EAT UPwinterize that garden
The blustery weather and wintry mix blanketing much of the country lead many to believe that winter is upon us, albeit a week early. It may be cold up on your roof, but you best climb…
agricultural roofs in Gaza
Rooftop agriculture is taking root around the globe. With its beginnings in 600 B.C.E. Babylon (present day Iraq), rooftop farming has arrived, full circle, back in the Middle East. According to the online Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour, Gazan residents are installing…
sky-high winter greens
While rooftop farms around the country lay fallow for winter, one skyline gem continues to churn out greens. Noble Rot, a restaurant and wine bar in Portland, OR, supports a 3,000 square foot (0.07 acre) farm…
get ready, windy city!
Chicago‘s rooftop community will beam from October 17th to 20th, as the City of Chicago and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities host this year’s international green roof conference. Cities Alive is poised to attract design, policy, green roof, and agricultural professionals from around…
collective brain power
From August 15-18, urban agricultural enthusiasts from around the world gathered in Toronto for the very first Urban Agriculture Summit. The international conference, hosted by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities and FoodShare, attracted over 500 farmers, activists, educators,…
the groundhog done it
It finally happened. While harvesting cherry tomatoes from my backyard garden earlier this week, a patch of topless broccoli plants caught the corner of my eye. Slowly turning to assess the damage – brow low, fists…
“Daddy, I want a cucumberrrr!”
Jay Sand, a home gardener in West Philadelphia, feeds his kids the freshest veggies on the block. The source? His own roof. Sand and his wife decided to renovate their spacious Victorian fixer-upper from bottom to…
West Philadelphia pilot garden
Elderly residents sit on their front stoops watching tattooed hipsters peddle by on fixed-gear bikes. This cultural juxtaposition runs rampant throughout West Philadelphia’s Cedar Park neighborhood, while grit and urban decay provide a strange sense of continuity…
harden off those youngins
With spring upon us, greenhouses across the country are full of eager seedlings. Sheltered greenhouse environments are ideal for sprouting seeds and providing a head start for young veggies, but the real growing occurs outdoors. Before transplanting…
the hottest of hotspots
If the U.S. were a cupcake, and the rooftop farms and gardens dotted around the country were the sprinkles, then Brooklyn would be the cherry on top. Thank you for bearing with me on that analogy….