Vertical farming/gardening systems and methods of using. The systems include a track defining a path in which a change in elevation occurs, buckets pivotally secured to the track to travel along the path, and a moving mechanism for moving the buckets along the path. A first bucket has a cavity containing either a growing medium capable of supporting plants growing within the cavity or a solar collector for dehydrating plants within the cavity. One or more service stations located along the path of the track perform actions on the growing medium or the plants within the cavity of the first bucket as the first bucket travels along the path. One or more sensors analyze the growing medium or plants within the cavity of the first bucket. A master control unit controls the system including travel of the buckets along the path of the track.