Give the Gift of Year-Round Gardening

The season of gifting is here and it’s time to start planning that perfect gift for friends and family. This year, think outside the “box” with garden-themed presents that provide the gift of green joy year-round.

Worried that the people on your “nice” list have brown thumbs? No problem!  These gifts are perfect for anyone from beginner to expert gardener. Loved ones can decorate their spaces, live a healthier life and even reconnect with nature.

Home and garden retailers have something for every budget and every skill level. Here are a few ideas for the health-conscious, nature-loving, food enthusiast in your life:

OPCOM Farm Makes Indoor Gardening as Easy as Plant, Pick and Plate

It's not often that you get to help a client launch its line of indoor gardening products! We did just that with   OPCOM Farm! 

OPCOMLink USA announced today its OPCOM Farm indoor gardening systems, which enable anyone to easily grow their favorite vegetables, herbs, sprouts and fruits inside their homes, year-round.

The GrowBox and GrowWall models couple OPCOM’s soil-free, hydroponic growing technology with proprietary color LED lighting tuned for optimal plant growth. These next generation indoor gardens enable 25 percent faster growth cycles, and eliminate the challenges of weeding, pests and weather normally associated with outdoor gardening.

2017 Garden Trends Report: Grow 365 highlights eight trends that inspire clean gardening

The backyard and kitchen counter have a lot in common this year; they’re both ideal places to grow.

New changes in indoor gardening technology combined with an ever increasing demand for clean food means it’s easier than ever to garden 365 days-a-year. 

Our annual Garden Trends Report for 2017, Grow 365, introduces eight industry trends that inspire gardening year-round. It reflects consumers’ increasing desire to access healthy food, fresh air and clean medicine no matter the season.

The 2017 report mirrors what modern technology has known for years: Mother Nature doesn’t have jurisdiction indoors.

Pumpkin Spice Your Space with Homegrown Fall Scents with Tips from Associa

Fall is here, which means it’s time to prepare for brisk weather and changing leaves. It’s also time to enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, apple cider and the other delicious flavors we associate with fall. And these wonderful reminders of the season are only one step away when you grow seasonal spices right on your kitchen counter top.

You don’t need a yard to cultivate a garden — you can have it all indoors.

To “pumpkin spice” your home, all you need to do is pick your favorite fall-scented plants, find a space and choose your growing medium; soil, coco coir, sand, gravel or water.

Almost any plant can be grown indoors, as long as the growing environment is suited to the plant’s needs. And you’re not limited to herbs that love cold weather. Common herbs such as dill, parsley and rosemary thrive under grow lights and can provide flavorful flair all year long.

Starting an indoor fall herb garden is simple. Maintaining a healthy growing environment is the key to success.  Read these tips from Associa and Sunlight Supply to get started.

Celebrates Back-to-School with Easy Houseplant Tips

It’s back-to-school time -- that means learning new things and brushing up on what you already know. What better subject to get a refresher on than nature? From classrooms to dorm rooms,houseplants bring the beauty of nature indoors and brighten any space.

Justin Hancock, garden expert from Costa Farms, says plants are perfect companions for students.

Hancock shares his Houseplants 101 lessons for indoor gardening success

Modern Homesteading Open House at Homestead Gardens Offers Glimpse into the Future of Gardening

Most gardeners have the same wish — to keep growing their favorite plants all year long. Wish granted with indoor gardening systems found in the new Modern Homesteading.

On Friday, August 5 from 10AM – 3PM, Brian Riddle, owner of Homestead Gardens, invites his industry peers to an open house at their Davidsonville location. A quick two-hour drive south from the IGC East show, this must-attend event will tour Modern Homesteading and show how indoor gardening supplies help IGCs connect with new customers and boost traffic.

By implementing the products and education components of Modern Homesteading, independent garden centers will be fast-tracked into the exploding indoor gardening market. Through Modern Homesteading, garden centers can attract a new customer — the year-round gardener.

OPCOM® Farm Introduces Two High-Tech Hydroponic Gardening Systems at Cultivate ‘16

To help people produce healthy plants and save time and money gardening, OPCOM Farm unveiled a set of hydroponic gardening products at Cultivate ’16.

Systems such as the GrowBox and GrowWall are necessities for any modern home, office or classroom. The DIY systems allow consumers to easily grow a wide range of fruits and vegetables while purifying the air.

Eldon Su, general manager for OPCOM Link USA, says anyone can grow organic, healthy herbs, fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants indoors year-round with the new vertical GrowWall and tabletop GrowBox.

“Our systems allow people to grow as if they are outdoors, but without the limitations of weather,” says Su. “We provide sophisticated, yet easy-to-use products that support gardening trends, whether at home, the office or classroom, in any climate or part of the world.”

