"At the core of our growing-system is the Ergrownomics container - designed to revolutionise what's possible from a small space!"
With a market-leading depth, it's ready for whatever root crops you can throw at it, while the internal cylinders make dividing space into rows or quadrants simple (with the use of our training system)! We're serious about building things that last, and that's why all our containers are rotationally moulded within the UK - then hand-finished - to increase durability and keep carbon emissions to an absolute minimum. What's more, they're made entirely from MDPE, perhaps the easiest to recycle of all plastics, and designed to last 40 years (minimum) outdoors, without fading or breaking. "Buy once, buy well" - as the saying goes!
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All our containers are rotationally moulded in the United Kingdom, and formed from a single 5kg unit of MDPE (Medium-Density Polyethylene). This process produces a container with an excellent strength to weight ratio, reinforced corners (meaning it won’t fracture), and avoids the conventional ‘weak spots’ found in injection-moulded products.
Each container has integral cylinders (for our patented training system), a flat base allowing for a uniform soil depth (a class leading 350mm), and a drainage sump. Each is then hand-finished and inspected by us to ensure every unit meets our exacting standards. What’s more, the smooth flowing inner surfaces provide nowhere for diseases and diseases to hide!
To complement frame choice, the container is available in a wide range of colours, allowing you to achieve your own contemporary look. Bespoke options are also available for both frame and container, so please feel free to contact us and chat about your needs. Want more info about container gardening for beginners? Click here!
Finally, we know that single-use plastic has a bad reputation these days, and rightly so; that’s why we use only high-quality, widely-recyclable MDPE in our container. It’s completely non-toxic, chemical resistant and deemed safe by the Food Standards Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration; it's also identical to that used in UK drinking water pipes! We also offer an fully recycled container as standard, produced using black recycled plastic. For more details of our ecological values, see "Who are we?"
"The 'raised' in 'raised planter' is often overlooked - but here, it's at the core of everything we do!"
We wanted to be sure that all our frames looked great, were sturdy, wouldn't rust, and - best of all - could be provided with variable heights! We’re serious about your comfort, so a range of three heights (short, standard and long) are available to choose from at no extra cost. Even better, these legs are interchangeable, so your planter can grow alongside you (just contact us for details!) It seemed so simple, after all, you wouldn’t keep a bike you couldn’t ride!
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We engineered our frames from the ground up, built to withstand frost, snow, rain and shine.
All pipes are cut from heavy-duty steel, with a 3.2mm wall thickness, and held together with quality forged iron fittings (easily assembled with the included ‘hex key’ and instructions provided). Unlike wooden or plastic supports, an Ergrownomic frame will never break under its load.
Next, the materials are twice galvanised (a rust-protective layer of zinc), so you can be confident in your frame, wherever you place it. Power coating (available as an option) also allows for a range of colours to compliment your garden, fittings and look.
Finally, to keep everything stable, the containers are designed to slot securely into the frame, resting upon pre-drilled floor plates, which are easily adjusted to cope with slight unevenness, and capable of being bolted down, if necessary.
Options for modification are available in our shop, or please contact us directly for more detail or quotes. We’re confident we can accommodate requests.
"As soil scientists ourselves, we understand right from wrong, that’s why our system is modelled on the natural water cycle, with infiltration from the soil surface."
Although capillary systems are popular with competitors, they actually do more harm than good, waterlogging the base of the container and making them inaccessible or damaging to roots! Our drip-irrigation system creates an optimum water-pattern with no dry-spots, ensuring your crops get water delivered to them at least 60% more efficiently than other methods! Just turn on for 15 minutes every day-or-so, or connect to an automatic timer-unit for hands-free operations!
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Our tailor-built drip-irrigation system is comprised exclusively of ‘Rainbird’ components, the world’s leading producer of commercial systems.
The system features a dual-layered tubing, equipped with ‘pressure compensating emitters’ at 300mm intervals, which work to maintain a constant flow throughout all the lines. This system guarantees a precise output of 2.3l per hour, per dripper, avoiding the discrepancies of flow that are found in cheaper alternatives.
