A round bed that folds flat solves the two things that make rigid planters awkward: they are heavy to move and they take up a garage through the winter. This one is a low, round fabric bed that collapses down to a flat disc and opens again in seconds, so a flower nursery can store a season of them in one shelf. The non-woven felt breathes and drains, which keeps compost workable in a shallow bed, and the low profile suits lettuce, herbs and carpeting plants that do not need depth. Black, purple and green are all in production.
Rigid raised beds are awkward in the two ways that matter to a nursery: they are heavy to move once filled, and they occupy space all year. A round fabric bed that folds flat answers both.
The bed is a shallow round wall of non-woven felt, which does two things at once: it breathes, so air reaches the root zone and surplus water leaves instead of pooling in a shallow volume, and it flexes, so the whole bed collapses to a flat disc for storage and opens again in seconds. That is what makes it practical for a nursery selling into a season or a grower with limited shed space. The low profile suits lettuce, herbs and carpeting plants that do not need depth.
Flower nurseries use them on benches and in sales areas, where the round shape reads well and the low wall lets a customer see the whole plant. Growers use the same bed on patios and hard standing where there is no ground to plant into, and the same format handles cucumbers, tomatoes and salad crops. Set-up is a case of opening the ring and filling it. The wall system is shared across the air pruning pot range.
| Use | Flower nursery and vegetable planting |
| Material | Non-woven felt fabric |
| Form | Round, low profile |
| Colour | Black, purple or green |
| Storage | Collapses flat between seasons |
| Base | Flat stitched base |
| Size | 1 gallon, or customised |
| Packing | Bag, pallet or carton |
The bed opens by pulling the ring out, and the stitched base keeps the floor flat so it sits level on a bench or paving instead of rocking while it is filled. Because the wall is felt rather than moulded plastic there is nothing to crack when it is folded away, and the same put-away works at the end of a season or between sales displays. Starter trays and smaller pots sit alongside in the seedling and propagation range.
Tell us the diameters, volumes and colours your programme works to, since the ring is built to order and colours can be matched to a swatch. Orders ship in bags, on pallets or in cartons, and the flat bed stores in a fraction of the space a stack of rigid planters takes. The wider soft container range sits in the planting bag range. Container and growing media supply is covered at HortiDaily and FreshPlaza.
How flat does it store?
The wall folds down and the bed collapses to a flat disc, so a season of them stores on a shelf rather than filling a shed.
Is a low bed deep enough to crop in?
The profile suits lettuce, herbs, cucumbers and carpeting plants. Where more depth is needed the taller felt formats in the range do the job.
How are bulk orders packed?
In bags, on pallets or in cartons, with mixed sizes and colours combined in one load.
Tell us the diameters, colours and volumes your programme needs, and we will come back with the packing plan, sample and lead time.
Mark Wu, Co-founder & Technical Director, Sichuan Zhifang Net Industry. 15 years manufacturing agricultural nettings for growers in 32 countries.
