There’s no need to pop to the supermarket – or even out to the back garden – to collect herbs and other nutrient-rich salad ingredients for your meals these days. Not that is, when you are the proud owner of a smart and innovative mini vertical farm known as the Agrilution Plantcube.
This attractive new addition to the kitchen – around the size of the average fridge - means you can grow fresh microgreens indoors – and with very little trouble. That’s because, using the Agrilution Cloud app, owners receive instructions on maintaining and harvesting their crop. It’s also possible to programme the Plantcube so that it waters your aromatic plants on schedule, without you having to worry about missing watering time.
What it means ultimately is that it is possible to acquire pesticide-free and non-contaminated, nutritious salad, curry and soup ingredients in your own kitchen without even leaving your front door.
Lockdown ‘grew’ the Plantcube’s popularity
A tiny, impressive-looking indoor greenhouse, the Plantcube is the latest from Miele’s new range of innovative 21st century technology for our homes. It has been around since 2019, but the concept of growing microgreens really flourished during 2020 when more people were forced to work from home during lockdown. That alone led to people having more time on their hands and a desire to experiment and try something new.
“In the past year alone, we have seen a major positive development in sales,” CEO Max Lössl. And that’s not all. The innovative and ambitious Agrilution co-founder says he and his partner Philip Wagner are also seeing a growing environmental awareness amongst consumers – and which he testifies to the Plantcube’s success.
He points out that it takes 240 litres of water to grow a kilogram of salad in a farmer’s field, for instance. The produce will then typically travel around 1000 kilometres by road to reach supermarket shelves, burning petrol or diesel as it does so. Contrast this to the Plantcube, which requires only 120 litres of water at full capacity for an entire year. And, of course, there is no travel miles from ‘Cube to kitchen table.
How the Plantcube works
At the moment, to acquire the genetically unmodified seedlings (known as microgreens) grown in the Plantcube, you contact Agrilution. These are sent directly to the householder and can be harvested at home in the Plantcube within a matter of days. Currently there is a choice of 25 different types of greens, including wasabina mustard and red pak choi. However, even this generous range is expected to expand in time as more and more people take the concept on board.
Initially it takes up to three weeks to grow an initial crop of greens but once it is up and running you will be able to harvest on a daily basis.
The greens are grown on seed mats. Also produced by Agrilution, these are made from upcycled fabric waste, so again, there are no negative effects on the environment. Specially developed LEDs produce the right wavelengths of natural sunlight for optimum growth. A simple, yet revolutionary concept that is no doubt here to stay.
For more information about Bryan Turner Kitchen Furniture and accessories, give us a call at 01953 660762 and speak to a member of our expert team today or Email us at enquiries@bryanturnerkitchens.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
