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| | + | [[Image:Chicago City Hall rooftop garden.jpg|thumb|right|A roof garden on top of [[Chicago City Hall]].]] |
| | A '''roof garden''' is any [[garden]] on the [[roof]] of a [[building]]. | | A '''roof garden''' is any [[garden]] on the [[roof]] of a [[building]]. |
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| | + | Gardening on the roof requires much more preparation than gardening on terra firma. |
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| − | [[Image:Chicago City Hall rooftop garden.jpg|thumb|right|A roof garden on top of [[Chicago City Hall]].]]
| + | First, it must be determined whether the roof can support the weight of the soil, the plants and the water. It may need to be retrofitted. Barring that, gardeners can place planters around the perimeter, which is generally its strongest part. |
| − | [[Image:DirkvdM casa grande roof terrace.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The roof terrace of the Casa Grande hotel in [[Santiago de Cuba]], with a view of the turrets of the Catedrál de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.]]
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| − | Humans have grown plants atop structures since antiquity. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, architectural enhancement, and recreational opportunities. Available gardening areas in cities are often seriously lacking, which is likely the key impetus for many roof gardens. The garden may be on the roof of an [[autonomous building]] which takes care of its own [[water]] and [[waste]]. Hydroponics and other alternative methods can expand the possibilities of roof top gardening by reducing, for example, the need for soil or its tremendous weight. Plantings in containers are used extensively in roof top gardens. One high-profile example of a building with a roof garden is [[Chicago City Hall]].
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| − | [[Image:Roof_garden_large.jpg|thumb|left|250px|An extreme example of a roof garden, in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]].]]
| + | The containers can be almost anything: ready-made planters; boxes made of reclaimed wood, old milk cartons, children’s wading pools. A screen at the bottom holds in a lightweight substance, like packing peanuts for bulk, topped with a barrier fabric so the soil can’t go through. Potting soil, mixed with ingredients to lighten it, is put on top. |
| − | For those who live in small apartments with little space, [[square foot gardening]], or (when even less space is available) [[living wall]]s (vertical gardening) are wonderful solutions. These use much less space than traditional gardening (square foot gardening uses 20% of the space of conventional rows; 10 times more produce can be generated from vertical gardens). These also encourage environmentally responsible practices, eliminating [[tilling]], reducing or eliminating [[pesticides]], and weeding, and encouraging the recycling of wastes through [[compost]]. In small apartments, a [[Bokashi]] compost system is more practical than conventional composting.
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| − | The related idea of a [[Living machines|living machine]] is based on the most basic mode of gardening: dumping wastes ([[compost]] and [[sewage]], appropriately broken down, usually in some specialized ditch or container) on the [[soil]], and harvesting [[food]] which, when processed, generates compost, and when eaten, generates sewage. In most of the world, this kind of very tight closed loop gardening is used, despite certain health risks if necessary precautions are not taken. Compost including human or pet waste should reach thermophilic conditions and age for at least a year before being used. Manure from vegetarian animals is safe without these measures.
| + | When gardens are planted directly on the roof, a waterproof membrane is laid down first, followed by insulation and a root barrier. (A guide to roof gardening is available at baylocalize.org.) -NY Times}} |
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| − | Composting itself is a safe process which, when composed of a variety of different materials, is one of the best forms of fertilization available.
| + | ==Gallery== |
| | + | <gallery> |
| | + | Image:DirkvdM casa grande roof terrace.jpg|Hotel roof terrace. |
| | + | Image:Roof_garden_large.jpg|An extreme example of a roof garden, in [[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]].]] |
| | + | </gallery> |
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| | ==See also== | | ==See also== |
| | *[[green roof]] | | *[[green roof]] |
| | *[[living wall]] | | *[[living wall]] |
| − | *[[Kensington Roof Gardens]]
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| | *[[urban agriculture]] | | *[[urban agriculture]] |
| | *[[list of gardening topics]] | | *[[list of gardening topics]] |
| − | *[[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]]
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| | ==External links== | | ==External links== |
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| | *[http://www.greenroofservice.com Website with pictures of green roofs in Germany and USA] | | *[http://www.greenroofservice.com Website with pictures of green roofs in Germany and USA] |
| | *[http://www.urbanroofgardens.com Urban roof gardens in London and other major cities around the world]/ | | *[http://www.urbanroofgardens.com Urban roof gardens in London and other major cities around the world]/ |
| − | *[http://www.mylandscapes.co.uk Contemporary roof gardens in London]/ | + | *[http://www.mylandscapes.co.uk Contemporary roof gardens in London]/ |
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| | [[Category:Gardening]] | | [[Category:Gardening]] |