Growing Vegetables on my Roof

[bwaggers]

I have been thinking about growing vegetables on the roof of my townhouse for quite some time now. I have recently finished reading two excellent digital books on Amazon; “How to grow potatoes” by R. Ruppenthal, and “The rooftop garden, how to build an urban farm” by K. Forrest. The second book in particular caught my attention with a detail discussion on hydroponics. I have no experience with this particular form of gardening but from what I read it sounds like this might be a good way to approach starting to grow vegetables on my roof. If any of you have any experience with this I would love to hear from you.

Thanks

 

[Jewell]

I don't have a rooftop for growing, but I have grown a variety of garden plants in pots (last year was kale, green beans, edible pod peas, tomatoes and a large variety of ornamentals). My theory is anything can be grown in a pot of sufficient size.

What I do not know about is how weight will impact your growing area. Your growing area needs to be structurally able to deal with the weight of planters with significant poundage. Just the vines and beans from my runner beans was pretty heavy and when well watered unmoveable. Every gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. I often checked for watering requirements by the weight of the pots for when greens covered the dirt.

Like I said weight from planters can be significant.

 

[headfullofbees]

Jewell is right to point out the possible problems, but there are ways and means around them.
Organic gardening does not necessarily have to entail digging in a barrowload of compost psqm every year, and it's possible with a number of shallow-rooted fruits and veg, and a strict watering regime, to limit the weight of your garden.

 

[CanadianLori]

I have grow plenty of veggies in pots over the years. If the roof can handle the weight, you're in business. I can't imagine having the luxury of all day sunny. Lucky you!

Post pics here is you do go for it. I'd love to see them!

 

[ZKZ]

I don't have a rooftop for growing, but I have grown a variety of garden plants in pots (last year was kale, green beans, edible pod peas, tomatoes and a large variety of ornamentals). My theory is anything can be grown in a pot of sufficient size.

What I do not know about is how weight will impact your growing area. Your growing area needs to be structurally able to deal with the weight of planters with significant poundage. Just the vines and beans from my runner beans was pretty heavy and when well watered unmoveable. Every gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. I often checked for watering requirements by the weight of the pots for when greens covered the dirt.

Like I said weight from planters can be significant.

Hi!

I am hoping to grow runner beans on my roof this March.
I have a pot that is 16 inches in height and 12 inches wide in the top diameter.
Should that be enough?
The pot is placed right next to the wall and I am thinking of hanging a wire from the wall for the vine to climb on.

Secondly, I have Sweet Corn Mirai 003 seeds. Is it possible to grow it in another pot of the same size.
I have actually seen pictures of this variety being grown in grow bags that appeared smaller than my pot, so fingers crossed.

Thanks.

 

[Corzhens]

Vegetables on the roof depends on the vegetables you have in mind. Maybe some lettuce will do or if you prefer root vegetables like garlic and onions they are also good. Vines are not preferred because they grow fast and you have to control the growth. My suggestion is a wooden planter box or the fiberglass type which is light. With good soil and proper irrigation, your roof garden will be great to look at.

 

[Vinaya]

If you are developing a kitchen garden in your roof, try to plant vegetables on pots and bins instead of roof floor. If you place soil on the roof floor and plant vegetables, few years later you can have a roof leaking problem. Creeper vegetables such a pumpkin, bottle gourd are considered good for roof gardening. You can also plant tomatoes, coriander and chilly on pots and bins.