Rooftop Gardening

When one imagines solutions to our food crisis, the idea of rooftop farming often comes to the conversation. Initially, this appears to be a seamless solution to many of the problems we face, including food deserts and lack of space in urban areas. However, although there are various rooftop gardens in place in many cities around the world already, little actual scientific research and data has been performed and collected on the feasibility of this idea. This lack of data has in turn potentially been delaying the further implementation of more roof gardens.

This is a problem Whittinghill et al set out to fix when they performed a study from 2009 to 2011 on the evaluation of vegetable production on extensive green roofs. This study was performed on the roof of the Michigan State University Plant and Soil Sciences Building over the course of three growing seasons. The researchers chose a variety of herbs and vegetables that are typically suited to the standards and restrictions of rooftop growing, and planted these in roof beds, elevated roof beds, and in a location on the ground. The results of the study indicated that the growing system had little to no effect on the total yield, although the grade and marketability of the produce suffered greater on the roof than in the ground.

Throughout the study, it was apparent to the researchers that weather played the largest role as to whether or not the plants would produce, not the medium or location in which the growing occurred. These were very hopeful signs that indicate rooftop growing as a potential supplement to ground agriculture. However, this type of growing does not come without its fair share of headaches, and its issues of feasibility may discourage some from attempting this potentially revolutionary technique. Rooftop gardens have a different array of pest problems as opposed to the ones we are acquainted with on the ground. Likewise, there is also a lack of pollinators at the heights of certain buildings. Plants on roofs are also exposed to more heat, which could be greatly beneficial in areas like Michigan, but detrimental in the south. The initial costs, along with the structural integrity of the roofs, are the main issues one faces when installing a rooftop garden. In order to have reliable proof that this type of food production is useful, there is a great need for additional scientific studies to be performed in order to assure growers and lay citizens that this technique is worth the cost and time.

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