As anyone who’s taken a stroll through their neighborhood Ikea can attest, the Scandinavian furniture chain has nearly everything. Be it DIY bed frames and desks to picture frames, potted cacti, and shower rods, there isn’t a whole lot someone wouldn’t be able to purchase during a visit — save for actual groceries or booze.
Because of this, it’s not the least bit surprising to see the massive corporation will soon carry an indoor hydroponic system, which allows owners to grow a garden of vegetables (among other things) right in their kitchen. With just a few starter pods, a bit of water, and a healthy dose of patience, anyone with IKEA’s indoor gardening system can unleash their inner green thumb.
Initially released in the United Kingdom in May, Ikea’s new gardening setup provides everything necessary to maintain a thriving, year-round vegetable crop. And by the spring of 2017, the home goods company hopes these gardens will be making their debut in the United States as well. Starting out, owners simply soak a batch of starter pods in a bowl of water, insert them into a specially designed pod container, then put their desired plant seeds (either pre-soaked or not) on top of the plugs.
As the seeds begin to grow, it’s then time to replant the seedlings into larger containers filled with uber-absorbent pumice stones. Once replanted, the new pots are placed into a separate container where the plants will grow underneath a unique, sun-resembling light.
In addition to the planting and replanting of seeds, the only consistent activity required of the system’s owner is the simple monitoring of water. What’s perhaps most intriguing about an indoor gardening setup is that as the plants continue to grow — day and night — users have a front-row seat to the entire process. As the video posted above depicts, the system allows for a rather large harvest of vegetable at the end of a growth cycle.
“The challenge was to make growing plants in a hydroponic system simple, so that anyone could succeed,” says Helena Karlen of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences on Ikea’s website.
When the gardens do launch in the U.S., they’ll include seeds for 18 herbs and salad greens, and include plants like arugula, chard, chicory, and mizuna. So if you’re looking for a way to grow your dinner in your den, this may just be the answer.
Article originally published in March. Updated on 11-03-2016 by Lulu Chang: Added confirmed reports of garden sales in the U.S. in spring 2017.
