Urban vege growing made easy
Turns out, you don’t need to be a hands-on gardener to grow own vegetables. All you need is decent soil, the perfect microclimate and a good water source.
Designed for urban growers, the Vegepod brings these elements together in a portable capsule that’s easy to move and maintain.
Once your veges have been planted, the pod does all the work, Vegepod New Zealand owner Andy Lowe told customers at Southern Field Days. ‘‘You can live your life and all your hard work is still there,’’ he said.
The concept has garnered an array of awards. The most recent is a Glee (Garden, Leisure, Equipment, Exhibition) Sustainability Award that the company picked up in the United Kingdom last year.
Lowe and his staff are genuinely proud of the Vegepod and the opportunities it presents.
The pod consists of a deep base made from polypropylene – the same material used for water tanks – which can be filled with water.
A metal frame holds interchangeable materials to create a lid. The material you choose depends on the climate in your garden. Some offer more shade, while others can keep the frost out.
‘‘They all keep the bugs out and create an atmosphere of warm, calm air,’’ Lowe said.
Customers have reported 50 per cent more growth when they created a microclimate, Lowe said.
The large Vegepod holds about 64 litres of water, which is enough to keep your plants hydrated for three to six weeks, company staff member James Johnstone said.
‘‘You can leave them alone and come back and you’ll still have your veges.’’
Some of the cover materials would let rainwater in, so the frame included an irrigation system for backup, Lowe said.
Vegepod NZ is a familyorientated business, Lowe said, and has begun donating pods to schools.
The company is based in Tauranga, but a factory in Christchurch builds pods for growers in the South Island.