Growing Garden Table

Table with a tiny growing vegetable garden and integrated grow light.

Table is a 300mm deep tray made from galvanized steel, on 100mm tall thin legs. The tray holds 200mm of soil and 100mm of natural water filter. This natural filter composed of gravel, rocks and sand would be naturally filtering the water that can be reused to water the table again.

Simple tray is combined with 3 solid objects:

1. Bottle Cooler: is an ice bucket to cool a bottle of a refreshing drink. Melted ice water runs through the metal mesh on the bottom of the bucket and becomes part of the table’s water system. It is made from galvanized cylinder with removable stainless steel bucket inside. 
2. Compost in the ground: processes organic waste from scraps and transforms them into nourishment for the future new plants. Scheme is similar to a ‘keyhole garden’, where the compost bin with a metal mesh bottom sits directly in a soil and allows the organic matters to decompose into the soil. The top of is covered to avoid smell.
3. Water collector: collects and distributes the water in the system. Water gets through the soil and water filter composed of gravel, rocks and sand, runs down the sloped bottom of the tray to the water collector. On the bottom of this galvanized steel cylinder of volume approx. 20l sits small sump pump. The pump brings the water back to the top layer of the table and distributes it via drop by drop watering system.

Approximately 50% of the water coming to the system is being evacuated and the rest can be filtered, reused, and cycled back. After filling the water collector with full 20l of water, the tiny garden of size ca.1m2 might sufficiently circle the water for approx. 8 days, depending on outside temperature and humidity. This time might go down when the plants would be at maturity stage as they would consume more water.

A grow light with a reflector stands on the round leg attached inside of the tray. Light source position is adjustable within the reflector. Deep reflector made of galvanized steel on outside and shiny aluminium sheet inside, protects user from the light glare.

Varieties to be planted out: Dwarf Tomatoes, Baby Carrots, Radishes, Basil, Lettuce

Designed by Sam Chermayeff Office in collaboration with Patrick Vernuccio ‘The Frenchie Gardener’