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Mike Saraylian, 29, owner and operator of Harvest to Home, rents out Earth Boxes for growing vine vegetables and fruits. The boxes, he said, are somewhat hydroponic, self-fertilizing and self-watering. For those who don’t want to do the gardening, but want the freshness that comes with organic food, Saraylian said, he’s got the secret.

What’s special about these boxes?

Typically when you have plants, you water them from the top. When you water from the top, you don’t know if it’s going all the way down. With the boxes, the plants sit in the soil and the roots travel to the bed of the water and pull up the water as it’s needed. It’s operated off of pressure.

Why do you rent them instead of selling them?

Because people don’t maintain them. You go to Home Depot and you get all your stuff, and in a month, people leave it alone and it ends up looking bad.

What’s your business concept?

I’m not catering to avid gardeners. I’m catering to people who like the benefit of eating fresh food, which tastes considerably different from what you get in the grocery store.

How did you come up with this idea?

I went to Europe and had a salad of lettuce, tomato, just this very basic stuff, and I just didn’t understand why this basic salad tasted better than any salad I’ve had in the U.S. Then I realized it was because of the way the ingredients were grown, and that’s when I started looking into it more and more.

Why did you choose the name Harvest to Home for your business?

Because I’m delivering the harvest to your home.

How long does it takes for the plants to grow?

Four months.

Then what happens after four months?

You can choose to give the box back, or I can switch out your plants to grow something else for a small fee.

What is the fee?

$50 for a swap of the box.

Can people save money from this?

It depends on what they get. Tomatoes, yes. My box will make 30 pounds of tomatoes. One time I pulled 700 yellow pear tomatoes. The tomatoes will make financial sense. Herbs will make sense, and other vegetables.

What are some of your recommendations on what people should grow using your boxes?

In spring and summer, you can grow tomato, cucumber, and six or seven different types of basil. In the winter and fall, you can grow all different types of lettuce, spinach and cilantro.

Harvest to Home

Website: www.harvesttohome.com

Call: (949) 873-5400

E-mail: [email protected]