The market for more visually appealing indoor hydroponic (and aquaponics) kits is growing. This isn’t a new topic, and one I’ve covered a few times before. But with the marketing splash made by IKEA recently and some of the innovations as products are tweaked, it’s time to have a look again. And please do let me know your thoughts on the visual/décor aspects, cost and general efficiency of these growing kits!
Read MoreIt’s been a while. There’s a few reasons for that: work travels, exploring new places (ahead of a possible move) and the associated gardening setbacks. When I travel I am lucky enough that friends offer to come and water plants. However, that’s often not quite enough, so a few two-week trips later and the plants are suffering. I expect the next few months to be similar. So, I need your help!
Read MoreI recently received an interesting email from a reader asking what to grow in Philadelphia if you like Asian food. This points to something prevalent in our generation, internationalising tastes. Whether because of new citizens bringing their cuisine to your country, or dishes you sampled on your travels, many of us want to recreate and grow those flavours at home.
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I am very lucky that my other job takes me to Japan frequently. I could wax lyrical about Japan for far too long, but from the context of the Urban Farmer what I love is the reverence of nature, seasons, food and marrying that with kooky and often very cutting-edge technology.
When I’m in Tokyo I always pay a visit to the big Tokyu Hands store in Shibuya. For those of you yet to visit, this is a veritable treasure trove of the bizarre, funny and functional all under one roof. See the adjacent camera-phone photo to get an idea, and apologies for the quality of the snap (hard to keep a steady hand when crying with laughter!).
On a recent trip I stumbled across some truly cool hydroponic kit. Sadly I was traveling light and couldn't fit any in my luggage, but on my next trip (next month) I’ll be using more of that baggage allowance!
One of the Akarina range
Akarina had the most attention-grabbing range. They seem to have married aesthetics with hydroponic functionality. The inbuilt and discreet light could see you place this wherever you have a power socket and have the unit double as a very cool lamp. While I am struggling to temper my enthusiasm, and should test the product first, it does seem to address a big current gap in the aquaponics market: something you’d actually want in your living room that might actually work!
Another Japanese hydroponic kit manufacturer, Green Farm, also stood out. The website and product is not yet internationalised, so unless you read Japanese you’ll struggle to interrogate the website and product beyond the pictures. What I liked about this product was the enclosed plant-growing cabinet, thereby minimising wasted transpiration and aiding water retention.
More of the Akarina range and the Green Farm product at the bottom of the picture
Much has been made of the Obama-administration’s ‘pivot to Asia’, even if most people in Asia I’ve met have yet to really understand what that means. So it was nice to see that in Urban Farming the pivot has already happened, as a Northern California firm's pots made from renewable sources were adorning the shelves of LoFt. This store is another Shibuya stalwart shop showcasing a lot of the best design from around the world, from watches to teapots and almost everything in between.
The company in question is EcoForms. Again, what I liked about their products was the fantastic marriage of a pleasing aesthetic with functionality and of course the renewable credentials. So, if hydroponics isn’t your thing and you prefer growing with soil (see recent post on that), it’s nice to know that more sustainable options to the usual plastic pots are on the market.
Would you buy any of these products? Or, more interestingly perhaps, are any of you working on similar products? How important are aesthetics in your urban farm? If, like me, you have to grow a lot indoors (lacking the outdoor space), what technological advances would help you? Let me know your thoughts!
どうもありがとうございました – Thank you very much!
Tips, Tricks and Advice on all things urban farming, putting the fun and practicality back into it, in the heart of the city and from the comforts of home.
