In large metropolitan areas, big populations translate to limited space, and that means limited gardening. Pocket rose gardens and green roofs don’t slake the human thirst for flowers and vegetables grown close to home. The BACSAC®, a double-walled geotextile fabric planting container that allows dirt to drain and breathe, is inspiring city gardeners to grow greenery on the decks, terraces, balconies and roofs of Paris.

BACSAC, a small Paris-based company, makes pots, window boxes and modular raised beds of a permeable geotextile that is frost- and sun-resistant. At the end of the season, empty BACSACs can be rolled up and strapped for easy, compact storage. The Bacsquare 4, a vegetable planter one foot high and two feet square, holds 31 gallons of dirt.