I was born into a farming family but as a second child, I knew I would never become a farmer. Loving the lifestyle and earning a decent living are an anathema to most farmers because it so rarely happens these days.

Thoughts of becoming an accountant never materialised and I became a city stockbroker and then an entrepreneur. Many businesses later, I enrolled in an Amazon course to learn the intricacies of online shopping but my experience with Amazon left me with no desire at all to list on their site - I decided to go it alone.

My interest in hydroponics is many years old and when I came across a kitchen countertop system, I started to research more. What I found was that there were many products on the market but the reviews for most of them were so appalling that one could see why they didn’t sell. I found one which I felt offered the most promise and hunted down the manufacturer.

Having found the manufacturer, I then sent him three pages of one star reviews of his and his competitors machines and summed up seven feature improvements that would make the machine so much better. Much to my surprise, he agreed to implement these and although I had to throw money at it to get certain items specially manufactured for me, the final result is what you see on this web page. From start to final delivery has taken eight months but the wait has been worth it.

One of the best books on the subject is DIY Hydroponic Gardens by Tyler Baras and this contains a wealth of useful information for those that are interested. The price of hydroponic kits has halved in the last two years and this has allowed almost anyone to invest in one and bring a garden into your own kitchen - useful for those living in apartments or cities.

Armed with so much feedback by reading over 1,000 reviews of competing products has been an eye-opener but perhaps one of the most complained about issue was the sale of the product without seeds. What all these reviewers did not know is that importing seeds without a licence is forbidden and so shipping a machine across the world with seeds inside is absolutely impossible. This eighth feature has been overcome by me handling everything prior to delivery to the customer and this wraps up every single issue I could find on those one star reviews.

West Kent is where I live, deep in ‘The Garden of England’ and fruit country,  where the machines are stored. I grow almost every fruit that can exist in the British climate in my garden, including peaches, apricots, figs, pears and blueberries.

Curiously, West Kent is the only supplier of kitchen countertop machines based in the UK and therefore our service should be by far the best out of every competitor. I am on hand to answer your queries in realtime so please feel free to ask any questions by email.

Growing hydroponically is only going to become ever more important as we all look to shrink food miles and grow our food organically. It’s clean, fast, inexpensive and highly efficient but, most of all, it is the most incredible fun I have ever enjoyed for years. Coming downstairs in the morning and seeing what has grown is intensely satisfying without the need to get one’s hands dirty in the garden.

Anyone can do this and anyone can grow anything from seed - it’s that easy. Most satisfied consumers buy a second or third machine, which perhaps tells you how addictive this pastime is and how wrapped up you are going to become in growing herbs and plants without leaving your kitchen. It will be the best present you can buy for yourself or for a friend and kids will learn how seeds become herbs and then supply the flavour for their food. Education at it most practical and understandable way.

Give it a try and get one today. 

Alastair Jessel, owner of West Kent

hello@west-kent.com

www.west-kent.com