Mini Cascade Vertical Garden – a Modular, Water-Smart Growing System | 3D Printed With Minimal Supplies

In homes, growing your own food often feels impossible. I wanted to fix that—without bulky systems, pumps (for hydroponic systems), or lots of maintenance. That’s how I came up with this modular, vertical, compact, cascade-watering planter. It uses a soil-filled central core, and gravity does the rest—water from the top slowly trickles down, hydrating every level with no plumbing.

Built using Fusion and 3D printed in biodegradable PLA, this design helps anyone grow leafy greens, herbs, or flowers on balconies, in windows, or even indoors (preferably a sunny spot). This model is compact - designed for desks; created with love from the US!

Documented on my Youtube Channel! (Of course, read this instructable first and then go check that out 😉)

Let’s keep Earth green and the air clean—one planter at a time. 🌍🌿(did you like the rhyming?)

1. 3D Printer (e.g., Prusa MK4s+)
2. I used my trusty Prusa i3 Mk3s+ and Bambulab A1 Mini for this project
3. Note: Be sure your 3D printer has decent dimensional accuracy. Standard tolerances (0.2 mm) have been modeled in, and your 3D printer should handle them!!!
4. PLA or PETG Filament (minimal preference) (~500g)
5. Most 3D printer filaments may be used, make sure none are particularly toxic (just in case )
6. linked filament is the dark-green filament I used! (great experience)
7. Potting soil/substrate
8. Seeds or Plants (ex. Top: rosemary, thyme / Bottom: mint, spinach)
9. Optional: Cloth or Paper (coffee filters) for bottom drainage
10. Download STL + Fusion Files
11. If you are up to it, feel free to download the Fusion files (.f3z) and customize this project for yourself!

✨Features✨

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Central Soil Core: A vertical column holds soil; water flows through it.

Side Cutouts: Plants grow from angled windows.

Modular Sections: Stackable units connect securely with snap-lock tabs.

Water Funnel Top: The first module features a funnel for even watering.

Drainage Base: The last module collects excess water that can be drained or evaporated

Biodiversity: The concept allows for Biodiversity; multiple plant species will thrive together!

✨Design Constraints✨

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Compact: The design shouldn't be too bulky. This will minimize filament usage, enhancing cost-effectiveness.

Lockable: The cascade planter units should lock into place; they shouldn't easily disassemble.

Minimalistic: The goal is to minimize components needed; to make it as simple as possible. That means, I did not include any unecesarry hardware like screws, nuts, magnets, etc. since not everyone has access to them.

Use the attached 3mfs (via Printables and Makerworld) for an easier experience!

Print 3–5 planter modules, one bottom base.

1. Layer Height: 0.2mm
2. Supports: Modelled in! (via Fusion)
3. As stated before, be sure you are using a well-calibrated printer capable of handling 0.2mm clearances. "Modern" 3D printers like the Prusa's, Bambulabs', etc are definitely sufficient (I printed all of the parts on the Bambulab A1 Mini and the Prusa i3 MK3s+)
4. When I created my own prototype, I used the automatic slicer-generated supports. 1 out of 3 of the supports printed successfully (due to lack of proper adhesion). Regardless, the prints still finished and the overhangs turned out okay (with a bit of cleanup)
5. Use a utility knife (be careful!) and pliers to remove the support
6. This can get messy if the supports were not printed perfectly!
7. Infill: 15% gyroid (above 5% should be sufficient)
8. adjust according to filament supply
9. Perimeters: (minimum) 2
10. Time: ~5 hrs/module (for fast printers: ex. Prusa MK4s)
11. ~9 hrs/module (for slower printers: ex. Prusa i3 MK2)
12. Modifier Object:
13. Perimeters: 0
14. Top Layers: 0
15. Bottom Layers: 0

DON'T ASSEMBLE THE CASCADE PLANTER YET!!!

You must first plan out the plants and the orientation in which they will be planted.

As you know, water flows downward due to gravity. We can utilize this to our advantage via the cascade planter. Since each "module" is separate, but water can flow between them, we can utilize different soils/substrates for each layer. For example, the top layer can contain a plant and soil that is loose - meaning water flows easily through it. Subsequently, the lower layers will contain soil, which will absorb water that dripped from above.

Of course, you can water each individual unit as needed. Of course, not everything will work out perfectly, so understand your plants (observe!) and water as needed!

For example:

Top layer:

1. Substrate: bark/coconut husk
2. Plant: Orchids (orchids are epiphytes)
3. water consumption: moderate/low (they like to dry out before being watered again)

Middle layer(s):

1. Substrate: potting soil
2. Plant: Aloe Vera (succulent)
3. water consumption: very low

Bottom layer(s):

1. Substrate: potting soil
2. Plant: Mint
3. water consumption: high (prefers moist soil at all times, never dry soil)

Of course, the units are swappable (except the top and the water-catcher, of course), so don't be afraid to try out different orientations! Though planning could take some time, it could save you some headaches in the future.

Place the units on a tray or dish to catch runoff.

Add cloth/paper (coffee filter) in the units to avoid leaking:

1. Optional for all of the other layers except the bottom layer
2. since the drainage is printed with 10-15% gyroid infill, there are rather large holes, meaning soil/substrate can leak down.
3. This is not a problem for all the layers except the bottom layer because there will be a unit of soil to catch the falling soil (if that made any sense).
4. The bottom layer has nothing under it except the water-drip-tray, which we want to keep clean, so a proper "filter" is necessary.
5. Don't stress it. Paper or cloth will do the trick (something that soil can't pass through)

Align the units and thread together (twist clock-wise) to lock!

1. Drop potting mix from the top; use a stick to distribute it down.
2. Insert seedlings (or plants) into each side cutout, gently tucking roots into soil.
3. Water slowly into the top, as well as for each individual unit (for the first time, to ensure moist soil)

Water from the top 2–3x per week (Or as soil moisture/plant health permits). If needed, water each individual plant.

Rotate the tower weekly for even light.

Trim herbs regularly to prevent overgrowth (if applicable).

Check saucer (drip tray) for excess water (if evaporation is not sufficient). Empty if necessary.

Of course, if you aren't as knowledgable on plants, observe and educate yourself! Growing plants isn't difficult (especially common plants), but it is quite easy to end up with dead plants on your hands!

This Instructable was created originally in inspiration of the contest, "Green Earth Contest". I am literally typing this two days before the contest submission deadline ends (lol).

With that said, this project has a lot of room for improvement. As I mentioned above, the Fusion files are linked, and this project is free to remix.

Here are some ideas/modifications that you can create yourself! (I will work on official updates as well)

Modifications

(grouped by difficulty/estimated time consumed to accomplish)

Easy modifications:

1. Customization: add a special touch to the project! Using Fusion, you can embed textures or names onto the planters to make it personalized!

Moderate modifications:

1. Structure changes: You can add ventilation holes, watering spouts, etc. Let your imagination run wild!
2. Quick tip: a great place to start with structural mods is when you say to yourself, "only if the cascade planter had [insert idea]"

Hard modifications:

1. Make the cascade planter "smart": You can add arduinos & sensors like humidity sensors and an LCD to display how damp the soil is, etc. In addition, you should probably create a designated housing for the electronics (using the Fusion files)

With that said, I would like to express my appreciation to all the makers out there who came on this journey with me!

Happy Printing!

-AZ3Dp