The Stem Garden was inspired by Austin Kerr-Valentic’s stackable planter design submitted in response to a Quirky design challenge to create a completely new rainy weather garden product from start to finish in 24 hours.
The final design of the indoor/outdoor Stem Garden was influenced by Nikki Laffel’s sketch that incorporated the elegance and simplicity of champagne flutes into a planting system. The Stem Garden is available for presale at a discount: It will retail for about $39 and comes with a variety of herb seeds, instructions and the tagline,"Fresh Herbs in Your Kitchen."
Crowdsourced Window Gardens
Quirky Stem Garden Goes From Design to Production in 24 Hours
Trend Themes
1. Crowdsourcing for Garden Products - The success of the Stem Garden shows that there is potential for crowdsourcing ideas in garden product design.
2. Design Challenges for Rapid Innovation - Quirky's 24-hour design challenge proved that it is possible to take an innovative garden product from conceptualization to production in a short amount of time.
3. Hybrid Indoor/outdoor Gardening - The Stem Garden's versatility to be used both indoors and outdoors presents an opportunity for companies to capitalize on the trend of small-space gardening.
Industry Implications
1. Home and Garden - The Stem Garden offers a unique and affordable option for home gardeners who want to grow fresh herbs in their kitchens.
2. Crowdsourcing Platforms - Companies that specialize in crowdsourcing ideas, such as Quirky, can capitalize on the success of the Stem Garden by offering more design challenges in the home and garden space.
3. Sustainable Agriculture Startups - With the increasing popularity of small-space gardening and indoor gardening, startups that specialize in sustainable agriculture products can benefit from creating products that cater to these markets.