Bringing Gardening Indoors

It’s amazing what can happen when three forces join together with a mission to inspire people to garden indoors!  

Lawn and Garden Retailer spoke to Brian Riddle, owner of Homestead Gardens near Annapolis, Maryland, about his decision to open the Modern Homesteading department – a yea-round indoor gardening department –in his store.

Indoor Gardening Poised to be the Next Big Thing with Launch of New ‘Modern Homesteading’ at Cultivate’16

A must-attend event at this year’s Cultivate is the unveiling of Modern Homesteading, an exclusive certified dealer program to fast track independent garden centers into the exploding indoor growing market.

Created by Sunlight Supply, the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of year-round gardening supplies, this new program provides forward thinking IGCs a turn-key solution to take advantage of the year-round gardening movement and to meet the growing demand for organic food 365-days-a-year.

Sunlight Supply’s founder, Craig Hargreaves, wants to help IGCs be part of that year-round gardening movement. “Gardening indoors makes it easy for anyone to grow fresh year-round, no matter the season, weather or conditions, either in kitchens or classrooms,” he says. “And with the growing challenges to gardening outdoors brought on by severe climate conditions, soil infertility and pest issues, growing food indoors is not only easy, but necessary.”

We're helping to Bring Fingertip Farming to Every Home in North America

It's not every day that we get an opportunity to introduce a new product that we think will be a game changer for the industry, which is why we're excited to partner with OPCOM Link USA to  introduce a new line of next generation, smart indoor gardening solutions. 

  

OPCOM Farm, the suite of next generation hydroponic farming systems, merges the ancient skill of farming with new, sensor based, one-touch technology. New products such as the GrowBox, GrowWall, Cell and Cube will allow every home in North America to have access to fresh, healthy food grown in a stylish indoor gardening system controlled from your smart phone or tablet. 

Sunlight Supply Inspires Gardening 52 Weeks a Year

The kitchen counter is just one of the many places plants will pop up in 2016. With a mission to inspire more people to garden 365 days a year, Sunlight Supply is partnering with Garden Media  to introduce its indoor growing systems to new markets. 

“Sunlight Supply is very excited about the exploding indoor gardening trend,” says Craig Hargreaves, founder of Sunlight Supply, one the largest garden wholesalers in the country. “With Garden Media’s reputation and key relationships, we’re introducing our products to new audiences.”

Based in Vancouver, WA, Sunlight Supply is the largest and most experienced manufacturer and supplier of indoor gardening products. The extensive catalog features more than 5,000 horticultural, organic, hydroponic, aquaponic and lighting supplies. They even sell indoor greenhouses under the Sun Hut™ brand.

Susan McCoy says Sunlight Supply’s eye for innovation makes the partnership meaningful, adding that indoor gardening provides another opportunity for people to blend technology and nature.

Hargreaves wants everyone to enjoy the benefits of growing year round. “By making gardening a 365, 24/7 hobby, people are finally able to integrate nature into their everyday lives.”

From hydroponic food production to small space gardening solutions, Sunlight Supply is leading the way in innovation, inspiration and supplies. Products are available online and at your local garden center. For more information, visit www.sunlightsupply.com.

GMG's Friday Find: Use Fish To Grow Food - Meeet the Aqualibrium Garden

Imagine a closed-loop ecosystem that can fit anywhere offering the freedom to grow food year round.  That was the vision of the designers of the Aqualibrium Garden, a product that can be used as an aquaponic or hyrdroponic system.

A sleek design that is part fish tank, part garden is small enough to comfortably fit in an urban apartment or small space dwelling.  It utilizes the latest trend of  aquaponics, which is essentially the symbiotic relationship between fish and plant life.  The bottom section of the unit is the fish tank where the waste from the fish is a perfect plant fertilizer. The upper section is where the plants live, their roots providing the perfect biofilter to absorb and purify the fish's water.

GMG's Friday Find: Hydroponic goes High-Tech!

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using a nutrient-rich solution instead of soil. There are many advantages to growing hydroponically--no soil is needed, water and nutrition levels are controlled and plants grow healthier. Bitponics, a new high-tech hydroponic system, helps even the brown thumb be successful with indoor gardening.

A Brooklyn start-up, Bitponics takes gardening into the digital age with a device that lets you manage your plants, produce and flowers from the web. It is made up of two parts: a sensor and an online account. The sensor, connected to the device, collects readings on water and air temperature, humidity, brightness and pH, and is compatible with already existing hydroponic systems.

