Michele StuevenTemperatures in Los Angeles have finally hit a balmy 70 degrees, signaling spring is around the corner, and our gardening gloves are getting itchy. Even if you don’t have a garden, a new membership program called Lettuce Grow provides people with the tools, encouragement and inspiration to grow 20 percent of their food at home on balconies, patios and rooftops in decorative and functional containers.
According to its founders, husband and wife Jacob Pechenik and Zooey Deschanel, Lettuce Grow is part of the Farm Project, whose mission it is “to change our food system, closing the gap on food mileage and resource waste, all while re-establishing a deeper, lasting and experiential connection with the food we eat.”
Farm Project gardening project co-founder, actress and entrepreneur Zooey Deschanel; Credit: Julia Keim
With shrinking space, time and resources, urban gardening can be complicated for most of us. With Lettuce Grow, members need only a power outlet and 9 square feet of sunny outdoor space; everything else required to become successful master growers is included with the membership.
Lettuce Grow farm stands use self-watering hydroponic technology and are sustainably made from ocean plastic. They’re designed to save time and space, delivering about the same yield as 40 square feet farmed conventionally in raised beds, with only a few minutes needed for maintenance and harvesting each week.
Lettuce Grow farm stand; Credit: Julia Keim
Lettuce Grow sends members biweekly deliveries of living baby plants, so their farm stands are always fully stocked. Growing plans are curated based on eating preferences and include more than 75 varieties of leafy greens, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers — even watermelons. Lettuce Grow’s data-driven approach considers the member’s location, individual environment, weather data and seasonality to make sure members can successfully and reliably harvest meaningful quantities of fresh food at peak harvest.
Along the way, members have access to educational content and support from expert horticulturists as well as their own interactive farming dashboard, which always shows them what’s growing and what’s ready in their farm stands. And because the goal is to help members meet their personal healthy eating goals, Lettuce Grow provides them a steady stream of recipes and how-to’s to accompany their harvests.
Membership programs start in April, with pre-orders being taken now at lettucegrow.com.
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