Innovative Vertical Garden: Solving a Problem

Posted by Oliver Gardner on 2nd Feb 2014

Marc and I came up with the idea for MGP when we noticed many urban gardeners were crowded off their balconies and decks by an ever enlarging collection of plants in assorted containers. We knew up front that any new product has to solve one or more problems and customers need to find value in the solution. By going vertical, My Garden Post condenses 24 SF of containers on to just 4 SF, so we knew we could solve that problem for folks.

We continued with our due diligence and found our innovative concept solved several more problems that frustrated a few more categories of gardeners. Over the 35 years I owned and operated a retail garden center, I saw many transitions in the business. The current senior population was America’s most avid gardeners and they now are finding it difficult to garden on their knees. Most don’t want to and many simply can’t. My Garden Post is very popular with seniors, with its 5 planters within easy reach. There are no bending, stretching or dirty knees.

I gave thought to my own situation. I've been using a wheelchair for the past 25 years and have been gardening since childhood. I was gradually losing interest until the opportunity came along to test and develop the My Garden Post concept. I used a variety of prototypes during the two years of testing. Mark and I were determined to make every feature of the product easy for me to use. In doing so, we knew that we weren't just solving problems for me. There are millions of avid gardeners in wheelchairs and millions more with limited strength and mobility. MGP has made gardening fun and easy for me again and I’m especially rewarded when customers share their same experiences.

I thought it would be fun and inspiring to share this picture of Anne, 96 years old. She received a My Garden Post for her birthday and grew a successful garden this past summer through late fall.

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that you have to be a senior or disabled to appreciate My Garden Post. Currently, the majority of MGP owners are neither senior nor disabled. They love having the extra space on the balcony, porch or patio and the convenience of fresh vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers just steps from the kitchen. Everyone appreciates the automated drip irrigation system. It remembers to water so they don’t have to.

That's it for this week - I look forward to your comments and questions. Oliver