 |
| http://www.gudrunsjoeden.de/ |
 |
| http://www.gudrunsjoeden.de/ |
Showing posts with label rooftop gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rooftop gardening. Show all posts
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Green Roofs, Rooftop Permaculture and Marketing
Check out this cool website using #GreenRoofs and Rooftop Permaculture as a backdrop to marketing their clothing line. I like it!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Educational Outreach and Green Roofs, Students Planting Rooftop Gardens
Educational Outreach and Green Roof Permaculture in the Urban Core! Awesome work by Catherine Tappouni Burkee!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Green Roof Gardening and Small Scale Rooftop Permaculture
Reprinted from Florida Permaculture Blog:
Rooftop permaculture may be the long term sustainable trend for green roofs. Where as green roofs may have many benefits, including insulation, mitigation of urban heat island effect, cleansing of stormwater, support for biodiversity, educational opportunities and more, growing food within the city can save food fuel and transportation costs, create permaculture benefits, cool structures, save money and provide much needed sustenance within inner cities.
With advances in green roof and permaculture technology, cost effective and lightweight growing systems can be created and installed for food production across balconies, patios, rooftops and windowsills.
Self watering and systems employing fog nets, dew catchers and condensate reuse will take the place of non-sustainable potable irrigation water.
Additionally, there is so much permaculture information available on the great world wide web the need for fertilizers can be easily replaced with proper and informed design principles utilizing nitrogen fixing plant species. Our rooftop tomatoes growing alongside legumes were so much larger than those in our ground level gardens.
Importantly here in Florida (and other places), rooftop gardening eliminates many of the soil borne plant root pests such as nematodes. Nematodes can devastate garden vegetables, stunting their growth by as much as a severe drought would. Nematodes generally cannot survive in the hot temperatures typical of green roof soil media.
Food plants such as those shown above, will have the advantage of first view by pollinators.
Your roof will become alive with butterflies, dragonflies, moths, birds, bees and more.
Tree frogs and anoles will soon take up residence, creating a wonderful integrated pest management systems as they eat volumes of the common household fly, mosquitoes, roaches and other pests.
Consider planting veggies on your roof as the next permaculture project.
Rooftop permaculture may be the long term sustainable trend for green roofs. Where as green roofs may have many benefits, including insulation, mitigation of urban heat island effect, cleansing of stormwater, support for biodiversity, educational opportunities and more, growing food within the city can save food fuel and transportation costs, create permaculture benefits, cool structures, save money and provide much needed sustenance within inner cities.
 |
| Florida Permaculture, Rooftop Gardens - Mustards & Garlic Chives |
With advances in green roof and permaculture technology, cost effective and lightweight growing systems can be created and installed for food production across balconies, patios, rooftops and windowsills.
Self watering and systems employing fog nets, dew catchers and condensate reuse will take the place of non-sustainable potable irrigation water.
 |
| Florida Permaculture, Greens and Garlic Chives on the Rooftop |
Additionally, there is so much permaculture information available on the great world wide web the need for fertilizers can be easily replaced with proper and informed design principles utilizing nitrogen fixing plant species. Our rooftop tomatoes growing alongside legumes were so much larger than those in our ground level gardens.
Importantly here in Florida (and other places), rooftop gardening eliminates many of the soil borne plant root pests such as nematodes. Nematodes can devastate garden vegetables, stunting their growth by as much as a severe drought would. Nematodes generally cannot survive in the hot temperatures typical of green roof soil media.
 |
| Florida Permaculture, Clover feeds the Greens on the Roof |
Food plants such as those shown above, will have the advantage of first view by pollinators.
Your roof will become alive with butterflies, dragonflies, moths, birds, bees and more.
Tree frogs and anoles will soon take up residence, creating a wonderful integrated pest management systems as they eat volumes of the common household fly, mosquitoes, roaches and other pests.
Consider planting veggies on your roof as the next permaculture project.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Green Roofs and Food Freedom in Florida
Green Roofs and all other types of urban agriculture provide food freedom. Food freedom is essential to our health, security and commerce.
The other day I was meeting with Jimmy Orth and Amanda Searle concerning our urban agriculture efforts here in Jacksonville. We were discussing strategy and successes over tea in Jacksonville's Uptown Market, a wonderful restaurant committed to buying local food.
Looking out the window, the tall Jacksonville Electric Association (JEA) tower framed the urban skyline. JEA has been a progressive member of our community, bringing grants, ideas and technology to help reduce energy consumption and clean the environment.
Electricity and water and sewer services though are truly a monopoly.
We only have limited choices from where we purchase utilities.
I wondered of one day food would be treated in the same manner, sold and distributed by an association with a tall urban tower.
Hope fully, small green roofs and what I call 'Square Inch" urban agriculture will flourish so that food monopolies will not materialize in the urban core.
But it is up to us to make sure our food stays legal and is grown local.
