Ikea Is Getting Into the Hydroponics Game

Ikea believes city-dwelling Americans are finally ready to start growing their own food. Business Insider reports the company plans to launch its line of indoor hydroponic gardens in the US this spring. Hydroponics are supposed to make gardening easier for beginners in that there's no soil, no need to make space in your yard, and no worrying about over- or under-watering. Instead, plans grow directly in water filled with nutrients. Ikea partnered with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences to create its line of hydroponics, according to the Telegraph. The line includes nursery units for seeds, cultivation units for more mature plants, and artificial lights. This video explains how it all works.

Ikea decided to get into hydroponics last year after a survey found 60% of people grow plants of one kind or another indoors, Wired reports. The Krydda/Växer line of hydroponics was the brainchild of an Ikea product developer living in Shanghai, where 75% of people grow plants inside. Ikea believes its system will help people as they live in smaller and smaller urban spaces in the future. Ikea's hydroponic system comes with seeds for 18 types of food plants, including herbs, lettuce, chard, and bok choy. While other companies offer home hydroponic systems, the ubiquity of Ikea means a whole lot more people are about to learn about them. (More Ikea stories.)