Prepared by – Suzanne Abou Said Daou Plants are part of the internal decoration, they give the feelings of vitality and freshness, and the sites on internet are full of interesting ideas; however, planting a garden with a decoration tendency as well as providing fresh produce with a complete ecosystem is an adventure of a different taste. When Gabe Blanchet and Jamie Byron met at MIT, their mutual interests led to their invention of The Grove; A complete ecosystem that allows people to grow their vegetables inside their apartments. By using the concept of hydroponics, and an automated home garden system; the system is a cabinet that resembles a bookshelf with boxes just over six feet (1.8 m) tall. Four of these boxes hold plants, with adjustable LED lights that provide the light and are automated to mimic the sun, allowing users to control the lighting schedule, as well as monitor the temperature, humidity, and water level. The fifth box is home to a fish aquarium, “the heart of the the system; providing both water and fertilizer for the plants” and mimicking a complete ecosystem, bacteria feeds on fish waste producing fertilizer for the plants, which in turn clean the fish’s water. Though the system can be monitored and controlled with a smart phone, the system mainly takes care of itself. Once a user chooses which plants to grow, they choose them in the app and the system is then configured to the optimum setting for those plants. It also gives updates and tells you when to take actions like when plants should be harvested or when your fish tank needs more fish or any other care. The creators say that by utilizing the seedling bed along with the main growing station, users should have a constant supply of greens. They estimate that a user can expect to harvest the equivalent of two to three bags of salad greens every week or eight to 10 heads of lettuce every 20 days, along with any other fruits you decide to grow. The Grove is also pricey as it is for 2700$, but the amazing part is how technology has advanced to provide our modern societies in crowded cities with fresh sources of healthy greens. Sources: Digital trends, tree hugger, the Grove, etc…
Photo source:
http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2015/11/d905fc5ad6a412f6bb807456a69f4344_original.jpg.650x0_q70_crop-smart.jpg
