Flatpack greenhouse

Sweden – Ikea is releasing its own hydroponics kit that enables urban families to grow their own vegetables at home.

• Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in water, and is used in commercial greenhouses around the world
• The Krydda/Växer ranges include a nursery box, and single to three-tier cultivation units made from powder-coated steel

The retailer collaborated with scientists including Helena Karlén and Håkan Asp from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences to develop a system so simple ‘that anyone could succeed’.

The basic kit includes seeds, a nursery box for fledgling sprouts and the materials needed to make the cultivation unit, including the LED lamps which make it possible to grow plants in low natural light conditions.

Inspired by a commercial hydroponic greenhouse in Taiwan, Ikea’s team set about creating a product that would enable its customers to grow their own produce all year round, with the added benefit of learning how to grow and care for different plant species.