Urban Gardening as a Market Trend

The key trend is actually the move toward self-sufficiency. It’s about wanting to grow and harvest your own food. I’m convinced that behind this lies a need for greater self-efficacy—the ability to do something yourself and grow your own produce on the balcony. In the past, the prevailing view was that if you didn’t have your own garden, there was no point in even trying. Today, we offer a wide range of products so that people can enjoy gardening even on their balcony or inside their apartment. The 2025 study “Gardens in Transition” showed that self-sufficiency is a particular focus in balcony design, rather than ornamental plants.

First and foremost, they help me feel better because I have control over what I eat and where the produce comes from. If I use the right ingredients and put a little effort into it, I get great results—and have fun along the way. I can teach my children about nature—how plants grow, how herbs and vegetables are cultivated, and so on. Plus, I get to spend more time outdoors in the fresh air. All of this contributes to a better overall quality of life. I think that’s the key point we need to convey with our products and communicate to retailers.

From our perspective, it’s important that we avoid creating any barriers in the first place. We need to convey that getting started is a very simple step, because aside from our starter products and a good growing medium, you really don’t need anything else. Other than that, all you need is water, light, and the right spot to place the plant—and before you know it, something is growing. The first sense of accomplishment comes relatively quickly. Above all, we need to communicate this promise of success.

Yes, definitely. Just as we’re seeing in many other areas of life, we’re all looking for solutions that are as simple as possible. In our field, we still face the hurdle that people would like to grow plants on their balconies but are afraid of doing something wrong. And that’s where we say that with the right product system, there’s no need to worry. I think the industry, together with retailers, needs to communicate this much more effectively: With a system, it’s very easy to get started, and you can achieve the desired result quickly. We’re also seeing products becoming increasingly integrated in other areas—for example, furniture that doubles as planters or storage space.

For me, e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail aren’t so much a matter of “either/or” as they are one of integration. We can all benefit from this. We generally view e-commerce and the digital space as a platform for inspiration and for generating reach. The big challenge is to achieve this integration even more effectively. I don’t think we’re quite where we could be yet. But a lot has already changed for our customers. We need to keep building on that.