Now that we've started sending Rise Gardens out in the world, we’re getting some feedback that we honestly already expected. The plants grow unbelievably fast, and they taste absolutely delicious. We hear that every time someone comes into our founder Hank's office and tears off a piece of basil or pops a tomato into their mouth.
But we also started getting feedback that we were not expecting. We put Rise Gardens into some work spaces, most notably in the offices of our friends at 1871 and Family Farmed. Our head of product, Diego Blondet had an idea to let people in the offices plant a pod themselves and he asked our engineer, Brandon Bay, to 3D print a little fence so people could write their name on it and have ownership over their plant.
What happened next was amazing.
Rise Gardens have a sleek design, but they aren’t just attractive... the plants grow on levels that are open and inviting. People who had plants in the system could get up close to keep an eye on what was happening under the lights, and they got so excited when their little plants started to grow. Family Farmed told us that not only was it fun to come into the office in the morning to see how much the plants had grown overnight, it was a great conversation piece when guests came into the office and they often sent visitors away with a bag of fresh herbs.
We started to get updates on Instagram tracking the progress of the plants and we can’t stop smiling at how excited people are getting.
A retirement home recently ordered a garden for their community of seniors. An article from Senior Living discusses the benefits of gardening for senior citizens. It can relieve stress, increase serotonin levels, boost the immune system and may even lower the risk of dementia. Traditional soil gardening is amazing, we would never deny that, but it can be hard work and the season is short. Rise Gardens grow indoors and are set up off the floor, so even people with bad backs can easily interact with the plants. Even in the dead of winter, these seniors will have access to fresh produce and greenery to brighten up their days.
This community building aspect came as a complete surprise to us. It’s an unexpected consequence that made us even more excited about our gardens getting out into the world. We can all use something to bond over these days.
If you’d like to learn more about us, please visit our website. If you’d like to learn even more, please feel free to email us, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at marketing@risegardens.com
And if you have already have a garden tag us on Instagram or Facebook and show us what you’re growing!
-The Rise Gardens Team
