EAT UPseedling envy
Sugar baby watermelon seedlings at SHARE Food Program || photo by Lauren Mandel
Behind on starting your seedlings this year? Don’t fret! Thanks to this winter’s polar vortex you’re not alone; we’re all a bit behind. With frosty nights and spring (hopefully) around the corner, it’s time to hit the seed catalogs.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – one of my favorites – offers over 600 varieties of vegetable, flower and herb seeds. According to the company’s handsome website their full seed inventory provides, “the largest selection of rare, heirloom varieties in the U.S.A.” Seed Savers Exchange similarly offers a mouth watering selection of heirloom seeds. Cultivating heirloom crops (diverse fruit, veggie and flower varieties grown before World War II) helps promote crop diversity while unleashing a world of irresistible flavors! That awkward looking, off-kilter tomato at the farmers’ market? Yeah, that’s an heirloom. That tomato will change your life. Buy it. Or better yet, grow it yourself! Burpee offers a wide range of heirloom seeds that may be available at your local market, garden center, or hardware store, so you may not have to trek far to find those enticing seeds.
Greenhouse seedlings at SHARE Food Program || photo by Lauren Mandel
With hundreds of varieties at your fingertips, how do you choose what to plant and when to plant it? Mother Earth News published a handy spring seed starting guide that lists when to plant various crop varieties relative to your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone. It’s all about the timing, folks. Starting your seedlings indoors means that they’ll be ready for harvest that much earlier in the season. Seeding in a greenhouse is ideal, but most of us stick our seedling trays in a warm spot in the house (70-80 degrees) and then a cooler spot (60-65 degrees) after they germinate. Adding a few heat mats or grow lights may provide the extra oomph that’s needed in a cooler, darker house.
To organize your thoughts around what you’ll plant throughout the growing season, consider subscribing to Seed Savers Exchange’s The Garden Planner (free 30 day trial and then $25/year). This easy-to-use tool allows you to design your planting beds, crop layout, and even crop rotation schedule using a digital platform. Sounds like a fun winter activity to me!
But Lauren, you ask, how is seed starting for a rooftop garden different than starting seeds for my regular old ground-level plot? I’m so glad you asked! The two main differences to keep in mind are:
1| Select compact, low stature crop varieties. Rooftop microclimates can be surprisingly windy. Don’t let lanky crops and top-heavy staking get in the way of your vegetable dreams.
2| Harden off your seedlings. Before exposing your precious little ones to mother nature, be sure to acclimatize them to the windy, temperature fluctuating rooftop conditions a little at a time. Plan on an extra week for hardening off rooftop plants compared to your ground-level seedlings.
McCormick Place Rooftop Farm || photo by Lauren Mandel
Grab those seed catalogs and go nuts! We want to hear about your adventures in the comments area below and on EAT UP’s Facebook page.
community roofs
Graze the Roof garden educators Nikolaus and Lindsey Dyer || photo by Michael I. Mandel
Glitzy commercial farms tend to dominate the rooftop agriculture media scene. Magazines, newspapers, the blogosphere (and even I!) can’t resist featuring these highly photogenic rooftops. These farms rely on the surrounding community for indirect and sometimes direct sales, but generally the community does not play a critical role up on the roof.
Graze the Roof || photo by Michael I. Mandel
Let’s tip our hats for the moment to community-oriented rooftop farms and gardens, which often prioritize stewardship, nutrition education, and community building. Graze the Roof, in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District, welcomes neighborhood kids and adults to its 900 square foot (0.02 acre) garden atop Glide Memorial Church. Project manager and garden educator Lindsey Dyer estimates that the garden welcomes 250-450 volunteers and 300-500 visitors each year, many of whom are low-income. Gardening workshops , community work parties, and an after-school program help reconnect neighbors to their food, while producing fruits and veggies for the church’s soup kitchen down below. “The dream was to transform an underutilized surface… into a vibrant landscape of food, community, and education” explains Lindsey.
AccessPoint at Danforth harvest || by Samara Yu
Toronto’s AccessPoint on Danforth supports a 6,500 square foot (0.15 acre) rooftop garden that similarly provides opportunities for community development, environmental education, and social health activities. The underlying community health center attracts a diversity of visitors, while rooftop programming primarily engages immigrants and refugees. According to Green Access Community Animator Lara Mrosovsky, AccessPoint on Danforth is “the first Community Health Centre in Ontario to have an intensive green roof.” With over 40 heirloom vegetable varieties and 40 medicinal and culinary herb varieties under cultivation, this garden is sure to pave the path for other Canadian community roofs to follow.
