Rooftop Gardens

In Wednesday's' New York Times food section there was a great article about city gardening. This is a good way of introducing family and yourself to fresh picked fruits veggies and herbs. Like the rooftop gardens of ancient Babylon you can have lush produce , perfect for your summer menu.

The article, written by the great foodie, Marion Burros is a helpful tip sheet about how you and your neighbors (if you live in a condo or co-op) can start a roof top garden.Cities like Chicago and New York offer tax abatements and subsidies for roofs that go green. This is also a good incentive to eat healthier with fresh picked fruits and vegetables. Even people with townhouses and large terraces such as the ones in New York's Greenwich Village ) can start this. it does take a lot of work. You have to haul up dirt and fertilizer along with seeds and have a good assortment of tools to work with. In the end , it's worth it. You and friends will enjoy fresh made tomato sauces , broccoli soups and just picked baby carrots.

The down side to any city garden are the pigeons and pollutions. Pigeons may like fruit as much as any other bird and rooftop trees harvests may suffer. Also tomatoes may be the target of a few raids. There may even be the threat of mice and rats. You could get a cat to watch this or scatter traps around (which are dangerous to small children) Another problem is the pollution from the vehicles below. Worse than pesticides these can settle onto skins and leaves. You could try covering up plants with burlap but this may hinder growth and harvest. The best bet is to leave the plants as they ares and just wash thoroughly before cooking or eating.

A rooftop garden is a nice addition to any building. growing your own produce gives you a wonderful sense of accomplishment. It also gets you to eat healthy and fresh.