If you are at all interested in sustainable living and growing your own food for the benefit of your health and the planet, the chances are you may have heard of hydroponic gardening: the method of growing without soil.
This innovative approach to gardening is fast being adopted by vast numbers of apartment dwellers and those living in urban areas as a way of cultivating vegetables, herbs, salad crops and fruit in a small, indoor space. Throw smart tech into the mix, as hydroponic technology brand Gardyn has done, and you get a system of growing plants indoors, which simply works for modern life.
Here we explain all about the Gardyn brand, what products it offers and how its innovative hydroponic growing systems work.
What is Gardyn's mission?
Gardyn's mission is a big one. It wants to change the fundamental way we produce our food, for the benefit of our own health and that of the planet.
It is at the forefront of indoor gardening, and has huge ambitions to reimagine the future of food. It is doing this by offering us innovative, technology-driven products which make it easier and quicker to cultivate our own food and plants in a sustainable way. By using its hydroponic vertical growing systems, crops can be grown in a small footprint and without the use of chemicals. Plus, they won't endure long distances travelling from farm to store, therefore will be fresher and tastier, too.
By making fresh food cultivation accessible, Gardyn aims to make our cities and urban centers more sustainable and autonomous, where any space – be that a home, an office, a school, or any public building – can become a place where food is grown locally all year round for the benefit of that community.
What technology does Gardyn use?
Gardyn uses three different types of tech in its growing systems to help its users have maximum success growing plants indoors.
Its energy-efficient hydroponic systems have been developed alongside researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and allow you to grow indoors vertically, without the use of soil. The systems are self-watering, and recirculate nutrient-rich water on an automated schedule, using 95% less water than conventional outdoor growing methods.
They also incorporate grow lights, which provide plants with the optimal lighting conditions they require to thrive.
All the Gardyn systems also come with an AI app – Kelby – which is effectively your very own built-in gardener. Using cameras and sensors to monitor the plants, Kelby can tell you when a plant requires any additional care and attention. Watering schedules and light levels can also be controlled in the app, which allows you to monitor your plants whilst away or on vacation.
What products does Gardyn offer?
Gardyn offers two full growing systems; there is the home kit 3.0, and the latest model is the home kit 4.0. These are designed specifically to grow fresh produce, herbs and flowers. The growing systems take the shape of a living wall, and come with a choice of 30 plants, provided in the form of 'ycubes', which plug into the main growing system and allow seeds to germinate and grow inside. They contain rockwool, a natural, rock-based growing medium.
The technology in this model is impressive. Growing can be customized to suit your lifestyle and needs, with lighting and watering preferences managed via the Gardyn app.
Gardyn provides smaller products, too, including a microgreens growing kit complete with a sprout nursery. It also offers a rolling cart designed to make your vertical garden mobile, as well as other growing accessories.
Is there a membership program?
Yes, Gardyn currently offers monthly, 1-year, and 2-year memberships. Gardyn members get 10 plant credits every month, 60% off additional plants, plus access to Kelby, an AI assistant gardener. Members also get access to exclusive plants - often rare varieties - which have been hand-picked by the team of Gardyn researchers.
You can use Gardyn's growing systems with or without a membership, and you can begin with a 30-day free trial to see if the membership plan suits you.
