Urban farming | Update

While our last round of urban farming spottings included cow leasing, a city winery and suburban chicken coops, this time round we're focusing on growing vegetables and herbs. Three ideas to get you inspired:

Topsy Turvy Upside Down Tomato Planter | Urban dwellers with a balcony, or even just a roomy fire-escape, can start growing tomatoes the easy way with the upside-down tomato planter. Growing upside down in a hanging planter means that weeds, bacteria, ground rotting fungus and ground insects are no longer a problem, leaving consumers to enjoy the freshness of home-grown, vine-ripened tomatoes. Herbs, peppers and flowers also thrive with their roots pointing towards the sky. How's that for innovation? ;-)

Garden In A Bag | Perfect for lazy or inexperienced urban farmers, the Garden In A Bag couldn't be simpler. The leak-proof bag, filled with soil, comes with a separate tin of seed. Sprinkle in seed and a bit of water, and the growing begins. Available herbs include basil, oregano, Italian parsley, chives, lavender, alpine strawberry and mini-tomato.

AeroGarden | For those consumers who'd rather not get their hands dirty, the AeroGarden is "the world's first kitchen garden appliance," about the size of a bread box. Plant roots are suspended in air within a 100% humidity, highly-oxygenated growing chamber. The roots are bathed in optimum levels of nutrients, water and oxygen, making plants grow up to five times as fast as they would in soil. Fully automated, the AeroGarden reminds urban gardeners when they need to add water or nutrient tablets. To top it all off, plants in the AeroGarden don't even require natural sunlight, since the machine includes full daylight spectrum, grow lights.

Opportunities? Take inspiration from the above. As more consumers switch to organic, they're also becoming more interested in growing their own food. Even if it's just on their kitchen counter. Convenience and clever use of space are key. If you're not ready to develop your own urban farming products, start by making the above products available to urban farmers worldwide.
And for those urban farmers who do have a bit mor space, or manage to grow and nurture valuable niche products, a new life as a 'minipreneur' could be around the corner. Case in point: Urban beekeeping – apiculture on city rooftops and balconies.