Design Student Growing Project Need Help!!!!

[Jim Greenfinger]

Hi All,

I am currently a pupil studying Design Techonology in my final A Leve year.

I intend to design a compact product which will allow people to gro Fruit, Herbs, Vegetables or whatever in order to obtain home grow produce particularly if you lack space.

Please advise me on quick growing plants or ones you believe to b suitable.. also potential difficulties i may face with growing indoor solutions would be great as well.

If you have any other advice rangeing from similar products to words o warning all would be much appreciated and a massive help in my researc process.

Many Thanks

Jame

-- Jim Greenfinger

[beccabunga]

With due respect, how much research have you done into what is alread out there in the market place?

You might start with this:

-- beccabunga

[David Hare-Scott]

There are a great many window boxes, herb boxes, stacked and hung arrays of pots already on the market. If this is what you are aiming for you will have a tough time doing anything original.

The main problem with growing any food crop indoors is lack of sunlight. Many "indoor plants" are drawn from forest understory and will grow in full or part shade. I suppose some are edible but none that i know of. Food plants require full sun to part sun/part strong light through the day. The difference between the two levels is significant. Getting sufficient light indoors requires large areas of sunwards facing glass and/or high power lights.

Yes you can get fruit off quite small trees or plants in tubs but only if the conditions are right and that means sunlight (or equivalent) most of the day.

To save space you can grow upwards instead of outwards, many gardeners do this outdoors with climbing or espaliered plants on fences or trellises. You can do this in front of a window too. One problem with this (I have tried it) is that other persons in the house tend to take a dim view (!) of greenery taking all the light in window spaces.

Good luck

David