For the better part of the last seven months, a select group of beta testers have been hard at work giving a revolutionary new home garden appliance an earnest run for its money. Dubbed the Nanofarm, this innovative new machine — which was developed by the Atlanta, Georgia-based company Replantable — aims to bring freshly grown produce directly to its owners’ kitchens. Though the testers shared a bit of constructive criticism with the manufacturers, replanted reports a positive overall reception for its Nanofarm meaning full-on production versions aren’t entirely far off.
So what exactly is a Nanofarm? For starters, Replantable’s at-home agriculture kit is exactly what its name suggests; it’s a tiny farm. Comprising a grow cabinet, water tray, plant pad, and harvest light, the machine requires but a few steps to start growing lush crops. Furthermore, the cabinet boasts just three controls: the number of weeks required for a grow, a “Start” button, and a “Harvest” button. Because of this, literally anyone has the ability to get their green thumb on, even if they have no prior growing experience. Even company co-founder Ruwan Subasinghe says the nanofarm was created to “provide a tool for people who want fresh-picked taste but don’t have the time or space for a garden.”
“The nanofarm started off as a simple hydroponics system where users plant seeds and add fertilizer manually. We chose hydroponics because it is convenient to do indoors and allows us to avoid the use of pesticides,” Subasinghe told Digital Trends. “As we made prototypes and sent models to early customers, the consistent feedback was that it was still too much work. We started developing technology that would take more and more of the work off the user’s hands. Where we ended up is the ‘set and forget’ system we’re bringing into production.”
To make the device even more appealing, the folks at Replantable constructed the Nanofarm out of extremely durable materials. With a frame built from powder-coated steel and natural wood, its door boasts corrosion-resistant, marine-grade aluminum to assure it won’t be breaking down or rusting anytime soon. Additionally, the machine has been fitted with a smoked glass door to keep most, if not all, of the grow light inside the device instead of flooding a nearby room with it. Replantable even equipped the Nanofarm with a “whisper-quiet” ventilation system which pumps in necessary carbon dioxide to the plants while piping oxygen-rich air into its surrounding home.
With beta testing in the rear view, Replantable intends on officially launching the Nanofarm via the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter on August 22. Before then, interested parties can join a mailing list via Replantable’s website to stay up to date on any developments. Moreover, the site also lists the intended retail price of the Nanofarm at $350, which seems like an absolute steal considering just how beneficial and useful the rig appears to be.
