Nigel applied everything he had learned about soil texture, water holding capacity and nutrient supply over the years to create an optimum growing medium, varying it for different crops. Jamie, his son, provided some help along the way but a 4 year old with a hose proved not to be the most reliable method of watering. Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately, Jamie’s interest waned once the mixing of soils was done so Nigel created an irrigation system - and one that was needlessly complex at that.
Sadly, the actual results were initially hugely mixed and this turned out to be the first of 6 years’ worth of trialling different methods of growing salad crops and vegetables at home in containers, which eventually produced the makings of a reasonable system but was still in the vein of ‘Heath Robinson’!
Eventually, Nigel sought the advice of a friend who, having a stronger horticultural background, was able to suggest some improvements. Alan was – and still is - a landscape architect who for various reasons unknown actually spent a number of years being responsible for growing and maintaining a wide array of potted plants for a stage setting business. Therefore from the outset, his knowledge of container growing and the issues involved was pretty good. Together, they realised that they had inadvertently stumbled upon a system that might also be useful to lots of other gardeners. Unbeknown to Nigel and Alan, proving this would take a further 4 years and drive them both to distraction.
They turned their attention to working out how to maximise production, reduce disease and extend the length of the growing season. They read pretty much every book that was ever written about growing your own, from the Dig For Victory pamphlets from the War Office to Sarah Raven (who they liked very much), with a great deal of dross in between. They researched heritage varieties of crops and trialled them against modern ones. They tried different soil compositions, methods of watering and establishment. They created detailed records charting the growth stages of each crop in meticulous detail and stored this information in increasingly complicated spreadsheets; eventually time lapse photography was struck upon as a better reference tool.
In due course Alan’s flair for design allowed them to create colourful and attractive planters in several configurations. Manufacturing the product threw up a seemingly endless number of issues, with crash courses required in polymer technology, rotational moulding and powder coating. They resisted – just - the temptation to take the whole product to China to be manufactured but it took some willpower. Happily, all the obstacles were successfully overcome eventually and the manufacturing remained in the UK.
Having spent far too long trying to put woodland on landfill sites in a former life, the pair were determined to build a product that would last a lifetime and wouldn’t be relegated to bonfire or landfill after a couple of years, the final resting place of many garden products.
Highly productive compact growing
Making growing your own a rewarding and reliable experience
