Growing superfoods at home

The nutrient-rich microgreens are ready to harvest within a week

Spotted: Despite a high level of saturation, the global subscription box market continues to grow. There are a myriad of options available, making it possible to find everything from gifts and treats to essentials for almost everyone. A healthy new addition to the market is German-based Ingarden’s home microgreen-growing kit.   

The foodtech company offers a subscription service as well as one-off buying options. Each kit comes with everything needed for assembly, seed pads to grow the greens from, and two refills of the customer’s choice. The microgreen crops that are available include radish, arugula, bok choi, kale, garlic, and mustard. All seeds come from certified organic growers in Italy and the Netherlands. 

After set-up, home gardeners add the prescribed amount of water to the seed pads and turn on the growing light, a 15-watt, energy-efficient LED bulb. In five to seven days, depending on what is growing, the crop is ready for harvest. Once all the greens on a seed pad have grown and been eaten, the pad is compostable. 

Made from ceramic and steel, the bases are designed to last for many years and if any component breaks, Ingarden provides repairs and replacement parts for free. The gardens are available in four different standard colours, with additional special options available for a limited time. The company recently introduced a garden base created with recycled ocean plastic. 

With zero carbon emitted from transport and the produce able to go direct from garden to plate, Ingarden’s solution makes it possible for communities anywhere to add nutrient-rich food to their diet with almost no work required. Ingarden recently secured €500,000 in funding, which the business plans to use to expand its subscription plans and enter new markets.  

As water increasingly becomes a rare resource, many innovations are focusing on ways to conserve it when gardening. Carefully managed crops like Ingarden’s help prevent overwatering, as do two other designs from the Springwise archive that feature in-ground or in-pot water systems.

Written By: Keely Khoury