There are many benefits associated with and reasons for growing rooftop gardens. On the average, food on our typical dinner table travels 1,500 miles in the back of a tractor-trailer rig to reach our mouths. This is not sustainable.
Yet many urban dwellers do not have the yard space to grow food. This is where living walls and green roofs find their food value. Most everyone has a balcony or roof area. Maximizing growing efficiency in the smallest of spaces can produce proliferate amounts of edibles.
Green roof technology has progressed to the point where prodigious amounts of veggies can be grown in three inches of soil media. The science of hydroponics is also contributing importantly to urban agriculture.
Start by planting a bunch of greens in your gutter. Find a bucket and create an herb garden in it with rags and compost for soil. You don't have to go out and spend thousands of dollars on big, fancy plastic green roof systems.
Green roofs are a path to food freedom for the urban core.
The other day I was meeting with Jimmy Orth and Amanda Searle concerning our urban agriculture efforts here in Jacksonville. We were discussing strategy and successes over tea in Jacksonville's Uptown Market, a wonderful restaurant committed to buying local food.
 |
| Early morning Cosmos on the roof |
Looking out the window, the tall Jacksonville Electric Association (JEA) tower framed the urban skyline. JEA has been a progressive member of our community, bringing grants, ideas and technology to help reduce energy consumption and clean the environment.
Electricity and water and sewer services though are truly a monopoly.
We only have limited choices from where we purchase utilities.
I wondered of one day food would be treated in the same manner, sold and distributed by an association with a tall urban tower.
Hope fully, small green roofs and what I call 'Square Inch" urban agriculture will flourish so that food monopolies will not materialize in the urban core.
But it is up to us to make sure our food stays legal and is grown local.
There are many benefits associated with and reasons for growing rooftop gardens. On the average, food on our typical dinner table travels 1,500 miles in the back of a tractor-trailer rig to reach our mouths. This is not sustainable.
Yet many urban dwellers do not have the yard space to grow food. This is where living walls and green roofs find their food value. Most everyone has a balcony or roof area. Maximizing growing efficiency in the smallest of spaces can produce proliferate amounts of edibles.
Green roof technology has progressed to the point where prodigious amounts of veggies can be grown in three inches of soil media. The science of hydroponics is also contributing importantly to urban agriculture.
Start by planting a bunch of greens in your gutter. Find a bucket and create an herb garden in it with rags and compost for soil. You don't have to go out and spend thousands of dollars on big, fancy plastic green roof systems.
Green roofs are a path to food freedom for the urban core.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Florida Green Roof Good Morning Photos
Photos from a few of the rooftops this am!
 |
| Florida Green Roof Peas and Allium |
 |
| Florida Green Roof Tomatoes and Chives |
 |
| Florida Green Roof - Matt's Wild Cherry Tomatoes |
 |
| Florida Green Roof - Dew on the Chives |
 |
| Florida Green Roof - More Food for Jax Urban Farm |
Friday, March 11, 2011
Green Roof & Rooftop permaculture - Economic Opportunity for the Urban Core
One of the components of the new Breaking Ground Contracting green roof will be a working permaculture garden.
Today we will be planting 10,000 yellow onions and garlic cloves for the project. The cloves and onion sets are already sprouting so within a week the plants should be nice and green for end of month installation.
I was peeling apart heads of garlic until midnight last night. Good time for green roof planting now due to the new moon.
Today we will be planting 10,000 yellow onions and garlic cloves for the project. The cloves and onion sets are already sprouting so within a week the plants should be nice and green for end of month installation.
 |
| Garlic cloves for the BGC Green Roof Permaculture Garden & Green Roof |
I was peeling apart heads of garlic until midnight last night. Good time for green roof planting now due to the new moon.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Rooftop Vegetable Garden Mid-day Photo
 |
| Grow Your own Organically on the Roof! |
Grow your own on!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Photo Example of Why Green Roofs Support Biodiversity
Arugula is one of my favorite Green Roof vegetables. The plants are going to seeds here now, blooming and all the honey bees within miles are coming to feast on the nectar.
The rooftop permaculture garden is swarming with life.
Without the green roof there would be only asphalt shingles. No bees. No flowers and no delicious arugula for salads and sandwiches. No pollination and only GMO seeds.
Providing habitat and supporting Biodiversity in the Urban Core.
Green roofs supporting Biodiversity.
The rooftop permaculture garden is swarming with life.
Without the green roof there would be only asphalt shingles. No bees. No flowers and no delicious arugula for salads and sandwiches. No pollination and only GMO seeds.
Providing habitat and supporting Biodiversity in the Urban Core.
Green roofs supporting Biodiversity.
 |
| Green Roof Arugula Supporting Biodiversity |
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Green Roof Tale of Two Turnips, Rooftop Garden v. Ground Level Garden
Green and living rooftop gardens have important advantages over ground level gardens. Some of these advantages are important to the quality of the garden vegetables being grown and the amount of produce ultimately harvested.
