GB2336091A - Gardening apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Gardening apparatus comprising a tray 10 and a frame unit mounted above the tray to provide support means 52-54 to which growing plants may be attached. The tray provides a convenient receptacle for a grow bag, and the support means provides a pre-existing structure which only requires that the plant be attached to it by conventional means, such as tying, to the support means when the plant has grown adjacent to a particular portion of the support means. The frame unit also provides a means to incorporate various other features into the design to ease the growing of plants. The frame unit may be mounted on wheels to assist moving.

Description

- 1 2336091 The present invention relates to gardening apparatus, and more

specifically to apparatus for providing a suitable environment for the growing of plants.

For the best results in the growing of plants, it is important to optimise certain factors in the plants' environment. The right type of soil, with the correct proportion of nutrients, support for the plants which need it, even the correct temperature and humidity, can be vital to the plants' success. Achieving this environment can be difficult and time- consuming - much study has gone into producing easier systems for the raising and growing of plants.

One system which is particularly popular is the "grow bag", a polythene bag which has a growing medium such as soil or compost sealed within it, the growing medium often having been carefully formulated to contain the correct balance of nutrients for a particular type of plant. To grow a particular type of plant, then, the appropriate grow beg is selected, incisions made through the bag, and the young plants placed in these incisions.

Grow bags though are heavy and bulky, and once the plants have been inserted in the grow bag it is not usually practical to move the beg, as the beg is very flexible. They are also untidy to look at, and soil may spill out from the incisions onto the ground they are standing on.

Another problem when raising some types of plants is that their stems may not be sufficiently robust to support their own weight, this problem being parti cularly acute with plants which have been selectively bred to produce large fruit, such as the tomato. The tomato, having no faculty, such as tendrils, for climbing, must be tied to supports to ensure that it does not topple over as its f ruits develop. This process takes up much time in the growing of tomato plants. The support, such as a bamboo cane, must be pushed into the ground far enough to be stable. The tomato, as it grows upwards, must then be periodically secured to the stake, by small wire rings or by being tied by pieces of string. The canes are not well adapted to this purpose - the securement means tends to slip down the cane, and so not provide adequate support. Also, as the plants get 2 heavier as they grow, especially during wet and windy weather when the soil has softened, the canes are liable to fall over.

The problems of staking plants are exacerbated when the plants are to be grown in grow bags. A grow bag, being typically not more than 150 mm thick, does not have a sufficient depth of soil in which to adequately secure staking means such as canes.

There are trays which are able to accommodate a grow bag, but these do not alleviate the problem of staking plants in grow bags. One -suggested method has been the use of stiff wire supports for the canes, which include a base which rests under the grow bag to add stability to the cane. This method still involves some amount of laborious manipulation of all the separate components.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for the growing of plants, especially plants having need of supporting means.

According to the invention there is provided a tray, and a frame unit mounted above the tray to provide support means to which growing plants may be attached.

The tray provides a convenient receptacle for a grow bag, and the support means provides a pre-existing structure which only requires that the plant be attached to it by conventional means, such as tying, to the support means when the plant has grown adjacent to a particular portion of the support means. The frame unit also provides a means to incorporate various other features into the design to ease the growing of plants.

A gardening apparatus embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the drawing, which is a perspective view of the system.

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus comprises of a tray 10, and a frame unit 12, including support means 14.

The tray is rectangular in plan, and about 1000 mm by 300 mm, so that it may accommodate a typical grow bag. The dimensions may of course be varied to accommodate different sized grow bags if required. The tray includes raised 3 sides 16-19 to secure the grow bag when placed inside it and contain any soil that might spill from the grow bag, and includes holes in the base 20 of the tray and legs 24, 25, 26 (only those three being visible) at each corner of the tray to raise the grow bag somewhat from ground and ensure good drainage from the grow bag. The sides of the tray are preferably flared as shown, to aid the placing of the grow beg within the tray.

The frame unit 12 comprises four upright vertical members 30-33 extending upwards from the four vertices of the tray, four horizontal upper members 36-39 atop the four upright members describing a rectangle of similar dimensions to the tray, two horizontal side members 40 and 41 which are located approximately a third of the way up along the upright members parallel to the short sides of the tray, and a beam 43 which runs between the two short upper members 36 and 38 from points halfway along each. The exact height at which the side bars are located will depend upon the particular plant that the apparatus is intended for.

The support means comprises a main cable 50 held taut between the two side members 40 and 41, connected to each side member at a point half way along it, and a plurality of cables 52-54 hanging vertically downwards from the beam 43 and each attached at its other end to the main cable 50. In this embodiment, three vertical cables are shown placed equally subdividing the main cable, though more vertical cables could be used if desired.

