BY: JESSICA BEUKER
Living in a small space often means sacrificing the garden. Without access to a backyard, or sometimes any outdoor space at all, such as a balcony, growing your own fruits and veggies isn’t an option. Even those with larger homes and yards can run into issues, as many people live in places with long, dark and harsh winters that make gardening nearly impossible. These are the problems that inspired Bryce Nagels of Montreal to develop the NutriTower – a seven-foot tall vertical farm designed specifically for tiny spaces.
The NutriTower is a seven-foot tall vertical farm that fits in small spaces and allows plants to thrive inside by delivering water and nutrients to the bottom of the plant pots.
Nagels told Treehugger that he can grow a continuous supply of lettuce, swiss chard, spinach and an abundance of herbs such as mint, parsley, basil and oregano. He can even grow tomatoes and melons.
NutriTower is a hydroponic system, where water and nutrients are pumped up from the base to each of the pots. According to their website, the system uses a nutritonic that is custom designed for the tower. The mixture is mostly plant-based and is derived from all-sustainable sources.
The tower is suitable in any location, as it comes equipped with its own lighting system. It only takes up one tenth of the space that a horizontal planting bed takes up.
While the price tag is a bit steep at $1,299, at least you’ll have most of the ingredients to make homemade Caesars for the rest of your life. The item will be released on December 1, 2015, but is available for pre-order now.
The NutriTower comes with its own lighting system, and can grow several types of herbs and vegetables. The system is priced at $1,299, but will supply you with many of the ingredients to make salads and Caesars for life.
The company is also hoping that it will be used as a learning component. For teachers who are interested in having the NutriTower as part of their classroom, the company also offers a curriculum. The curriculum follows the process from germinating seeds to harvesting, where kids get to enjoy the fruits and veggies they have grown themselves. And for every 50 NutriTowers sold, the company will give one to a school for free.
The creators of NutriTower place an importance on educating others about where their food comes from and how to grow their own food. Not only does it save you money over time, it’s better for the environment and better for your body.
* Update: Ikea has just released another vertical, sustainable garden.
Image sources: nutritower.com
