Urban Farming Goes Full Circle with OGarden’s Device

Dense urban spaces usually means very little space for private gardens. With a focus on on urban infrastructures like roads, building codes and the expansion to accommodate ever-increasing numbers, key aspects, like considering the food supplies, especially locally produced food have been ignored completely.

To solve this problem OGarden has come up with its unique solution called OGarden Smart. The device helps grow plants in a rotating wheel with an LED light in its center.

OGarden Smart can grow up to 90 fruits and veggies at once, so you can enjoy an abundance of super fresh food like leafy greens, herbs, cherry tomatoes, baby peppers, strawberries and edible flowers. The eye-catching wheel can accommodate 60 plants, while an LED lit nursery shelf in the housing below can take 30. Automatic watering makes using OGarden Smart virtually effortless, and the automatic low energy consumption LEDs simulate the perfect amount of sunlight, offering optimal year-round growth.

Read More: Greenhouse Farming: A viable future or a financial burden?

The New OGarden Smart watering tanks hold about 10 days of water and a warning system notifying users when the water is running low. Low energy LED lighting is placed in the middle of the device which is claimed to make indoor gardening inexpensive throughout the year. The latest model dimensions are –53 x 29 x 15 inches (134.6 x 73.65 x 38.1 cm) – and the whole system uses 120 W of power. It weighs about 40 kgs when full.

The company adds that the device comes with seed cups which are placed in the nursery cupboard. The User gardeners can harvest when ready, usually about 30-40 days after planting. When a plant stops producing, its root ball and earth can be composted for future plant growth. The OGarden Smart costs CAD$ 995 (Rs 52,000) and is available in the US, Canada, and Europe.

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We have talked about urban farming in detail in many articles. Admittedly, indoor farming isn’t a novel idea. But it only recently became more cost-effective, with the drop in cost of LED lighting. Innovations in Hydroponics, vertical gardening offer individual-level solutions to reduce water footprint while raise fight against food deserts, with access to fruits and vegetables in areas where fresh produce is scarce or expensive.

These innovations, though not feasible for many, offer a brief glimpse of the future of growing food when urban area sprawls may outnumber rural agricultural lands and urban dwellers might have to devise ways to reduce their dependence on conventional rural agriculture produce.