brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

dstubbs 5/11/2010, 1:43 pm

Hi,

I just started my first SFG (and my first ever vegetable garden!) on my inner city rooftop. I went a bit overboard, with about 40 different varieties of veggies and herbs, and I'm not sure how well it will all work out as I planted all of it directly from seed, but I'm willing to experiment. It looks like my first few crops are starting to sprout now, which is terribly exciting! I would be interested in hearing from anyone trying rooftop SFG in Atlantic Canada or northern New England (I'm in zone 5) and get your advice!

**timwardell** 5/11/2010, 9:24 pm

Hi dstubbs,
Welcome to the Forum and to SFG! We do have some New Englanders here as well as some other Canadians so I'm sure you'll be hearing from some locals soon. If not, go the main forum page and scroll down to the Regional Forums to connect with others closer to your area.
Best of luck with your garden. Post some pics when you can. We don't have too many other roof top gardeners on here at the moment so it would be neat to SEE what you are doing. Very Happy

dstubbs 5/12/2010, 9:00 pm

Hi,

I'd like to post a photo but can't figure out how. I've tried the "host an image button, but it doesn't seem to be working right. What do I have to do?

Wyldflower 5/12/2010, 9:06 pm

HI dstubbs

Boffer has posted 'how to..." HERE

Looking forward to seeing your rooftop garden!

dstubbs 5/13/2010, 9:40 am

dstubbs 5/13/2010, 9:44 am

LaFee 5/13/2010, 4:08 pm

those look great! I'll have to show that to my best friend, who's thinking about adopting my extra tomatoes on the balcony of her flat.

dstubbs 5/13/2010, 6:51 pm

Thanks! It's a start. I now have 8 squares sprouting and I only just started this month -- I'm quite pleased!

dmpower 5/13/2010, 7:58 pm

That looks amazing. I'm originally from Toronto but have since moved a little further south. I would have tried the same on my roof in the city. I have to say I am a little jealous as I don't see any room for rabbits or deer!! Did you raise the boxes off of the roof a bit for drainage, or because of the heat the black top will create??

**timwardell** 5/13/2010, 8:36 pm

Nice set up dstubbs. Can't wait to see it when things are growing.
Do you have any issues with wind up there?
What's your watering set up?

miinva 5/13/2010, 10:01 pm

Wow! That looks great! Very Happy

I look forward to seeing pictures as things progress.

dstubbs 5/14/2010, 7:40 am

Thanks everybody!

I know what you mean about the deer proof location -- several of my co-workers live in the suburbs and are complianing bitterly about the deer ravaging their gardens -- somehow I don't anticipate the same problem on my roof (though I may still have squirrels and birds to worry about)!

The boxes are raised for a couple of reasons: first, for drainage (I had the roof resurfaced a couple of years ago and am worried about damaging it), and second, to level the boxes. There is a slight slope to the roof. The first boxes I did were raised on pieces of 2x4, stacked one deep on one side and two deep on the other, then we came up with the idea of making little feet of different height blocks, screwed to the outside of the SFG box.

My Swiss chard appeared this morning so I now have 9 crops and counting.

dstubbs 5/14/2010, 7:43 am

Sorry, I forgot to answer the question about watering. I have a washroom on the top floor, so I've been watering with a watering can twice a day. I should explain I live in a Victorian row house that's 3 stories tall in the front half and 2 stories tall in the back half -- the roof garden is planted on the roof of the back half, so it's easily accessed through a patio door -- no ladder climbing necessary. Living downtown I have very little yard available for gardening.

Garden_State 5/14/2010, 8:30 am

Love your garden...can't wait to see how it turns out.

**WardinWake** 5/14/2010, 8:45 am

Howdy:

One of the Veterans Affairs hospitals in the U.S. uses old gurneys to transport Square Foot Gardens from the roof of the hospital to the bedside of the patients so the patients can garden. The garden is then taken back (by elevator) to the roof for sun and watering.

God Bless, Ward.

dstubbs 5/14/2010, 9:41 am

I had read about the gurney garden in Mel's book and I think that's a tremendous idea. The fact that SFG can be done almost anywhere by almost anybody is a huge part of why I am so enthusiastic about the whole concept.

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brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

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posting photos

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Rooftop garden photos

another view of my rooftop SFG

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Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies

Re: brand new SFG'er -- rooftop veggies


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