Garden

Leaf-blowers are the bane of suburban Sunday mornings. Now a team of engineering students at Johns Hopkins University has invented a kind of silencer attachment to radically reduce noise, which could be on shelves in a few years from Black & Decker.

We've now spent several months with the latest wire-free Landroid robo-mower, and we've found it a mix of confusing, educational, satisfying and highly entertaining. Oddly enough, the one thing the Vision seems to need... is a bit more vision.

Tending a garden is an enjoyable way to spend a sunny afternoon, but mowing the lawn is too much of a chore. Robot helpers have been on hand for decades, and the latest from Segway taps into AI for dual mapping and positioning chops.

Robotic garden helpers have been keeping lawns in trim for decades, but none are as much fun to watch as the Verdie AI-powered outdoor maintenance bot from Electric Sheep as it wheels around edges, blows debris and gets to grips with power tools.

Temperatures around the world are on the rise, with 2023 recently confirmed as the hottest since records began. A new study has found that bringing nature into cities could help lower temperatures during heatwaves.

Great news for 80 million (and growing) green thumbs across the country: The USDA has finally released an updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map, its first in 11 years. It highlights both tech advancements and how a warming planet is impacting our gardens.

After attracting more than 15,000 growers across 10 countries since its 2021 launch, the Auk indoor garden is now on its way to the US for the promise of year-round herbs, greens and tomatoes direct from the kitchen countertop.

Folks looking to harvest a steady supply of fresh greens from their kitchen may have limited success with pots at the window. SproutHub automates growing on the countertop, with the promise of an easy weekly harvest.

Back in 2015, French startup Véritable hit Kickstarter with a countertop Garden designed to automate growing of fresh micro-greens and herbs. Now the company has returned with a modular system that can be tweaked for indoor and outdoor use.

Nothing can rescue a bland meal quite like fresh herbs, but not everyone has access to outdoor space to grow their own. That's where indoor smart gardens come in, and the latest from Plantone allows growers to use regular soil and seeds.

I grew up with a ready supply of freshly picked greens and veggies from my parents' garden, but apartment dwellers don't have such luxuries. This is where indoor growing units can help, and the Nutroponics Garden Tower can host up to 100 plants.

We've already seen attempts to realize a sci-fi vision of the future and put robot helpers in the home to make our lives easier. Startup Eeve is also developing a personal robot pal, but Willow X's job is to help you keep your garden tidy.