Molly Sand, 8, contemplating her harvest || photo by Lauren Mandel
At a smaller scale, home rooftop gardens such as that at the Sand Residence in West Philadelphia build community through neighborly interaction and vegetable sharing. Jay Sand’s three young daughters learn about stewardship and healthy eating throughout the growing season, and teach their friends about gardening during play dates. At least one other rooftop garden is visible from the family’s roof; perhaps the girls planted the seed!
top 5 rooftops of 2013
First Lady Michelle Obama at the Gary Comer Youth Center || photo by Gary Comer Youth Center
Rooftop agriculture reached new heights in 2013 thanks to enthusiasts around the globe like you! Skyline farms and gardens sprouted up in record numbers, bringing fresh fruits and veggies to tables to urbanites from New York to Seattle. What a year. Let’s put our hands together for the countless rooftop farmers, gardeners, restauranteurs, entrepreneurs, designers, and chefs who are redefining “local” and reshaping our food system.
By popular demand, here are the top 5 most inspirational rooftops of 2013:
Higher Ground Farm || photo by Maureen White, courtesy of Higher Ground Farm
5| Higher Ground Farm – This year’s completion of Higher Ground Farm‘s first 2,000 square feet keeps all eyes on the roof of the Boston Design Center. The commercial farm’s full buildout promises the largest agricultural roof in New England. Direct sales to local restaurants and a planned CSA bring the farmers’ nine-story produce directly to Boston’s blossoming food scene. Read more here.
The Fairmont Waterfront || photo by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
4| The Fairmont Waterfront – Vancouver’s The Fairmont Waterfront hotel is home to one of North America’s oldest rooftop farms. Executive chef Dana Hauser collaborates with her team of chefs and growers to incorporate fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and honey produced on the hotel’s rooftop into the dishes down below. The international Fairmont Hotel & Resort parent company supports rooftop agriculture on locations in Canada, the US, and Singapore, with unlimited potential to expand further. Read more here.
McCormick Place Rooftop Farm || photo by Lauren Mandel
3| McCormick Place – Chicago’s convention center took “local” to a whole new level this year by welcoming Windy City Harvest to its roof. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture program that provides hands-on training converted 11,000 square feet (1/4 acre) of Sedum green roof into a functional farm to provide the building’s catering company with fresh ingredients. Windy City Harvest hopes to expand the farm to a full acre in seasons to come. Read more here.
First Lady Michelle Obama at the Gary Comer Youth Center || photo by Gary Comer Youth Center
2| Gary Comer Youth Center – The Gary Comer Youth Center in Chicago’s South Side strives “to improve urban education and the lives of children.” The Center’s 8,000 square root rooftop farm acts as a safe, outdoor classroom that allows neighborhood kids to learn about gardening and healthy eating. First Lady Michelle Obama visited the inspirational farm in 2012 with the spouses of NATO Heads of State. The rooftop agriculture community appreciates Mrs. Obama’s support and encourages her to continue promoting gardening and nutrition initiatives in 2014.
Gotham Greens flagship location || photo by Ari Burling
1| Gotham Greens – This hydroponic trend setter takes the cake as 2013s most influential rooftop farm. With two Brooklyn locations and a third slated for Queens in 2014, Gotham Greens exemplifies the entrepreneurial potential and economic viability of rooftop agriculture. The company showcases how to grow an extraordinary amount of food in tight, urban quarters by producing one ton of food per 100 square feet every year. Thanks to Gotham Greens and other greenhouse giants, rooftop hydroponics are increasingly fueling North American cities with fresh, delicious food. Read more here.
winterize that garden
Ledge Kitchen & Drinks in Dorchester, MA || photo by Lauren Mandel
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 up there and winterize your veggie garden or farm if you have not done so already. Here are a few helpful tips intended to lighten your springtime load:
1| Harvest the latecomers: Now’s the time to harvest the last remaining crops before frost wreaks havoc. Collect what’s left and while you’re at it, remove all remaining stems and root stock. Leaving plant material in the ground or even tilling it into the soil is risky these days with blights and other diseases lurking in the shadows. The exceptions are perennial crops (such as berry bushes and asparagus), which should stay in the ground, and nitrogen-fixing crops (like beans), which should be tilled in by hand. All plant material that you remove should be composted, unless it is diseased.
Rooftop farmer Laura Feddersen removing irrigation drip lines || photo by Lauren Mandel
2| Blow out those lines: Your irrigation drip lines and header pipes may burst if water freezes inside. To avoid this potentially pricey nuisance, you’ll need to drain the system before the first freeze. First you’ll shut off the irrigation water supply. Next, you’ll drain the lines by opening the system’s manual drain, auto drain, or blowout valve. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s operation and safety instructions – such as those posted online by Hunter – particularly if you intend to use compressed air in conjunction with a blowout valve. Some gardeners and farmers choose to leave their drained lines in place for the season, while others remove them altogether to avoid potential damage.
