Indoor farming is widespread across agriculture, from large-scale vertical farms like AeroFarms and Bowery Growing to companies selling smaller systems that allow customers to grow food in their own four walls. At a time when food and beverage consumers valued important products, healthy eating, convenience and home-made meals, the indoor gardening market was facing significant growth.
“Indoor gardening opens the world of growing your own food to a much wider audience – all those people who would otherwise be restricted by short growing seasons and extreme weather (especially in northern climates) or the lack of outdoor space for a traditional garden”, Said Hank Adams, CEO of hydroponic home garden system provider Rise Gardens. “In addition, indoor gardens are very productive in terms of the amount of food you can grow per square foot and sustainable in terms of the amount of energy and water used to grow.”
Martin Laidla, PR manager at smart garden maker Click & Grow, added that food trends such as plant-based foods, plant parenting and sustainability became even more relevant after the coronavirus pandemic broke out. These ideas lend themselves to the increasing popularity of indoor gardens with a wide variety of users.
“Smart indoor gardens do not require any prior knowledge or experience in growing plants, and the growth process is controlled by the technology, resulting in a higher success rate,” said Laidla. “In smart indoor gardens, plants typically grow 30-50% faster because they provide the best conditions for certain plants to grow. Because of this, they also contain more nutrients. “
“The farm-to-table idea slowly evolved into ‘garden-to-table’ and more and more people began to see the benefits of growing their own products,” said Adams.
Pandemic prompts increase interest in gardening
When pandemic closings and bans began last spring, many people turned to new hobbies like baking, handicrafts, and gardening. Adams and Laidla both report that Rise Gardens and Click & Grow have seen sales growth since March 2020 and that those strong sales have continued throughout the pandemic.
Rise Gardens offers many garden systems as well as a wide variety of seeds and accessories that allow users to grow multiple types of plants in one unit. The versatility this offers for consumers is very beneficial for those seeking plenty of healthy food options.
“We have seen a very large percentage of our customers add these accessories to add volume and variety, and we believe that is why they have stayed with us at a remarkably consistent level,” said Adams.
Laidla cites the significant and widespread supply chain constraints that have affected the food and beverage industry this year as another example of why consumers are turning to Click & Grow products. Growing vegetables like leafy greens in one of their systems allows consumers to have a healthy and safe alternative to store-bought greens that also reduces waste.
Indoor grows as a hobby, habit remains
“As with any hobby, you want to develop and explore,” said Adams. “We have tried to highlight the experiences that can help comfort people’s lives.”
He said that Rise Gardens plans to release Alexa voice control integrations for its systems soon, which will change lights, timing and notify owners when the plants need more water or nutrients. The company is also committed to making improvements to its app and releasing a microgreen accessory to further improve the user experience and offer more options.
Laidla agreed to the idea that growing their own food inside should continue: “Indoor gardening has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world.”
He said the overall smart garden market is likely to see more investment and growth in the future, and Click & Grow expects the size to double every year to keep up with demand. The brand’s newest product, Click & Grow 25, uses Smart Soil plant pods, which are compared to coffee pods in single-serving coffee makers, to keep leafy vegetables in ideal garden conditions all year round. The Kickstarter side of the product has already clearly exceeded the backing goal.
The trend towards indoor gardening has clearly evolved from a “quarantine hobby” to a long-term habit for many people this year.
“There’s nothing like the feeling of seeing a seed sprout and turning into a beautiful, nutritious plant that can feed our families,” said Adams.
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