Hydroponic planter lets you grow fruit and veg without soil or electricity

Conor Gallagher, a GSA-trained architect from Belfast living in London, has created a bamboo hydroponic planter allowing indoor gardeners with limited space the chance to ‘grow their own’.

Conor Gallagher, the GSA-trained architect from Belfast now based in London, poses with his GrowPod - a bamboo hydroponic planter looking to offer a sustainable, affordable way to grow fruit, veg and plants indoors despite limited space

The architect created the planter after moving to London, where notoriously small and costly rooms reign supreme - with over 50% of flats having no outdoor space at all and being on average no more than 50 square metres in space.

Indoor gardening flourished in lockdown, but also highlighted the need for more sustainable and affordable solutions to growing plants, fruit and vegetables in smaller indoor spaces.

The GrowPod for AllotMe has been designed with this in mind. Priced at £32, the hydroponic planter is affordable, low tech and easy to use, ensuring that everyone has access to ‘grow their own’.

The bamboo planter offers an eco-friendly solution to growing plants indoors, at a fraction of the usual price for hydroponic planters and using 90% less water than traditional indoor growing methods.

Conor said: “By making it as easy as possible for every consumer to grow for themselves we can create a behaviour change which has the potential to save the planet.

“After I moved to London from Glasgow, I saw how people wanted to eat healthily and ethically, but it wasn’t affordable to do so. Most people I knew had no garden, and hardly any indoor space. By using hydroponics, the technology of vertical farms, there’s no need for soil which makes the plant far more space efficient.

“By growing even a small bunch of salad herbs at home, every household can have a direct relationship with the food they eat and where it comes from.

“Because when we start on the journey of growing our own food, not only our fingers, but our lives become a little bit greener.”

Penny Macbeth, The Glasgow School of Art’s director, said: “Conor’s design is particularly important because it addresses two key issues facing society – access to affordable, healthy food and climate change.”

To find out more, visit www.allotme.co.uk.

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