My Research Project

The Problem: Many apartments in Twin Peaks have decks that hold potential for gardening organic vegetables. The market lacks a container-designed specifically to grow a variety of vegetables on such small spaces.

Purpose Statement: The purpose of this study was to develop a product that makes gardening on apartment’s deck more feasible and pleasant.


I live in Twin Peaks, a neighborhood in San Francisco well know for it spectacular views of the city. We have no grocery store, convenient stores or even a weekly farmer market on the neighborhood, if you need go grocery shopping you have to drive out or endure the precarious public transportation to go shopping in a different neighborhood. The sell point to live on this neighborhood is that it offers breath-taking views of the city and many apartments comes with decks, where you can seat down and appreciate the bay area natural landscape and man made landscape. Sunrises, sunsets, full moon, fog or even the city light creates astonishing picturesque scenes on the bay.

The decks on my building inst quite spacious but it still have a space that could be turned into an edible garden. I was recently diagnosed with hyperglycemia and have changed drastically my diet, I have always avoided food rich in sutured fat and now I am trying to stay way from fast sugar. I never liked vegetables that much, but now I am giving a chance and would love to have fresh organic veggies available a step way.

I have been looking for a container that is designed for growing vegetables in small areas, there are pots that that are designed for house plants and outdoor plants, I also have came across containers customized to grow herbs indoors, but nothing close to grow a variety of vegetables using limited space taking in consideration limited amount of sun light and dirt.

As a product design student at SFSU and having to develop a product for my 505Research & Development class it seemed ideal to design a product that would promote good eating habits and reduce carbon footprint, I believe that compact garden is a part of the solution to both and should be better explored. As I design I will emerge on a research that will help me guide to a better solution for gardening in small spaces.