The online account is where you plug in your information on what you're growing and what system you're using. This generates a growing plan which is a road map for taking care of  your plants. You then receive tailored information on how many hours of light your plant needs, when to change the lighting schedule (as in the flowering stage), what pH range is safe for your plants, when to replace your nutrient solution and how often to run your water pump. The readings from your Bitponic device are automatically logged into your online account, or you can opt to manually log the data and even upload photos. The device also has two power outlets that can be set up on timers via the website to control lighting and water pumps.

Another major benefit of the Bitponic system is becoming a part of an online 'growing' community where plans and results are shared.  This community is where members can share their growing plans and successes with each other, from 'easy' tomato plants to more complex plant production. As an educational tool, this device is ripe with opportunity for schools and other gardening communities gaining knowledge on collaborative experiments.

Bitponic's goal is to allow more people to grow plants, no matter where they are or how much experience they have.  The urban apartment dweller, the suburban weekend gardener, or the seasoned farmer, all can experience the ease and bounty of hydroponic gardening.  Would you be willing to try  hydroponic gardening with your personal gardening assistant ready to advise and assist  you along the way?  We'd love to hear your thoughts.  Happy gardening!

~Peggy
Garden Media Group

GMG's Friday Find: An easy way to grow Veggies, Flowers & Herbs Indoors!

Many gardeners spend the winter months planning and dreaming of fresh flowers and veggies they'll grow come spring.  But why wait!? Bring your garden inside with the Click & Grow.

Talk about easy, this self-contained electronic smartpot does all the work, including watering.  The pot includes all the necessary technology for success including sensors, batteries, a pump and water reservoir.  You pop in a plant cartridge that houses the seeds, nutrients and special software and then just watch and wait.  In just a couple of weeks you can enjoy fresh herbs, flowers and veggies from the comfort of your home.  It even lets you know when to fill the reservoir or change the batteries.  It does all the work for you. Check out the video to see just how easy the Click & Grow is.  Now everyone really can be a gardener!

~Peggy

Garden Media Group 

GMG's Friday Find: Fabulous Floral Furniture

This week is all about bringing the flowers indoors and never having to worry about them wilting. We all have an appreciation of the beauty they provide us outdoors but their life is limited once we put them in a vase.

The Floral Art Home Collection by Jennifer McGarigle is aiming to change the way we use flowers in our furnishings. Her line ranges from furniture, vases, art & accessories. There is a product for every taste.

 

About their Home Collection from their website...

At Floral Art we're surrounded everyday by the allure and beauty of fresh flowers. It's an experience that's inspired our signature aesthetic, clean, modern lines infused with imagination and elegance. Now, Floral Art Home brings this compelling sensibility to a new line of home furnishings -- the Floral Art Home Collection by Jennifer McGarigle. With the essence of nature reflected in each piece, we hope the Floral Art Home Collection enhances your everyday life with the radiance and enchantment that surrounds us in ours.

Check out the short video below about Jennifer and her inspiration!

How gorgeous are those chairs! You can get one in almost every flower!

-Karen
Garden Media Group

GMG's Friday Find - The Growers Exchange

As any good gardener knows, January & February are always filled with anticipation for the arrival of gorgeous new plant catalogs. This week's Friday Find is the just released 2012 catalog from The Growers Exchange.
 
Full of great growing tips for your favorite culinary, medicinal and aromatic herbs and flowers, as well as interesting facts, high quality pictures and more! They've also added more pages this year to include even more Potted Herbs and Potted Herb Garden Kits, Tools and Garden Accessories to give you the best selection possible.

And, just for requesting a catalog, you’ll get multiple discounts found inside and even some additional savings for referring your friends. This is definitely a resource worth holding onto for reference while planting.

Request a FREE catalog today and start planning your spring herb garden early...click here!

Like The Growers Exchange on Facebook here!
Follow them on Twitter here!

Keep sending me your ideas for our Friday Find!
-Karen
GMG

Let's Get Vertical

Thinking about taking your houseplants to a whole new level in your home. How about going vertical with a living wall? 


Indoor vertical gardens are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people learn about the benefits of indoor houseplants. Plus, who doesn't want a little green in your home during the winter months!


Last month, Garden Center magazine compiled a great list of indoor plant recommendations from Costa Farms specifically for vertical gardening indoors.


To get started, just choose any of the following popular plants that are available at your local garden retailer:


*Bird's Nest Fern
*Pothos
*Spider Plant
*Peace Lily
*Boston Fern


Once you have your plants, then it's time choose one of  the many planter options that are available just for vertical gardens. My favorites are the colorful pockets from Woolly Pockets or the designer living wall planters from Bright Green.  Now it's time to pick your space, create your design and get vertical! It's that easy!


-Stacey
GMG