Fellow Lafayette alumni Rob Elliot, and Nathan Littlewood met at Columbia University in early 2016.   They bonded over the idea of sustainability.  Rob has a background studying plants, and Nate has a background in food and business.   Their joint passion for urban farming led them to the creation of Urban Leaf.  A project where growing food in urban environments is possible –shortening the “supply chains by putting fewer miles between food and eaters, creates less waste, uses less packaging and has a higher nutritional density.”

Urban Leaf is what Rob and Nate call the world’s smallest garden.  Even in a 600-sq ft. apartment in NYC, you can grow your own food using Urban Leaf’s growing kits.  Here’s how they work:

It all starts with a wine or beer bottle!  Making sure you pick the correct growing vessel is important.  You do not want red or blue light coming into your bottle because it turns the water bad.  So, any green or brown bottles, typically wine and beer bottles are perfect for growing!

Here are some very easy steps on how to start growing your garden!  Fill your preferred bottle with room temperature tap water, insert the garden, sprinkle in 3-5 seeds, apply the germination sticker, and place your garden in direct sunlight for about 6 hours a day.  You will start to see your plants grow in 2-10 business days!

Each three-pack kit that you purchase comes with three different herbs or flowers.  All with a different theme.  These kits are a perfect gift accompanying a bottle of wine, because they can reuse that empty bottle to supply themselves with food.  There is nothing better than a gift that keeps on giving!

Check out Rob and Nate’s interview on Fox News!

And, be sure to pick up some of these wonderful kits to start growing your own food no matter where you live!

Cheers,

Danyelle