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We first saw this product almost two months ago at the 2010 Home and Housewares show and thought it was an affordable and well-designed solution for small space gardeners, but we've hesitated to blog it for the single reason that the marketers made an extremely obnoxious video (below the jump) to promote it.

Now that it's May and we're on the hunt for good gardening ideas, we've decided to overlook the bad marketing and post the Simple Garden. When we first saw it (without having been exposed to the Home Shopping Network hype), we were drawn to the modern design and the fact that the container is compact, lightweight, and can yield a decent sized mini-garden.

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It comes with a container, soil, seeds, a lid for the germinating phase, and instructions.

For around $25 (the HSN price is 2 for $40), you get a container with built-in drainage, a kit with soil and seeds, foolproof instructions for growing, and—this is a nice detail—it comes with a lid that you can use to create a damp, protected environment for the seeds while they're germinating. Yes, you could definitely make a DIY kit for cheaper, but you could also pay about the same or more for all those supplies at a garden store. We also like the fact that the container is made from recycled and recyclable Number 5 plastic (the same stuff Preserve uses to make their recycled products).

For more information, visit the Simple Garden website or purchase the kit here ($22.50 for 1), here ($25 for 1), or here ($40 for 2). Amazon also sells Simple Garden water sensor sticks, which cost around $13 and tell you when you need to water your plants.

Photos: Fertile Earth, Sarah Coffey