Monday, February 7, 2011

Mustard Greens Taking Off on the Green Roof Rooftop Garden!

Photo this afternoon of the mustard greens and parsley growing on across the green roof foodpatch area.

Mustard Greens and Parsley Growing on the Green Roof Food Patch

Growing food on a roof is different than growing the food in the ground level garden.  First of all the rooftop food garden's visitors are more visible.  Pollinators and insects visit the flowers by the hundreds as the vegetables bloom.

Our rooftop garden seems to grow best during the cool and rainy seasons.  However, hot weather veggies also do well but their photosynthetic processes move into such high speed during the long hot days with long sun exposure that they must be harvested regularly.  Okra for instance, grows extremely fast and must be picked daily or the pods become too long and tough (stringy).

Think of the summer growing season on a roof as a garden in fast forward mode because of the generally unimpeded access to the suns rays for the Calvin cycle sugar production.  Think of the summer rooftop garden as your own home-based oxygen generator and carbon sequestration unit.

Think of rooftop gardens as a way to feed the Urban Core.

Happy Green Roofing, Kevin

3 comments:

Chantay said...

These mustard greens and parsley seem to grow well on the rooftop. Nurturing plants and flowers on the rooftop is an excellent idea. Aside from making a spacious roof more functional, plants can grow faster on roofs because they can receive plenty of sunlight. Doing this can provide you an excellent source of nutritious meals, such as green leafy vegetables. Aside from this, you also have a mini sanctuary in your house that can allow you to relax and contemplate, while overlooking the beautiful sceneries surrounding your home. Thus, it is a wonderful idea to have your own mini farm at the heart of a busy city.

Chantay Smithingell

Noreen Mayweather said...

Wow! What a philanthropic move. You should be rewarded for this environmentally-friendly activity you initiated. This is really great! Not only are you contributing to make the Earth greener, you’re also sowing fresh vegetables to reap. What a win-win strategy, that is. :)

Pauleen Schofield said...

With land area running out these days, and as the city becomes more and more populated, the roof is a great alternative location to grow plants. This way, we can alleviate the growing problems of polluted air in the city, while creating another source of food supply. Great job!