Last month, graduate Joanna Szczepanska won the Index: AIGA Aspen Design College Challenge for a modular, adaptable garden called Veggie Patch.

The garden was designed to use minimal water and enable people living in high-density urban areas to grow their own vegetables.

The flat-pack garden lets people create as much space as they need. The base is a plywood frame with rubber matting, made from car tyres, to hold soil and grow vegetables.

The pockets are adjust so gardeners can grow a range of plants from vegetables to larger fruit trees.

Ms Szczepanska, who is now studying in Holland, said she designed the product with sustainability in mind.

‘‘It will help people to reduce transport costs, use of packaging, processing and flood irrigation at the beginning of the food cycle, and to reduce their CO2 emissions and use of landfill space at the end,’’ she said.

‘‘The Veggie Patch can be used

to educate communities, families

and individuals about the importance of food and nutrition every day

while empowering them to

make their lifestyles more sustainable.’’

Ms Szczepanska’s design was based on her final-year project at Monash University. It was judged the best of 225 student projects from 115 universities in 27 countries.

Monash Department of Design senior lecturer Russell Kennedy said it was the most significant international prize ever awarded to a Monash design student.