A living and green rooftop garden can offer the following benefits;
First, it is important to note here;
We practice organic gardening on all of our ground level gardens and rooftop gardens. We practice organic gardening because we have witnessed the massive quantities of chemicals standard agriculture methodology applies to soils and vegetables. But we do live on an Urban Core lot, in the middle of one of the largest cities size-wise in America, and our neighbors may or may not treat their soils and gardens with the care we do and subsequently may or may not have pests looking to come feast on our organically grown gardens.
In preparation for growing, say turnips or mustard greens, many farmers and city gardeners apply massive amounts of herbicides to the soils to keep the native herbaceous plants down, followed by many different types of highly toxic dusts and powders to keep insect damage to a minimum.
Consumers do not witness the poison applications first hand as they got o the market and purchase, big, leafy greens pumped up with chemical fertilizers and saved from the insects, not by smart planting and soil health practices, rather saved from the insects through constand dousings of highly toxic killer substances.
Then we wonder why we feel so tired and lethargic. A substance that kills bugs will affect humans too, just takes a little more sometimes.
But the good news is green roofs and rooftop gardens make a difference!
The following photo is of the greens on one of our rooftop gardens, also taken yesterday.
As you can see, there is no pest damage. The greens are spared from the insects.
Why? We can offer up several reasons.
Often, vegetable starts purchased at your local retail store are 'pumped up' with lots of fertilizers and other substances to make them look beautiful so they will sell easily. Once you plant these steriodized young plants in the garden or on the roof they go through shock and many die. So consider starting your own plants from seeds - they will grow better in the long run.
Rooftop garden requires some planning though as your vegetables will be subject to certain conditions not found on the ground. We've discussed these in previous posts and will do so again, so stay tuned here.
Consider the possibilities!
I believe we can feed the world with truly healthy food grown on the rooftops.
As always, we appreciate your comments and emails.
Happy green roofing!
Kevin
A living and green rooftop garden can offer the following benefits;
- More light
- Certainly more direct access to dew, fog and rainwater
- and important one we will discuss today - if clean soil is used originally then there may be isolation from ground level pests on the rooftop.
First, it is important to note here;
- All native insects have a purpose and are beneficial
- Providing the correct garden conditions can greatly reduce the onset of insect attack,
- Rooftop and green roof gardening provides important benefits to the soils and plants that help alleviate insect infestation, and
- Plants succumbing to insect attack may be dealing with a mineral, nutrient, air pollution or water quality issue.
 |
| Pest damage to the ground level garden turnips |
We practice organic gardening on all of our ground level gardens and rooftop gardens. We practice organic gardening because we have witnessed the massive quantities of chemicals standard agriculture methodology applies to soils and vegetables. But we do live on an Urban Core lot, in the middle of one of the largest cities size-wise in America, and our neighbors may or may not treat their soils and gardens with the care we do and subsequently may or may not have pests looking to come feast on our organically grown gardens.
In preparation for growing, say turnips or mustard greens, many farmers and city gardeners apply massive amounts of herbicides to the soils to keep the native herbaceous plants down, followed by many different types of highly toxic dusts and powders to keep insect damage to a minimum.
Consumers do not witness the poison applications first hand as they got o the market and purchase, big, leafy greens pumped up with chemical fertilizers and saved from the insects, not by smart planting and soil health practices, rather saved from the insects through constand dousings of highly toxic killer substances.
Then we wonder why we feel so tired and lethargic. A substance that kills bugs will affect humans too, just takes a little more sometimes.
But the good news is green roofs and rooftop gardens make a difference!
The following photo is of the greens on one of our rooftop gardens, also taken yesterday.
 |
| Rooftop greens, extensive green roof garden, Jacksonville, Florida |
As you can see, there is no pest damage. The greens are spared from the insects.
Why? We can offer up several reasons.
- Rooftop permaculture gardens are open to the birds for insect scavenging
- Rooftop garden soil media becomes hotter than ground level soils and may 'self-sterilize'.
- Green roof vegetable garden receive strong amounts of healthy sunshine
- Rooftops are high up off the ground and many soil insects may not be able to reach the rooftops.
Often, vegetable starts purchased at your local retail store are 'pumped up' with lots of fertilizers and other substances to make them look beautiful so they will sell easily. Once you plant these steriodized young plants in the garden or on the roof they go through shock and many die. So consider starting your own plants from seeds - they will grow better in the long run.
Rooftop garden requires some planning though as your vegetables will be subject to certain conditions not found on the ground. We've discussed these in previous posts and will do so again, so stay tuned here.
Consider the possibilities!
I believe we can feed the world with truly healthy food grown on the rooftops.
As always, we appreciate your comments and emails.
Happy green roofing!
Kevin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)