By Cody DeBos

January 15, 2021

Growing food looks a lot different than it did even 50 years ago. No longer do you need a sprawling outdoor garden to grow fresh produce for your family. Advancements in the agriculture industry like hydroponics, vertical farming, and smart gardens make it possible to grow things just about anywhere.

These high-tech approaches are highlighted by companies like Rise Gardens. As part of CES 2021, the company announced a new compact Personal Garden. The smart growing system is designed to fit in tight spaces like on a countertop or shelf. It is also equipped with a variety of smart features—including integration with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant—to make growing produce at home easier than ever.

Indoor Farming

It’s hard to describe the feeling of pride that comes with eating something that you’ve grown yourself. Whether that tomato or bowl of power greens was grown in the ground or in a hydroponic indoor garden, enjoying the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor is extremely satisfying. Not to mention the health benefits that come with eating home-grown produce.

For those who don’t have the space (or desire) to plant an outdoor garden, an indoor solution is a great alternative. Rise Gardens’ proprietary systems make it possible to cultivate high-quality produce in a smart, simple way.

The company’s new Personal Garden joins the larger, modular Family Garden as Rise continues to expand its product lineup.

Consumers are able to grow up to four large plants (like peppers, tomatoes, kale, or swiss chard), eight medium plants (such as fresh herbs and certain flowers), or 12 small plants (like radishes, beets, chives, or lavender). It’s also possible to grow microgreens in the compact setup.

The Personal Garden is just 16-inches wide and 11-inches deep, making it a perfect growing system for those with limited space.

How Does it Work?

The thought of growing plants outside of soil might seem baffling to those who aren’t familiar with hydroponics. In essence, the process aims to replicate the ideal conditions that plants would experience if they were growing outside.

The Personal Garden boasts a unique water flow system to hydrate the plants on a continuous basis so they receive just the right amount of water. Naturally-occurring nutrients like nitrate, phosphorous, and potassium are added to the water to help the plants grow. This recreates the effect of adding manure to the soil in an outdoor garden.

Meanwhile, Rise Gardens’ Personal Garden uses an array of custom LEDs to bathe the plants in broad-spectrum light. This replicates the effects of sunlight, helping the plants grow very quickly and year-round.

Finally, the Personal Garden features a number of smart integrations. Rise Gardens is working on an Alexa skill that makes it possible to control the garden’s lights and water pumps hands-free.

In a press release, CEO and founder Hank Adams said, “Ever since Rise Gardens joined the portfolio of Amazon Alexa Fund companies this fall, we’ve been excited to add voice control to our products and work with the Alexa team. Now it’s easier and more fun to grow your own food at home, year-round, even if you’ve never gardened before.”

Rise Gardens also has a smartphone app that sends users reminders about their plants and when to do things like add water or nutrients. Thanks to this smart connection, you don’t need a green thumb to grow fresh, delicious produce.

For anyone that’s looking to get into hydroponics or gardening at home, something like the Personal Garden is a perfect starting point. Then, when you’re ready to expand, Rise Gardens’ larger systems make it easy to grow food for an entire family, entirely indoors.

TAGS CES 2021