Two years ago David was fantasizing about growing vegetables and herbs on the roof of Georgia’s Place. Having grown up amongst the farmlands of Ohio, David had fond memories of his father’s backyard garden and the abundance of tomatoes and zucchini, freshly picked and warmed by the sun, piled on the kitchen counters.
Not knowing anything about rooftop gardening or green roofs, he figured he’d just put some plants up there and see what happened. David’s co-workers, Yemi and Anita, also had their interest piqued and agreed to pich in whenever and however they could.
Sterling, the building super, constructed three planting beds using broken captain’s beds from the building’s apartments. He lined these with chicken wire and gardening fabric and placed them on wooden skids. He also dragged some heavy vases up there to be home to some sunflowers. David, Anita, and Yemi filled the beds with soil and various vegetables and fruits, and Georgia’s Place roof farm was born.
The first summer brought glorious sunflowers and an abundance of herbs including lemon thyme, plenty of leafy basil, oregano, and loads of mint. There were tiny, flavorful strawberries that tasted like sweet tarts, an occasional brilliant tomato, and some strangely gnarled peppers.
As the summer heated up, the crew enlisted the help of Saara, from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, for insight and info, and the occasional tender, tiny seedling. The garden brought up latent feelings of connection to food and the earth for all involved, and the sheer ancient joy that comes with tending, nurturing, and harvesting wove its way back into the consciousness of all involved.
David, Anita, and Yemi began noticing the patterns of the summer weather, the promise of rain and the harshness of drought. They watered the beds by hauling 5 gallon buckets of water out from the laundry room, scooping out pots of water, and gingerly watering each plant. With each flower blossoming and each fruit bending the stalks, the roof farmers reached back deep into the recesses of their minds and re-remembered that which used to be crucial knowledge.
By the second summer, the plans were getting more serious, and the planting season welcomed additional beds and more focused workers. By this summer, Anita was becoming obsessed with the garden, and developing a strong, almost maniacal attachment to the roof. She began a blog that chronicled our progress, brought horse manure back from a vacation, began guerrilla gardening around Brooklyn.
The second summer’s harvest was robust with basil in abundance and strawberries throughout. Huge sunflowers exploded and lavender lent its calming fragrance to the garden as well. Much was learned and the vegetables that would thrive on the roof became more obvious as the summer progressed. The plans were laid for an even more elaborate set up, but little was it known the epic proportions that the garden would grow to…
