If you aren’t in the loop with the newest gardening technology, all you really need to know is one word— hydroponics. Hydroponics is the most fashionable and low maintenance way to grow a beautiful garden inside of your home.
Many of us lack a “green thumb,” battle year-round inclimate weather conditions, or like Rise Gardens founder, Hank Adams, continually find that your best gardening efforts are ruined by families of chipmunks and rabbits.
There is no surprise that technology has made its way into gardening, and lucky for us that means we can grow beautiful crops year-round. Hydroponics is booming and Rise Gardens is at the forefront, with a 300% increase in sales in March 2021 and 650% increase in April 2021, it sounds like everyone wants to jump on board.
So what is hydroponics?
As Hank described to us, Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in a water-based, nutrient-rich solution. Instead of using soil, Rise Garden plant root systems are supported by peat moss. By allowing plants direct contact with the nutrient solution, hydroponic plants mature 25-30% faster than the same plants grown in soil. Hydroponic plants grown in Rise Gardens are also chemical-free and use less water than traditional gardening techniques.
After 14 years of working in sports technology Hank Adams sold his second business, Sport Vision, and Rise Gardens was born. “It was my third sort-of run at sports tech businesses. I thought, you know, I’d actually like to do something that’s going to make an impact,” expressed Hank.
Combining gardening and technology, Rise Gardens is a sophisticated indoor growing system. “It’s very productive, it has three levels to it. You can grow everything from micro greens, to tomatoes and peppers, to eggplants, and all the way up” explained Hank. All Rise Gardens are app-enabled which allows you to track your plants’ progress and remind you when to add water or take action.
While Rise Gardens is not organic, it is chemical free. In our interview Hank made us aware of how organically grown lettuce still faces many issues, and that there are organic pesticides. So while Rise Gardens may not be pesticide-free, you are truly chemical free. No herbicides, fungicides or pesticides. You harvest your crop and you eat it right away.
Hank brought to our attention, “That very expensive organic head of lettuce you buy is probably very far away from you and the whole time it’s being shipped and stored, it’s losing its nutrients. You lose about half of the vitamins in the first 48 hours of being cut. It takes a week to get through the distribution chain and then to the grocery store and then into your fridge.”
Many families are purchasing the ‘family garden’ concept as a way to get their children off of screens while spending more time at home. Rise Gardens also noticed how many people, especially during the pandemic, were purchasing the garden to grow their own crops instead of going to the grocery store.
Imagine growing your own beautiful crops, watering them once a week, and tracking their progress on an app. Rise Gardens makes it so simple to incorporate real produce into everyday life. Check them out here!
Let us know what you think and what crops you’re growing @StarterNoise.
Morgan is a student at the University of San Diego majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Entrepreneurship. Not afraid to run a 10k or test out a new product for review, Morgan is our go-to for all things spirituality, health, wellness, and the hottest spots to check out in Denver and San Diego. Also a podcast junkie, Morgan can always recommend a killer listen ranging from the newest data on MDMA research to ways we can begin understanding the microbiome.