To use the apparatus, a grow bog is placed in the tray 10. The exact dimensions of the tray may be chosen so that the distance between the upright members 31, 32 and 30, 33 along the long sides 16 and 18 of the tray is larger than the length of the grow bog so that the grow bag may easily be placed in the tray. Incisions into the grow bog are made and the young plants that are to be grown placed within the grow beg in the usual way. By the time the plants have grown up to the main cable 50, they will begin to benefit from some support. This may easily be done by tying the stems to the main cable if desired, or to the lower end of one of the vertical cables 52-54, or to both, whichever is the most convenient given the position of the plants. As the plants grow upwards, they may be further tied to the vertical cables at higher points. The plants, especially those developing heavy fruit such as tomatoes, aubergines, peppers etc. will now be fully supported throughout their development. Plants such as peas and runner beans, which can support themselves by means of tendrils, will also benefit from the presence of the cables.

4 - The height of the apparatus will typically be about 1200 mm, although different heights could be used for different plants. Alternatively, if plants which grow taller are to be grown, an additional frame unit similar to that attached to the tray could be placed on top of the first, the upper ends of the upright members 30-33 of the first frame unit and the lower ends of the upright members of the second frame unit being adapted to interlock. Another possibility is to include apertures along the beam 43, so that supplementary canes may be supported by the frame unit, the canes being placed in the grow bag and extending through the apertures upwards beyond the height of the frame unit.

A wide range of materials are suitable for the construction of the apparatus, such as treated wood or plastic coated metal. The support means, though described as cables, may be constructed from flexible wire, stiff metal rods, or even more substantial members similar to those making up the frame unit. if constructed from flexible cable or wire, it may be necessary to include a screw thread on the cable at one or both ends so that the cable, passed through an aperture in the side member, may be kept in tension by means of a nut attaching to the screw thread. It will also be realised that different configurations of framework and cabling can be constructed to achieve similar results, such as if more cabling is desired to afford more points at which to secure the plants.

It is primarily intended that the apparatus should be supplied as a --flat pack', the different members of the frame unit being attached to the tray and each other by a convenient conventional technique, and the elements of the apparatus being so adapted, such as by aligning apertures secured by nuts and bolts, or apertures, some of which being threaded, to secure the elements by screws. The apparatus could be so manufactured, with hinged joints between the tray and the upright members, that upon removing the uppermost members, the upright elements may be folded flat against the tray for easy storage of the apparatus when not in use.

The frame unit may also be put to other uses. Plastic flexible sheeting such as that of the "bubble wrap" type may conveniently be folded around and secured to the frame unit to provide protection against low temperature. Alternatively, a purpose-made enclosure may be provided. Thus a beg of plastic flexible sheeting may be provided, open at the end, so that it can be placed over the frame; or panels of stiff, transparent material material such as glass or - 5 plastic can be supplied to be fitted to the frame unit, the frame unit having appropriate adaptations as to enable convenient fitting of the panels.

Some or all of the members 30-33, 36-41, and 43 can be manufactured from plastic having a hollow section, and a pipe such as that of the "micropore" type inserted into one of the upright members, to then lead into the grow bag, so that water may be poured at one point, such as at the top of one of the upright members, to provide water to all the plants within the apparatus. A reservoir can be provided to assist this function, perhaps located more conveniently at a point closer to the tray but still above it.

The apparatus can be provided with castors or wheels in place of legs to assist moving the apparatus. Obviously, a wide range of accessories may be incorporated in to the frame unit and tray to increase the ease and convenience with which plants may be grown in the apparatus.

Instead of a rectangular frame structure as shown, a peaked or tented structure may be used, with, at each end of the tray, a pair of members leaning slightly towards each other to form an inverted V.

6 e,-14a:imc3 1 Gardening apparatus comprising a tray, and a frame unit mounted above the tray to provide support means to which growing plants may be attached.

2 Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tray is mounted on wheels or the like.

3 Apparatus according to either previous claim wherein the frame unit comprises four uprights one at each corner of the tray, a rectangle of horizontal members joining the tops of the uprights, a top member extending between the two sorter members of the rectangle, and a pair of cross members each extending between a pair of uprights.

4 Apparatus according to any previous claim including enclosure means.

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the enclosure means comprises a flexible bag of clear plastic sheeting open at the bottom.

6 Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the enclosure plurality of clear plastic panels attachable to the frame.

means comprises a Gardening apparatus substantially as herein described.

8 Any novel and inventive feature or combination of features specifically disclosed herein within the meaning of Article 4H of the International Convention (Paris Convention).