Now this is Rooftop Agriculture

A post via Urban Greenery linked to an amazing urban farm atop a roof in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. The story in New York Magazine is part of a ridiculously named summer special 'Urban Hippies on the Rise', immediately marginalizing any of the solutions... or maybe it was a tongue in cheek reference?


:: image via NY Mag

Apart from a hippie aside, this roof is a great example of the evolution of rooftop gardening from a few raised beds in boutique fashion to a more integrated and efficient agricultural model. It does have the twist of using harvested rainwater, 'intercropping' beds with different plants, imported earthworms - and and an aim of selling the produce to local businesses.

Some excerpts: "The roof has sixteen four-foot-wide beds irrigated by rain (a particular boon to the city, Goode points out, since it takes stress off New York’s overtaxed sewer system)... volunteers have planted corn, salad greens, radishes, herbs, nasturtiums, and peppers, to name a few. The soil will be composted with a mix that will come from scraps from local restaurants. And so far the yields are promising."