End-of-season cleanup || photo by Lauren Mandel
3| Cover up: Reserve some end-of-season funds for cover crop seed and burlap. These simple materials will help your soil stay put (rather than blowing off the roof!) and may even provide a boost of nitrogen. Popular nitrogen-fixing cover crops include clover, hairy vetch, and field peas. Clover in particular is effective at holding soil in place, given its dense root system, but beware! Clover is invasive and damaging to ornamental green roofs, so do not use this crop if adjacent roof areas are planted with Sedum or other ornamentals. Regardless of which crop(s) you choose, get them in the ground as soon as possible after fall plant material removal so as not to leave the soil bare. Securely cover your seeded beds with burlap to prevent winnowing (soil loss) during establishment. For smaller, sheltered gardens, try mulching with straw instead of planting a cover crop.
4| Relax! The long growing season is over. Sit back, catch up on sleep, and get your winter read on.
conference call
While most people reminisce about last week’s turkey dinner I’m still trying to catch my breath from November’s whirlwind of conferences. Back-to-back events in Boston and Philly left me (and many other designers) invigorated yet exhausted! Boston welcomed the country’s largest gathering of landscape architects for the annual ASLA Meeting and Expo. Four days of tours, educational sessions, panel discussions, and schmoozing attracted the industry’s leading talent and hoards of up-and-comers.
Whole Foods, Lynnfield, MA || photo by Lauren Mandel
One of the most popular topics at this year’s conference was green roofs. Case studies and how to talks sprinkled the agenda, yet only one session dove into the ins and outs of rooftop food production. My colleague Brendan Shea, co-founder of REcover Green Roofs, and I were delighted to present “Rooftop Agriculture: the New Green Roof Frontier” from a joint design/build/maintain perspective. Our attendees convened from Germany, Guatemala, and across the US to hear about the nuts and bolts of this burgeoning field from a green roof designer (yours truly) and installer (Brendan). My company, Roofmeadow, designed a handful of agriculturally-oriented green roofs over the years and is currently working with two clients to design large rooftop farms in Philly and Brooklyn. REcover Green Roofs boasts an impressive portfolio of built rooftop farms in the Boston Metro area, and the company happens to be a Roofmeadow-Certified Contractor. What a team!
Greenbuild 2013 || photo by Molly Devinney
After flying back home to Philly I groggily walked from my house to the city’s convention center for Greenbuild 2013. This international conference and expo, hosted by the US Green Building Council, is reportedly the world’s largest gathering dedicated to sustainable building. While I did not attend any educational sessions nor Hillary Rodham Clinton‘s keynote address, Roofmeadow hosted a booth on the expo floor that attracted an international crowd of designers, reporters, sustainability consultants, and vendors.
Our most welcomed guest was a group of engineering students from South Philadelphia High School. These juniors and seniors will play a key role in the future of their school as they work with Roofmeadow engineers next week to evaluate the stormwater performance of their 5.5 acre urban campus. This evaluation feeds into a larger project in which Roofmeadow, together with the school and local neighborhood association, are developing a campus-wide ‘Greening’ Master Plan that includes a 0.5 acre rooftop farm.
Now as I slip back into my normal routine and prepare for 2014, I’m reminded of all the incredible people I met this year both during my travels and right here at home. Keep the passion burning, friends, and together we’ll kick-start this rooftop agriculture revolution!
new look, same great taste
Roof-to-Table Launch Event || photo by Jane Winkel
Welcome to the new EAT UP website! Why don’t you take off your coat and stay a while; there’s much to digest.
For those of you who’ve read the EAT UP blog since 2011 and followed our progression from rooftop agricultural commentary through book publication, you probably noticed that we outgrew our britches long ago. With book launches, a traveling Roof-to-Table Photography Exhibition, exciting media coverage, and interviews with industry leaders, we needed an official website that could handle a little more meat on the bone.
The website’s mission is to advance the rooftop agriculture industry through discussion and media. This means that your contribution is just as important as mine, so don’t be shy. Tell us about your rooftop gardening dreams, your skyline farming adventures, even problems you’re trying to troubleshoot. Let’s build a community around rooftop agriculture and take this blossoming industry to the top!
Enjoy yourself as you poke around the site. Leave us a comment or two, and heck, even “like” us on Facebook.
Bon appétit!
the naked truth
Skyline View || photo by Lauren Mandel
My naked roof || photo by Lauren Mandel
All this talk about rooftop gardening makes me want to climb up onto my own roof to get started. That’s right! Believe it or not, my roof is naked; bare membrane all the way. How could this be? It’s simple. I lived on a 3/4 acre lot in peri-urban Philadelphia neighborhood for several years, with a sloped roof and backyard garden. A few months back I migrated closer to Center City, and now rent an apartment with a shiny new roof that’s flat as a pancake. Tabula rasa.
