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Urban Cultivator automatically grows greens indoors

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The Urban Cultivator is a computer-controlled hydroponic growing system for herbs and vegetables
The Urban Cultivator is a computer-controlled hydroponic growing system for herbs and vegetables
The home version of the Urban Cultivator, known as the Kitchen Cultivator
The home version of the Urban Cultivator, known as the Kitchen Cultivator
Greens growing hydroponically inside the Urban Cultivator
The commercial version of the Urban Cultivator, known as the Commercial Cultivator
The Urban Cultivator comes with organic fertilizer, that must be added once a week
The commercial version of the Urban Cultivator, known as the Commercial Cultivator
The Urban Cultivator is a computer-controlled hydroponic growing system for herbs and vegetables
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There's no question that fresh herbs taste better than their dried counterparts, nor is there any denying that garden-fresh veggies are preferable to ones that have spent the past several days in a truck or on a supermarket shelf. People who are lucky enough to live in warmer climates can keep the fresh greens coming year-round, if they plant a garden. For those of us in colder regions, however, things get a bit more challenging come winter. We can rig up indoor herb gardens on windowsills or using full-spectrum fluorescent lights, but that can sometimes get a little complicated. If you can justify its price, however, there is an alternative - the Urban Cultivator.

Putting it simply, the Urban Cultivator is an enclosed hydroponic system designed for continuously growing herbs and smaller vegetables indoors. An integrated computer controls watering and light cycles, and also activates built-in fans to maintain proper humidity and air circulation. Users are required to add supplied organic fertilizer once a week, and eat the greens when they're ready for harvest.

The consumer model, known as the Kitchen Cultivator, hooks into the home's existing power and water systems, like a dishwasher - not coincidentally, it is also about the same size as one, so it can be installed in the same sort of spaces. A bigger Kitchen Cultivator is also available, that doubles as a kitchen island. Both versions have caster wheels and solid maple butcher block tops, that can serve as food preparation areas.

Prices for the consumer model start at US$2,200 - your appetite for greens will determine how quickly it pays for itself. A larger industrial model of the Urban Cultivator starts at $6,000. It is already in use at several restaurants in and around the manufacturer's home city of Vancouver, Canada.

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14 comments
Paul van Dinther
Let me be the first to say it.
Perfect to grow your own stash!
Carlos Grados
Too expensive, unfortunately.
Von Meerman
A computer-controlled growing system? Love it! I wonder if it can be programmed for specific plant types.
Dawar Saify
And the energy requirement? It\'s the natural way forward and should be able to grow a variety of greens
Carol Wilkerson
Until the price comes down, I think for now I\'ll stick with the $129 small greenhouse.
jerryd
interesting but can be replaced by $100 worth of water and light timers, lights, ply, etc.
Steven Murphy
yeah...what about our \"favorite\" greens..could they be grown with one of these ?
Slowburn
That is an awful lot of money to spend to save a little work.
halayc
Nice idea and nice start, but an indoor micro-garden needs to be fertilized with recycled organic fertilizer http://bit.ly/y1IHgx . Peer reviewed academic research showed higher yield and higher nutrient content in plants fertilized organically. You can read a quick overview here, under \"Why not synthetic fertilizer?\": http://www.urbanfarmsorganic.com/facts.html Hydroponics could be fertilized organically, but the ecologically sound choice is to use fertilizer recycled from food waste, in-house. Emerging technology is designed to turn waste to fertilizer in-house, effortlessly. This means free food grown in-house, and less waste exported from cities.
My company is among those developing such technology: http://www.urbanfarmsorganic.com The other the ecologically sound thing is to make simple affordable technology, so that enough people can use it in order to have an ecological impact.
Debra Rincon
I love all the new inovative hotels & new URBAN BUILDING Designs beyond any others in the whole wide world. Nobody can match their designs & or riches either? KEEP Up the good work to show the world what real money can buy!