How To Easily Grow An Edible Garden While Helping Save The Planet

Last year during SXSW I attended the launch party for a newly developed product called Lettuce Grow. The company, founded by San Antonio native Jacob Pechenik and actor Zooey Deschanel, creates self-watering, self-fertilizing hydroponic vertical vegetable gardens referred to as Farmstands. As a gardener with a strong interest in sustainability, I wanted to give them a closer look.

The idea behind Lettuce Grow is to make it easy and fun to grow clean, fresh food regardless of people’s gardening knowledge or background, while simultaneously mitigating the environmental implications of large-scale agriculture. According to Pechenik, the company seeks to challenge a food industry in which 52% of produce grown is wasted along the 1,500-mile journey from farm to plate, and generates other problems such as soil loss, deforestation and plastic waste, among others.

Farmstands are easy to assemble without needing tools and come in five sizes, providing space for anywhere from 12 to 36 plants at a time. They are made in the USA using BPA-free, FDA food-grade plastic recovered from coastal communities in Haiti and certain areas of southern Mexico that lack waste facilities, so trash goes into the ocean. To date, Lettuce Grow’s Farmstands have brought new life to 193,508 milk jugs and growing.

The retro futuristic-looking Farmstands are ideal for people living in apartments, since all you need to get growing is 9 square feet of level space in a sunny outdoor spot where it can get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. It also needs access to a power outlet for circulation of water and nutrients, but it uses less electricity than a light bulb. Alternately, they can also be used indoors with grow lights.

“The Farmstands use fewer resources to grow healthier food,” says Pechenik. “Their hydroponic systems recirculate water and nutrients, delivering the right amount of both to plants at the right times, using approximately 95% less water than soil-based growing.” To date, 9,884,720 gallons of water have been saved so far by Farmstand growers, with 494,236 fruits and veggies grown so far. Today, there are growers in 37 states and 100% are still growing.

Farmers can order seedlings from the website when they purchase the farmstand and throughout the year as plants are harvested and seasons change. Currently there are 200 varieties of greens, veggies, fruits and herbs available, with more being added periodically. Seedlings are raised in centers in Central Texas and Southern California, and the company is looking to on-board others in Florida, the Northeast and Northern California. The seedlings I received come from Agua Dulce Farm in Austin.

“We look at each customer’s zip code and corresponding daily light integral and temperature data to determine the best varieties and associated growing period,” says Pechenik. “We have an entire team of horticulturists who raise seedlings, perform R&D on new varieties, and are on call to provide daily customer advice, tips and consultation on any specific questions related to growing.”

Seedlings arrive in a soil-less growing medium made from organic plant-based material, mainly coco coir and peat moss, designed for efficient water-retention. The growing medium works in hydroponic systems as well as in soil and is completely biodegradable and compostable. There is no need to add any additional soil to the growing cups, simply pop the seedlings into the grow baskets according to instructions and you are good to go.

“Now more than ever, people are concerned with staying healthy, while staying at home,” says Pechenik. “And one of the most important ways to maintain your health is by having access to plenty of fresh food. The plants raised in our Farmstands, without GMOs, pesticides or chemicals, are packed with nutrients that we all need to remain healthy. When you grow your own produce, you cut back on all those trips to the grocery store, and you no longer have to wonder where the veggies have been before they made it to you; you’ve grown them yourself in your Farmstand.”

The Farmstands are not inexpensive; however, the company offers reasonable financing options, and the benefits they offer are sure to offset the initial investment. Seeking to fight food deserts and bring equal access to nutritious food for all, Lettuce Grow partners with the Whole Kids Foundation and schools, nonprofits, and community organizations through the Lettuce Give program to grant one Farmstand for every 10 sold.

When I planted my first batch of seedlings – lettuces, arugula, Asian greens – I was skeptical they would grow fast enough to survive the increasing Austin heat. To my surprise, they grew incredibly fast and I was able to harvest most things within 30 days. I encountered a few issues, as does any gardener. My spinach never thrived, and seasonal bugs got the best of my kale. But within a day of contacting customer service, they recommended a certified organic insect spray to use on the plants in the evening once or twice a week.

“What we are seeing right now is a profound shift in our values and what we, collectively as a society, focus our attention on,” says Pechenik. “Often, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to all the things we ‘should’ be doing. When there is an acute situation, however, it forces us to consider what really matters, and that’s the health of ourselves, our loved ones and neighbors, and our planet. And once you start seeing things through this lens, you need help to reconfigure things in your life, which is where we come in.

We help our growers create a garden, providing them with fresh, nutritious food, and giving them a sense of security and control over it. The garden is not just a hobby or novelty: it is predictable and dependable. There is never a question of if things will sprout and when they should be planted. Rest assured your garden will produce, and we’ll be there to guide you every step of the way.”

Currently they are growing seedlings for a wide range of growing conditions, including indoor varieties that would not be affected by seasonality limitations, and working on updating the website to show specific dates when new varieties will be available. “We are building a network of growers across the country so we can reduce the time and distance the seedlings travel to minimize our carbon footprint,” says Pechenik. 

When my next batch of seedlings arrived, I was concerned that the delicate plants were too young and may have been damaged as some of the medium had crumbled, and to my disappointment, the strawberries did not arrive. But I was told that if the roots are intact the seedling can still thrive, and the company will send replacements if they arrive too damaged. So far, the tiny tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans are doing well, and I was assured they will still be able to set and produce fruit since the automatic watering system keeps plants hydrated so they are better equipped to thrive in high temperatures.

“Strawberries have become one of our most popular seedlings since we started offering them last month,” says Pechenik. “We are backordered until May 5^th, but our variety is a day-neutral perennial or ever-bearing, and it can produce fruit well into October.” 

Cherry tomatoes will be available in June along with baby watermelon, chile peppers and half a dozen other new and fun varieties, which I am eager to peruse as I harvest the last of my lettuces. If these plants thrive and produce planted this late and well into the Texas summer, I will certainly be a convert.