A ‘pressure regulating diaphragm’ is also included, capable of clearing any blockages occurring in the outlet holes, and the tubing is impervious to both UV rays and algae, which ensure a design life of at least 10 years.
What’s more, the lines work alongside the training system to further define your planting rows, and ensure each crop receives its due share of care and attention. A consistent wetting pattern (concentric around the dripline) makes this system at least 60% more efficient than a traditional watering can, and the avoidance of contact with foliage prevents ‘scorching’.
Ergrownomic containers are provided with a brass hoselock connector as standard, allowing them to be watered directly and simply from a hose, or even connected directly to a water-butt. Alternatively, there is also an option to include a high quality Galcon unit, creating an automated system; it's fully weatherproof, battery operated, easily installed, and even provided with a dual tap-connector so you can still wash the car on Sunday!
Our irrigation accessories pack is capable of linking multiple planters to a single timed-control-unit, letting you grow to any scale you need. In essence then, our system provides the opportunity for reliable and consistent watering, delivering no more, or less, than your crops require – wherever you happen to be. Bespoke irrigation is also available, so please feel free to get in touch.
"Good drainage is an essential function of any container system, and can make or break your efforts to grow at home!"
As with any kind of growing, your soil profile needs to be aerated properly and never waterlogged. Poor drainage means poor crops, it's as simple as that. Unfortunately, with many of the raised planters on the market, drainage often appearance an afterthought, but luckily - your planter was designed with this in mind!
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Within each of our containers, a depressed ‘sump’ is moulded integrally during their manufacture, and shaped exactly to fit our mesh bag, which you simply fill with gravel. A non-woven geotextile panel is then placed above, completing the set-up, and allowing for the efficient removal of excess water. The system is simple, using gravity as a draw-down (helped by the tapered walls of the container itself) to keep soil moisture at an optimum, and making saturation almost impossible. Even better, our mesh bags are actually made from machined offcuts of larger sheets of material, which we buy in to save them going to the land-fill, and repurpose into something positive!
What’s more, our geotextile panel prevents the washing out of essential soil fines and organic colloids, so as an additional bonus, it helps to keep the area beneath the container free from mud and staining, meaning a pristine patio if you need to relocate!
All in, it’s a vast improvement on other systems, keeping your soil working and exactly where you want it.
"We pride ourselves on having innovated, designed and produced a container packed with class-leading features, but our patented training-system is the real party-piece!"
Training your plants, although overlooked by our competitors, allows you to fully realise the potential of container growing, and far more productively than conventional wisdom would have you believe. Dividing the planting area into rows helps maximise yields, avoids damage when picking, and our industry leading knowledge of container growing (uniquely available to you in Support), is tailored to this method.
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Designed to slot precisely into your containers’ pre-moulded cylinders, solid aluminium rods provide the outline for your plant-training. These are then linked with an elasticated cord finished with brass aglets, and joined with cord-lock toggles (fitted with marine-grade stainless-steel springs). O-ring seals allow the rods to be adjusted in height, as well as protecting against intrusion from soil.
As per our ethos, each component has been made to last. Although solid bars are costlier, they will never break, the toggle springs will never rust, and the seals (made from an automotive grade polymer) will not perish as rubber is so prone to do.
In keeping your plants divided neatly, airflow guards against mildew, which is essential for growing in compact spaces. Similarly, keeping plant shoots out of contact with the soil surface prevents decay from pathogens, all of which mean reduced losses, improved establishment and better growth! When growing small-habit crops crops such as line-lettuces or spring onions, the training is best used to divide each container into three distinct rows (separated by the irrigation lines), but the system can also be used to divide the containers in quadrants (popular for growing herbs), or for supporting larger bushing crops - such as beans, tomatoes or chillies.
With training, our 8 years of product testing and development is yours to keep.
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