It’s been a doozy of a winter across most of the country. Record cold and snows and all sorts of wintry mixes have bogged us down for way too long. Spring can’t come soon enough. Let’s hope that when it does, the spring season actually lasts for a while before summer arrives. But if I crave green growing things in my life, it has to be grown indoors. A friend asked the other day for suggestions on special indoor herb growing units, and I was reminded of an innovative hydroponic product that launched last summer.

Modern Sprout

It’s called Modern Sprout, and it’s a bread box-sized hydroponic system for growing herbs and baby-sized greens. Their tagline is that it’s “The cutting edge of countertop cultivation”. Considering its size and the technology involved, that tagline is certainly true.

The genius of the unit is that it solves the problem that most gardeners have—controlling water. Put the watering in the hands of the hydroponic system and voila! Herbs and greens—and even tomatoes as well—are at the ready in the kitchen.

The best thing about the hydroponic unit is the stuff that makes it work—the small motor, the water reservoir, etc.—is hidden. It looks like a box with plants growing in it. Additionally, you can open a hidden control panel to control the system based on what type of crop is growing (seeds, herbs, larger plants, etc). It comes in two models—plug-in and solar powered. It also has several styles. These include outer coverings that are high-gloss white, reclaimed wood, weathered wood, and chalkboard.

The story behind Modern Sprout is pretty cool, too. Couple Nick Behr and Sarah Burrows, the product’s inventors, are young Chicago-area apartment-dwelling “urban homesteaders” who needed a reliable way to grow herbs indoors. They developed this windowsill-sized solution for themselves, and realized others would appreciate the product, too. That’s when they took to the online crowdfunding program Kickstarter to raise funds for its development. And after raising $77,000, it appears this unit has some appeal.

It’s a pretty cool device. If you’re interested, check it out.