Hello garden gals and guys! It’s been a little bit since my last post. Every once in a while, I blog about really cool gardening products that I read about that I think would be really cool to use in the garden. Well, get ready, because I interviewed Kirk Dyer, of Connect A Pot, and he has a great product to share. But don’t take my word for it, read the interview for yourself!
Fat Earth: Tell me a little about your company and who you are.
Kirk: G’day, I’m Kirk, an Australian native and the designer/founder behind Desima. The company was
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| Hanging Connect A Pot, Image courtesy Kirk Dyer |
started, as I saw a gap in the market for garden products for those living in smaller apartments or who don’t have much spare space. Urban gardening & urban farming have become popular terms these days, but these endeavors still require a decent amount of land. My goal is to create functional quality and a beautiful product for those people with a limited amount of space. The long term personal goal is more than the “Connect A Pot”, which I will be launching via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.
The dream is to create a company here in China, which really influences the culture. As you probably are aware of, this is a country that has totally trashed its environment. So I’m starting small, to raise enough capital to get the business going before moving on to other products. I firmly believe the more people can interact with nature during their day-to-day lives, the more they will want to care for it. In the future, I’ll be looking at products that help educate people about natural systems. These future products will require a lot more capital, so that’s why I am starting with the much more affordable “Connect A Pot”
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| Image courtesy of Kirk Dyer, Connect A Pot |
Fat Earth: What is the “Connect A Pot”?
Kirk: The “Connect A Pot” is the first step in getting my business of the ground. It’s a fun little pot which is incredibly versatile and practical. You can place it on your desk, your fridge, your windows, or hang it. Perhaps you want to grow a few herbs or just enjoy a few ornamentals. I suggest it would also be great for your desk at work.
Fat Earth: What material is it made from and is it safe to grow food in (I know it obviously is…but you’d be surprised the questions people will ask)?
Kirk: The upper part is made from BPA/phthalate-free polypropylene and the bottom is made from polycarbonate. I really spent a lot of time researching different plastics and what is the safest way. You probably notice lots of plastic pots/plants are really thin, this is not healthy because if the pots do deteriorate from the UV sunlight, it means the plastic is breaking down and going into your plants soil. The “Connect A Pot” is white, this way it reflects more sunlight/UV rays. It’s also much thicker plastic at 2.5mm. This means that if it ever did break down, which would take a long time, it would not reach where the plastic is in contact with the soil. There’s still a lot research to be done in the area of plastics and what effects it has on plants and, eventually, your body. I’ve done the best I can to make the “Connect A Pot” safe. Creating 100% healthy and environmentally friendly products is not easy. I’ve been working really close with a factory here, making sure things are safe. The workers are happy and the boss treats them well. I know this wasn’t a part of your question, but I felt I should cover it also. Any other concerns, ask away!
Fat Earth: How did you come up with the idea?
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| Image courtesy Kirk Dyer, Connect a Pot |
Kirk: I was visiting a friend in Hong Kong who was showing me a few self-watering pot plants. I thought the idea was great, but was missing a design flair. They were too big for your desk or counter top in your kitchen. Also, not everyone has space on their desk. So with this is mind, I addressed these issues and came up with something much more versatile, whilst keeping the low maintenance self-watering function.
Fat Earth: Who can use Connect A Pot?
Kirk: The “Connect A Pot’ is for anyone ages 10 and up. If you have a little space at home where you would love to have a plant, perhaps a cute little succulent or a few herbs growing. You can really mix it up, place them on the front of your fridge or why not get creative and connect them together in a creative pattern. Make a unique arrangement for yourself. Hang a few in sunny window.
Fat Earth: What can you grow in these pots?
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| Image courtesy Kirk Dyer, Connect A Pot |
Kirk: Certain herbs, ornamentals, succulents, anything with short roots. My favorites, though, are the succulents, as these plants need good drainage and the excess water can just run through to the bottom.
Fat Earth: Can they be used both indoors and outdoors?
Kirk: Certainly, indoors, outdoors, wherever you like. Just pay attention to how much sunlight and water your plants need. The succulents, for example, you would only have the water fill the bottom to a 1/3, otherwise it will become too humid in the pot.
Fat Earth: What is crowdfunding and why are you using it?
Kirk: Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. Basically, you preorder the “Connect A Pot’ and if enough people do this, I have the money to go make it and everybody gets their product. If enough people don’t preorder, then I get no money and you are not charged. It’s all-in or nothing. I’ve turned to crowdfunding as way to raise the money required for the expensive tooling and it’s a great way for people to know about my product.
Fat Earth: Where can people get more information?
Kirk: I highly recommend you go my site here, http://bit.ly/Connect_A_Pot to sign up for the newsletter. You will know exactly when the product is launched on Kickstarter. I won’t spam you, because I hate spam too.
So, there you have it garden gals and guys!! Please be sure to sign up for his newsletter so you can be one of the first to support his project!
Kirk, here’s wishing all the best to your project!
Until next time garden gals and guys…
Happy gardening!