You won't need a green thumb, floor space or any serious commitment in order to create a thriving indoor oasis with this functional vertical garden. And you also won't need a lot of spare cash either, with the whole kit coming in at around US$85.
It's no secret that we love a vertical garden here, be it at a large, commercial scale, as an architectural green wall or as functional home decor. In fact, you could spend a day down the vertical-garden rabbit hole if you click on the New Atlas topic.
This little gem, known curiously as LinnéGarden, continues the trend of low-maintenance, versatile, space-saving green spaces – except it can also function as a piece of wall art. Created by an architectural designer and an industrial designer, it's no surprise that it's as aesthetically pleasing as it is useful.
The 16 holes that dot the front of LinnéGarden fit 16 conical tubs and 16 growing pads that will house as many plants. But the design of the garden is up to you – be it herbs and lettuce for the kitchen bench or succulents for the living room wall.
Whatever you decide, the system is designed to be almost self-watering. A tank at the base holds 800 ml of water, and four other reservoirs hold a total of 720 ml, so depending on what the plants require, you'd only need to top it up every 7-10 days. Because it's hydroponic, it relies on the water for growth and plants will automatically get a drink every 24 hours while there's water in the system.
As for light, the system operates somewhat independent of natural light. It instead has multi-spectrum LED growing lights that can be adjusted via an app to optimize germination and then photosynthesis. Of course, since the LinnéGarden is as much about how it looks as how it works, these lights can also be synced with music from a smart device as a rather cute interactive visual feature.
The makers say you don't need any experience to get this garden started and to keep it going strong, but if you are a plant enthusiast you can experiment with cuttings, ferns and even elaborate flowering greenery. And because each of the 16 pods is its own garden bed, growing independent of its neighbors, there's plenty of room to experiment.
LinnéGarden has met its crowdfunding target so is available for around $85 (HK$661), which is 38% off expected retail price, and is expected to ship worldwide in December. Shipping one unit to the US is expected to be an additional $19.
The basic unit – which comes in a choice of white, gray or blue-green – comes with a charging cable, 16 planting baskets and 16 planting sponges. It also comes with three blockage points, which plug any holes not being used, in case you want to get more creative with the design.
There are a bunch of add-ons to fuel that creativity, like decorative Christmas pins and a set of kitsch-cute panda figurines to attach to the unit. Bear in mind that it does weigh in at 2 kg (4.4 lb) without plants, and you'll need to sort out a wall attachment and access to power for charging if you want to hang it up.
Source: Kickstarter