Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Carpenter, Curt Carpenter, Dara Reppe.
Hi Tim Carpenter, Curt Carpenter, Dara Reppe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Verti-Gro is a family-owned company with over 50 years of experience in hydroponics and vertical growing systems. Our dad, Tim Carpenter, started Verti-Gro out of a love of hydroponics and growing that he has had ingrained in him from a very young age. He was born on a farm and worked in a hydroponic tomato greenhouse in high school. After the army, marrying our amazing mom, and then college (with a degree in chemistry), he worked as a chemist for Holly Sugar in Colorado. He was making his own fertilizer in the basement of our house when I was a baby. He started his hydroponic fertilizer company, ChemGro in 1972 and built the first hydroponic greenhouses in Colorado that same year. Hydro-Gardens became a worldwide supplier of hydroponic fertilizers and greenhouses. When Curt and I were young he was traveling the world installing greenhouses in difficult climates. In the 90’s he began working with vertical growing and decided that with the loss of affordable land for farmers, the increased cost of living and shrinking yards, poor soil, and the lack of fresh, local produce, that vertical hydroponics was the way of the future. He sold the company in Colorado and created Verti-Gro in 1996 and has focused solely on growing vertically on towers ever since. Our mom retired a few years later and they moved back to their roots in Central Florida so he could spend more time researching and perfecting vertical growing with the longer growing season Florida has to offer. He also became a partner with EPCOT Science that same year and you can see our towers if you take the boat ride or the Behind the Seeds tour at Living with the Land. Verti-Gro was one of the first true vertical hydroponic systems in the world and while we have stayed a small, family business we have customers all over the world. We have systems ranging from our smallest recirculating patio garden to commercial farms with 6+ greenhouses growing thousands of plants.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely has not been a smooth road! A family business is a huge sacrifice as most entrepreneurs can attest, but the good usually outweighs the bad. A start-up in the 70’s and another start-up in the 90’s was challenging and expensive. Vertically growing did not catch on as quickly as we had hoped. When our mom retired, she worked full-time on the farm and in the office for Verti-Gro. She could be found chatting with customers about their garden or in the greenhouse until dark cleaning up strawberry plants. A farm doesn’t take days off, and it has built a strong work ethic in us all! Over the years Curt and I have worked for Verti-Gro is some capacity; Curt is now the VP and does all the installations of our larger systems and greenhouses and I am the Education Director. Our kids-the 4 grandkids-have a great work ethic thanks to often earning money helping Papa on the farm. From bagging fertilizer to picking strawberries or cleaning up plants, they knew “there was always work to do” on a farm! And now my niece has a sourdough business in which she uses the freshest herbs and produce straight from the farm into her baking. We are dedicated to doing all we can to make Verti-Gro the best vertical gardening company out there while maintaining the integrity of a family business and continuing our father’s legacy. And, as most gardeners can attest, it is really difficult to eat a store-bought tomato!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a chemist, Tim’s experience with sugar beets and hydroponic tomatoes gave him the desire to constantly seek out new methods and products that would improve sales and profits to commercial growers. That expertise naturally led him to also create a product that anyone with a desire to garden, could do so with limited space or even without a yard. We’ve been helping growers of all sizes produce healthier, more sustainable crops in less space and with less water than traditional farming. We specialize in vertical hydroponic growing systems that are simple, durable, and incredibly productive. We provide not just the equipment, but also expert knowledge, custom fertilizer blends, and ongoing support to ensure our customers thrive.
What sets us apart from others? That Tim is truly a pioneer in the industry and that we don’t stop connecting with customers after that initial purchase. We don’t just sell systems; we grow with them, test them, and literally enjoy the fruits of our labor! Our dad has decades of hands-on experience growing hydroponically outdoors, in greenhouses, and commercial farms and he is passing that knowledge on to us. I’m proud that our company has built a reputation for genuine support and education, especially for schools and community programs, helping students and new growers learn where food comes from. Teaching kids how to eat healthier and support farm to school programs is one I’m most proud of. We have been working with the FANS Program in Marion County for many years and it is an incredible program focused on getting our youth healthier. We have support from our amazing Master Gardener’s program as well as UF-IFAS and their awesome extension agents. We have customers and dedicated staff members that have been with us from the beginning. Our Verti-Gro pots and most of our products are made in the USA and we are staying true to our values of quality, sustainability, and innovation. We want people to know that Verti-Gro isn’t just a product—it’s a way to grow smarter, healthier food while conserving resources. Whether someone wants to grow a few towers of strawberries in their backyard or set up a larger commercial system, we provide the tools and the know-how to make it happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vertigro.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verti_gro_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verticalgardens
