler area it might have helped, but here it worked against the plants. If I did it again for strawberries, I’d use a blue drum instead.

The olla didn’t work properly

The watering system didn’t wick the way I expected.

Instead, water built up in the bottom tier and flooded it. I drilled drainage holes into the base so the extra water could slowly escape, and that at least made it manageable.

The top tiers still dry out faster than the bottom ones, so I’ve had to give them extra water by hand once a week.

What worked better

The lower tiers held up better than the upper ones.

They stayed cooler, held moisture longer, and generally looked healthier. The herbs also handled the heat better than the strawberries did.

The marigolds struggled and didn’t last the way I hoped, so I’ll replace those with something tougher.

What I’d change next time

Next time I’d use a blue drum, start with heavier shade cloth, and spend more time working out the watering system before relying on it.

I’d still keep the wheels though. That part was definitely worth doing.

What I took from it

This was meant to be one of the easier projects.

Instead, it turned into a reminder that simple ideas can still go wrong once weather and materials get involved. Even so, it was still useful because I learned what doesn’t work in this setup.

That’s enough to make the next version better.