Roof Garden: The Future of Urban Farming
Prepared by PFPC Contributor, Bob Gorman
Image credit: blogspot via Creative Commons
Nothing compares to the robust flavor of fresh fruits and vegetables, but life in the city comes with a severe
shortage of gardening space. Granted, you’re more concerned about the day you visit the grocery store to
find there aren’t any vegetables or fruits to be had. You try to tell yourself that day will never come, we all
do, but the truth is food shortages across the world are a very real possibility. The obvious solution is to
grow your own garden - assuming your landlord doesn’t object to a garden in your apartment.
As unrealistic as planting a garden inside your apartment is, there are alternatives. In fact, urban agriculture
is not only growing in popularity but also offers a viable solution to worldwide food shortages. In fact, this
article done by Waterlex is explaining the importance of urban agriculture as well as how to overcome some
of the obstacles of gardening within a city. Sites such as this guide you through the steps of urban
gardening to ensure you will always be able to put food on your table and feed your family.
Prepare Your Roof
Space is the greatest obstacle to growing an urban garden, but you have more space than you realize your roof. First, you need to ensure regulations allow you to install a rooftop garden. You also need to make
sure your roof can handle the weight. The safest bet to protect your home is to consult with a structural
engineer. He or she can assess whether your roof and determine its weight limits.
Design Your Garden
Before you rush out and buy everything, plan your garden’s design. You’ll not only need to determine the
size and type of planters you’ll need but also how many you want and where exactly to place them. If you’re
at a complete loss, hire a designer to help you figure out the layout, the ideal planters for your garden,
determine if you need flooring and what type of weed block to use.
Choosing Your Soil
The last thing you want to do after going through all this work is to choose the wrong soil. Keep in mind, a
rooftop garden has one serious setback - the soil has no way of replenishing its nutrients. Another
consideration is avoiding soil with chemical additives as it will affect your plants. An organic soil or organic
compost is the best option to grow a rooftop garden that produces healthy, nutritious vegetables for your
family.
The Watering Issue
The soil isn’t the only problem with a rooftop garden. The location of your garden will expose your plants to
direct sunlight and increased temperatures - which will leave them thirstier than normal. Fortunately, you
have a few options. If you have easy access to a faucet and hose, you can run the hose up the side of the
building and create a drip line. Additionally, you can install in automatic irrigation system or a water storage
system. Ideally, you should decide which method best works for your garden during the designing phase of
your rooftop garden.
Picking the Right Plants
Choosing the right plants is critical to the success of your garden. Understandably, vegetation that requires
deep soil, like carrots, potatoes and onions, are not likely to thrive in this environment. Not to worry, for
there are quite a few plants that will flourish on your rooftop. These include watermelon, lettuce,
strawberries, cucumbers and far more. You can even add an herb section to ensure your diet remains rich
and flavorful.
The key is to select a wide variety of plants. This ensures that, even if the world suffers a food shortage,
you, your family and your neighbors will enjoy a balanced diet. In other words, you can fight starvation one
rooftop garden at a time.