A South Surrey gardener who pitched a seed for growing her business in the minds of Canada’s top entrepreneurs last spring is gearing up to see herself on air next month.
In a news release Wednesday afternoon, Jennifer Pratt confirmed she was selected to appear on the Jan. 31 episode of CBC’s Dragons’ Den.
“Since doing my pitch for the Dragons on May 17th, the wait has been long… and keeping the outcome a secret, difficult,” Pratt says in an email sent to friends and media.
“It is my hope you will all tune in to cheer me on.”
READ MORE: South Surrey gardener rooting for seeds of success
Pratt told Peace Arch News last April that the idea for her Seeding Square grew out of frustrations she and her husband, Karl, experienced as new gardeners.
“We kind of had a fun, yet colossal, mess when we first started,” Pratt said. “We were in awe at what we kind of pulled off with this template.”
The Seeding Square is a colour-coded seed spacer that leaves no doubt as to how far apart to plant 46 varieties of fruits and vegetables, “from carrots to pumpkins,” Pratt said. Users simply press the template onto the soil, poke the appropriate holes with the included wand/spoon and funnel, and plant their seeds.
Essentially, it does the thinking for gardeners, optimizing yield and minimizing weeds, she said.
In her Wednesday announcement, Pratt said more than 17,000 units have been sold since she first launched her product. It’s also now featured in the book Learn & Color Nature Series: Garden Edibles, she said.
Pratt could not be immediately reached for further comment Wednesday on her pitch experience, but told PAN in April that she was prepared to offer the Dragons 20 per cent of her business in exchange for help with marketing the Seeding Square.
