Not long ago, I wrote about the urban farming revolution and how it could help to meet the world’s food demand in future. Yet farming requires space and not everyone has a backyard or even a balcony to grow their own produce. Soon, this not might be a problem, all thanks to the new IKEA indoor gardening kits.
Indoor Gardening with Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a growing system combining artificial lighting and nutrients solved in water. There’s no need to use the soil as the plants take all they need directly from the solution. It’s being successfully used in large-scale operations, like the Grow Up Urban Farms in London. The smaller versions intended for the home use have started to become more available only recently. IKEA is not the first company to offer a commercial hydroponics system for the domestic use, but it’s relatively cheap kit with the IKEA logo will definitely bring the indoor gardening concept to large audiences. Let’s take a closer look at the products.
IKEA Cultivation Kits
The system comes in several varieties – you can choose a cultivation kit with 1, 2 or 3 tiers. Each tier has space for 8, 15 or 16 pots. A LED lamp provides the lighting and a nursery box helps to start the seedlings grow from bits of mineral wool soaked in water. Once they sprout, you move them into pots, fill the pots with stones included in the set and place them in the growing kit. The pots are partially soaked in water mixed with cultivator. All that remains is to turn on the light and watch the plants grow, refilling the container with the solution every now and then. The simplicity of the system makes it foolproof.
What Can You Grow?
Although the seeds are not included in the kits, IKEA prepared an ample selection to choose from. Their offer includes Pak choi, white cabbage, amaranth mustard, parsley, as well as different types of basil and lettuce. It doesn’t mean you can’t grow anything else! Veggies like artichokes, beans, spinach, beets, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and peas do well in hydroponics too, not to mention all sorts of herbs.
Fresh Produce at Hand
The IKEA Krydda/Vaxer series will make indoor gardening at home easy. However, not only households could benefit from these kits. Restaurants big and small alike could grow their own greens on the spot and harvest them just before preparing the dish. The fresher the crop, the better its taste and nutritious value. Conventional farmers and gardeners could use the hydroponics sets to start their seedlings earlier and extend their growing season. With their attractive designs, they could also decorate office spaces, at the same time providing the employees with tasty, crispy greens.
You can check how the system works in action in the video below. For the time being, the kits are available in the UK only. The price for the smallest one is £75; the biggest one in the offer, with 3 tiers and space for 45 pots, costs £188.50.
