An innovative indoor planting system developed by a company based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, is reshaping indoor gardening, enabling apartment dwellers to cultivate their own fresh produce at home with minimal effort.

The smart planting pod by Sichuan Zongtang Technology employs soilless cultivation technology and artificial intelligence to automatically manage plants' water, light, nutrient supply and overall growth conditions.

The system retails for around 3,200 yuan ($443).

Early adopter Liu Shahe, who shared her experience on social media platform Xiaohongshu, praised the smart device for fulfilling her dream of home gardening despite her frequent business trips.

"It's both stylish and functional, and incredibly easy to use," she said, hailing the compact indoor garden as her favorite home appliance.

Using the device, Liu has successfully grown a variety of crops including sunflowers, kale, purple-leaf lettuce and tomatoes. "I even made hotpot with vegetables I grew myself — it was super delicious," she added.

Luo Dan, cofounder and chief marketing officer of the company, said the 1.5-meter-tall pod consists of a vertical planting zone, light column and water tank, which work together to provide plants with simulated sunlight, irrigation and nutrients.

Despite occupying just 0.25 square meters of floor space, the device can simultaneously grow up to 30 different kinds of plants — including vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers — in its bamboo-shaped planting zone, according to Luo.

The light column is equipped with full-spectrum light-emitting diode lights that automatically simulate sunlight, she said. This ensures healthy growth of the plants even without natural light while consuming only 1.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day.

"The smart planting pod makes the growing process extremely simple," Luo said. "All you need to do is insert seedling cubes into the pod, set the lighting parameters, and let the system handle the rest."

She compared the new planting pod to traditional farming methods, saying its hydroponic vertical farming solution increases annual yield by over twenty-fold while reducing pests and diseases and eliminating pesticide residues.

To date, 200 of the pods have been sold, with sales extending to international markets including Vietnam and Malaysia, Luo said.

The company said it is collaborating with lifestyle, food and gardening influencers for product testing in multiple scenarios. Meanwhile, it is also collecting user feedback for further improvements.

It plans to launch its second product line this year — a plant-based robotic pet designed for desktop use, featuring an affordable price point and light design.

Industry experts pointed out that urban residents living in steel-and-concrete jungles crave closer ties to nature and high-quality fresh produce, while smart technologies like the internet of things and AI are transforming indoor gardening into a trendy urban lifestyle by eliminating traditional gardening barriers for beginners.

A recent report by global market research company Technavio revealed that the global market for smart indoor gardens is experiencing significant growth as demand continues to rise for locally grown, fresh produce and sustainable farming practices.

It forecasts that the market for smart indoor garden systems will increase by $1.33 billion at a compound annual growth rate of 9.4 percent between 2024 and 2029.

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