Blogging the Green Roof Garden
Molly de Aguiar, Program Associate
Here’s an extra-curricular project we’re excited about at Dodge: our rooftop garden.
We planted our containers two weeks ago. We filled them with herbs (sage, rosemary, dill, parsley, cilantro, basil), flowers (zinnias, dahlias, sunflowers), strawberries, squash, and several kinds of tomatoes, including the Ramapo – the famous Jersey tomato that time almost forgot. Many of the plants came directly from Rutgers’ own greenhouses.
Two weeks later, our plants are growing like mad (note how the grass in the background has grown too).
Our flowers are blooming:
We can see our first squash:
And our first strawberry!
We’re thinking of this year as an experiment, to see what will grow, what will withstand the summertime heat and what will not. Stay tuned: we’ll keep showing the garden’s progress and sharing what we’re learning about our urban gardening experience.
How about you? What’s in your garden this year? Did you do anything different – whether in response to the economy, the increased awareness of the benefits of growing your own food, or some other reason?
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
What a cool garden! Well…maybe it’ll be a very hot garden. But y’know what? Tomatoes LOVE a hot climate and be careful not to over-water them (advice from a South Jersey gardener.) Their roots will run deep if they are deprived of water and this will make the plant stronger. And like most fruit, their taste is most complex and delicious when forced to struggle. Tomatoes need tough love.
We planted low acid tomatoes this year in our postage-stamp-garden (first time), as well as zucchinis, eggplant, red bell peppers, and little-shop-of-horrors cucumbers. Last year, these aggressive vines tried to take over our garden and then all of Gloucester County. Had they succeeeded, they might have provided more effective leadership. Two plants yielded over 75 cukes! Cow manure happens.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
What a great project! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful photos. I write a blog about urban gardening that you might enjoy at http://www.gothamgardener.blogspot.com. I also have many photos posted of the roof gardens I design that you might find inspiring at http://www.amberfreda.com.
Thanks again and happy gardening!
-Amber Freda