Ikea brings hydroponic gardening to home kitchens

Got space on your kitchen countertop and a hankering for fresh herbs and lettuce, mid-winter? You’re in luck. Come May, you can head to Ikea in Merriam, buy a KRYDDA/VÄXER hydroponic garden and grow the green stuff yourself right next to your stove with nothing more than light and water.

Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in water without soil. It’s used to grow most of the vegetables we eat today. Local retailer River Market Hydroponics has been selling similar systems for awhile, including a Closed-Loop Ecosystem, that comprises a 3-gallon, self-cleaning fish tank where fish waste fertilizes the plants (including herbs) above, and the plants, in turn, clean the water for the fish.

The KRYDDA/VÄXER garden was developed in conjunction with agricultural scientists in – where else? – Sweden, and according to Ikea, includes everything you need, including lights and nutrients, to get seeds sprouting, then keep them growing year round. “All you have to do is keep an eye on the water level.”

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Ikea brings hydroponic gardening to home kitchens."