Rooftop Gardens?

Question

Is rooftop gardening a well known subject with anyone? If so please share links and your feelings on the subject.

This is not about how, or weight, or insulation, on my part, I already know. I just want too know if others know about it. It is much easier and beneficial than most people realize.

Answer 1

http://www.cityfarmer.org/rooftop59.html
http://www.gardeners.com/Rooftop-Gardens/default/5283.page
Here are 2 good ones. Enjoy and good luck. The first has a lot of practical info about the roofand it's protection. Read carefully.
http://www.greenroofs.com/
Here is one more.

Answer 2

I don't know of any links on this subject. But, I can tell you that rooftop gardening is becoming more widespread. How do I know this? I am involved with city politics and have been trying to get our city to cool itself down naturally during the summer. In the year 2000, Chicago, IL had one of their worst heat waves ever that killed over 2000 people. It was found that the black roof tops, black surfaced parking lots, etc were heating the atmosphere unnaturally. The problem was fixed by Chicago mandating the change of black roof tops to a lighter color and on flat roof tops, create a garden. The greenery does not inhibit heat like black does. New York City is now doing this, along with St. Louis, Atlanta and other cities around the USA. The gardens are built into waterproof containers that are boxed shaped. They contain drains to let the water flow off the roof top into the gutters and leaders. Regular top soil and potting soil is used to grow plants and veggies. I got that info from the EPA web site.

Answer 3

Reasons to Rooftop Garden...
Increase access to private outdoor green space-at home or at work-within the urban environment
Support urban food production
Promote individual, community, and cultural diversity
Improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions
Delay stormwater runoff
Increase habitat for birds
Insulate buildings
Increase the value of buildings for owners and tenants alike
Create job opportunities in the field of research, design, construction, Iandscaping/gardening, health, and food production
What Kind of Roof Would Be Suitable for a Rooftop Garden?
Theoretically, any roof surface can be greened - even sloped or curved roofs can support a layer of sod or wildflowers. Switzerland has just passed a bylaw which states that new buildings must be designed to relocate the green space covered by the building's footprint to their roofs - even existing buildings -including historical buildings - must now green 20% of their rooftops. This has created an increased demand for research and material/product design, which will soon be available to North American markets.

Heavy Plastic sheeting used for pond construction or roofing membrane can be used as a water barrier for the roof. Roof top gardens insulate a builing , however problems can arise if In fact, planting beds/surfaces are often used to protect and insulate roofing systems. However, problems could arise if :

the membrane isn't protected from point-loading, shovels, shoe heels, and dropping equipment. A protective drainage layer between the soil and the membrane under planting beds, and raised surfacing treatment for non-planted areas should avoid damage.

the roof drainage system gets clogged with sand, soil, or vegetation, and water is forced to sit on the roof for long periods of time, allowing it to either break down the membrane or work its way through the seams. Some waterproofing systems are designed for holding water, others are not. Ensure that your roof drains have the proper covers, and that your planters are lined with a layer of filter cloth and gravel to keep the soil from draining out with the water. Often a layer of filter cloth or drainage mat is laid over the whole roof, just on top of the waterproofing, to avoid this problem - especially if there is the likelihood of soil being spilled from planters, or sand removed from sandboxes!

leachate from plants, fertilizers, and/or composters comes in contact with certain roofing membranes, leading to possible membrane breakdown. If, after researching, you find that your existing membrane is not compatible with these chemicals and organic compounds, your containers and planters could be lined with a continuous membrane, or placed on overflow trays; composters should never sit directly on the membrane because of their requirements for aeration and turning/working.

a leak must be located and accessed after the garden is already in place - moveable planters/containers, modular walkways/surfacing treatment, and compartmentalized planting beds could solve this problem.
Below are 2 links that could help you answer any questions!

Answer 4

One thing is certain. There is a lot of weight to contend with dirt, plants, and water on your roof. You cant put too much soil up there so it limits what type of plants you can grow. If you live in an apartment with a flat roof you could build small planter boxes. This would allow for deeper soil and a more diverse planting.

One good thing is that it helps insulation but is it worth it

Answer 5

The square foot gardening method can be easily adapted to a rooftop garden. It is light weight and can be portable.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I know about it, on this island they use it a lot for the apartments and some office buildings. You can do so much with it! I love the idea, it has so many applications of use!

Answer 8

Sorry the only thing I know is, if I don't clean my gutters out the little trees start to grow.