Here's an appliance that should sit in your kitchen, next to your espresso maker and toaster. It's a smart, connected mini indoor garden in which you can grow basil, parsley and other aromatic plants in capsule form.
Ahe idea came from the French startup Culteev which proposes to cultivate its garden of aromatic plants, in its kitchen, in the fashion of the 21st century. No more need for a small plot of land, the luxury of a sunny terrace or a priest's garden to have, always at hand, the few fresh basil leaves that will spice up your tomato slices so well and give a Provencal flavour to all your salads.
Culteev's garden is a small container of 35 x 20 cm, which contains sensors capable of automatically controlling the supply of light and water necessary for the growth of aromatic plants. To plant your garden, Culteev offers you a range of plants in capsules, which look like the capsules you use in your coffee machine. The capsules are filled with a substrate adapted to the seeds housed in them. This is the principle of hydroponic agriculture, which consists in feeding each plant with its adapted nutritive solution.
Once your capsule is placed in the tray, just let nature take its course, controlled by the sensor system. The integrated watering system provides the quality of water necessary for the health of your small plants and a LED light rail provides them with vital light.
The company already markets a range of six capsules: chives, basil, dill, coriander, mint and parsley. The kit of 6 is sold for 18 € and the garden tub, called the Basileis offered at 159 €.
The startup plans to offer a larger aircraft (Niwa) capable of growing, on the same principle, fruits and vegetables. It is a mini garden cabinet, totally controlled from your smartphone, integrating automatic and connected watering, nutrition and lighting systems.