How will I turn this blank slate into a garden? Here are my top 7 rooftop considerations:
Headhouse access || photo by Lauren Mandel
1| Access: Getting up to the roof is a cinch thanks to my apartment’s headhouse, or pilot house. Local building codes require that I access my roof regularly through this rooftop vestibule and door that connects to a staircase below, so I’m in the clear. I’ll be thankful for the staircase when I’m hauling compost and veggies up to and down from the roof. I may even be able to store a few small tools – hoe, blunt-nosed spade, hand shears – at the top of the stairs.
2| Weight: Veggies and herbs grown in wet soil can be heavy. When designing my garden layout on paper (after all, I am a landscape architect), I’ll be conscious of where the heaviest loads will be located. My brownstone is strongest along the parapet and where my building meets the neighbor’s building, so this is where I’ll site the heavier planters.
My roof next to the neighbor’s || photo by Lauren Mandel
3| Edge condition: Strangely, no knee walls exist between my roof and the neighbors’. I’ll need to make sure that my guests and I don’t walk off my property or take a tumble, which technically means installing a guardrail. This infrastructure exceeds my budget, so I’ll likely get creative with raised planters secured to one another along these compromised edges.
Penetration field || photo by Lauren Mandel
4| Penetrations: Thank goodness this photo (left) shows my neighbor’s roof and not mine! This field of pipe penetrations and mechanical units would create a “Swiss cheese” roof garden as containers dodge the rooftop clutter. My roof contains only a few penetrations that are luckily grouped together. I’ll keep my garden away from this potentially leak-prone area.
5| Membrane protection: Protecting the roof’s waterproofing membrane from punctures and foot traffic wear and tear is essential in maintaining a dry apartment down below. I’m considering laying thick rubber walk pads over the roof with addition protection under the planters. A 30 mil polyethelene sheet would not only protect the membrane from roots penetrating the waterproofing, but it would also add a thin layer of protection between my spade and the roof.
6| Water access: Sadly there is no hose bib on my roof, and I don’t have the authority to hire a plumber to install one. My garden will be watered the old fashioned way: with a watering can. I’ll keep this added effort in mind when deciding how big the garden will be.
7| My landlord: As renters, my boyfriend and I must work within the bounds of our landlord’s wishes. Interestingly, when our landlord first showed us the apartment he took us onto the roof and said, “You can grow vegetables up here if you want.” He had no idea who he was talking to. Neither my boyfriend nor I had mentioned my expertise or book, and instead just smirked at one another. “Okay, we might try that.” And with that, we enjoy our skyline view from our naked roof, and will enjoy it that much more once it’s planted with vegetables this spring.
the next frontier
Ledge Kitchen & Drinks || photo by Patrick Rogers Photography
Fifteen years ago green roof pioneer Charlie Miller had to convince clients to plant Sedum on their roofs. Never mind that Scandinavians began building sod roofs centuries ago to moderate indoor temperature, or that Germany began investing in green roof technology in the 1980s to manage stormwater. In North America, no one wanted to slap dirt and plants on their building, period.
Friends Center, Philadelphia || green roof and photo by Roofmeadow
Fast forward to present day North American cities, and the green roof industry is booming! So what happened? What prompted this ideological shift? As word of European and early American green roofs spread, designers began considering vegetated roofs as a tool that could provide clients with unique, sustainably-minded buildings. Demand for beautiful views and rooftop amenity spaces in dense cities furthered the trend, particularly as property values increased and urban space became more precious.
The tipping point, however, came with policy changes. The EPA now holds cities with excessive combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in violation of the Clean Water Act, forcing municipalities to clean up their acts. Innovative programs like Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters emphasize managing stormwater where is falls (with green roofs, rain gardens, etc.) to prevent overloaded sewer systems. The Philadelphia Water Department simultaneously unrolled a stormwater fee structure that encourages green infrastructure by charging property owners for the impervious surfaces on their property. The carrot comes in the form of subsidies and tax abatements, which work with the stick to promote green roofs and similar improvements. Other cities with progressive stormwater policy and incentives – Portland, OR, New York City, and Washington DC – have similarly seen green roof industry booms!
What does this have to do with rooftop agriculture? Food roofs are the next frontier. Rooftop farms and gardens allow us to double down on our benefits: managing stormwater while growing healthy food and building community. It’s just that simple. Green roof policies and incentives already apply to many food roofs, and new policies specific to rooftop agriculture infrastructure are blossoming in cities like New York.
Just as Charlie Miller paved the way for green roofs in the 1990s, today’s rooftop agriculturalists are setting the stage for deliciously sustainable future. Now is the time to climb up there and plant the seeds of a green city worth celebrating.