Categories: Stuff We Love

Back to the Roots

Urban farming isn’t always easy. Limited space, unpredictable environments, and access to sunlight are just a few challenges urban dwellers face. A new generation of innovative entrepreneurs have taken matters into their own hands, and they’re working to bring farming into apartments everywhere. That’s why we love Garden-In-A-Can.

Garden-in-a-Can is exactly what it sounds like: an easy-to-grow container for small-space, windowsill gardening, perfect for those in urban environments who still want the ability to grow some of their own food. There are tons of benefits to growing your own herbs, but to start – it’s just plain fun! It’s also a great way to get hands-on and connect with your food from seed to table, making it super satisfying to prepare a meal with food you have grown yourself. Fresh, homegrown herbs also taste great, maintain the most nutrients, and help avoid food waste from your over-purchasing at the grocery store.

Garden-in-a-Can makes it as easy as possible to grow fresh, organic herbs right on your windowsill. The kit comes with one can for each herb – basil and cilantro. The can is packed with an innovative blend of soil and biochar.

Just what is biochar? It’s the charred remnants of organic agricultural waste; a technique mastered by Amazonian tribes centuries ago. Its highly moisture-retentive capacity helps avoid over watering issues, aerates the soil for quick root growth, and increases nutrient absorption and microbial activity in the soil.

It’s totally cool to grow these outside, if you have the space. But the guys behind Garden-in-a-Can are putting their effort into urban environments.

Back to the Roots is all about brining farming to everyone. Alejandro and Nikhil learned in a college class that mushrooms could grow on recycled coffee grounds. That little nugget turned into a full-time career, as the two decided to give up their corporate job offers and focus on farming. What started out as a curiosity about urban farming has turned into a passion for “undoing food” and reconnecting families to their meal through fun, delicious and sustainable “ready-to-grow” and “ready-to-eat” products.

Back to the Roots has a host of products that bring fresh food into your small apartment or office – (at Perfect Bar HQ, we love our garden!) with relative ease.

The company gets bonus points from us with their “Grow One, Give One” program. For every photo you share with Back to the Roots, they donate a Garden-in-a-Can kit to an elementary school or classroom.

October Stuff We Love Giveaway winners:

Jessica

Call it passion, or maybe curiosity -- whatever it is Jessica is fueled by, it's not slowing down any time soon. From the get-go, she knew that her desire to represent brands with a purposeful story was a strong one, and after graduating with a degree in public relations from SDSU, followed by a solid stint at a lifestyle PR agency, she landed in a role with a company whose story outshines the rest (hint hint, that's here). She's openly obsessed with the outdoors, reveling in cycling races, hiking adventures and, most commonly, brunching on patios. She is known for always taking the "scenic route" -- especially for fish taco pit-stops along the way -- and makes a solid effort to keep her schedule jam-packed with activities and friends, which keeps her on her toes.