Rooftop gardening

[walnuthill]

I had my main roof white-coated and resealed last year and have decided I'd like to try gardening a bit on the roof--nothing major, just some self-watering containers to start with. I don't have the money for a real roof deck or major renovations, so I'll be climbing out a window onto a 2nd floor bump-out roof, then accessing the roof via a ladder. I'm wondering if anyone else has done this, and if so:

1) what kind of ladder did you use, and how did you stabilize/attach it?
2) how did you water? I'd have to run a hose up 3 stories, which I can do but am not sure about water pressure.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[StrangeTanks]

I gardened on my roof for a couple years.

Your pressure will be fine. I would just put a splitter on your hose bib and run a hose up there and leave there for the summer. Instead of those self watering things just get a bunch of cheap tupperware style storage containers. They will last about a year or 2 before the sun beats em up so bad that you need new ones.

Drill holes on the bottoms, fill them up with compost from the fairmount recycling center. Then put an automatic watering timer on your hose with some drip irrigation stuff. You can buy all that at Lowes. Plant your stuff, and forget about it till you want to go get your veggies.

[walnuthill]

I gardened on my roof for a couple years.

Your pressure will be fine. I would just put a splitter on your hose bib and run a hose up there and leave there for the summer. Instead of those self watering things just get a bunch of cheap tupperware style storage containers. They will last about a year or 2 before the sun beats em up so bad that you need new ones.

Drill holes on the bottoms, fill them up with compost from the fairmount recycling center. Then put an automatic watering timer on your hose with some drip irrigation stuff. You can buy all that at Lowes. Plant your stuff, and forget about it till you want to go get your veggies.

Thanks for the tips! I already have some drip irrigation hoses from the small installation I did in my regular garden, so I would definitely use that with a timer. Glad to hear water pressure wouldn't be an issue. Now I just need to figure out how to safely get up there on a regular basis. Climbing an unsecured ladder up there scares the bejeezus out of me, but I'm not sure how to secure one more permanently without drilling into the roof membrane (definitely not doing that).

[JakeL]

Thanks for the tips! I already have some drip irrigation hoses from the small installation I did in my regular garden, so I would definitely use that with a timer. Glad to hear water pressure wouldn't be an issue. Now I just need to figure out how to safely get up there on a regular basis. Climbing an unsecured ladder up there scares the bejeezus out of me, but I'm not sure how to secure one more permanently without drilling into the roof membrane (definitely not doing that).

My recommendation for a ladder is a multi-position folding ladder. The Little Giant, Little Giant Ladder, popularized this and they work great. I have a knockoff one from Lowes and use it all the time, I think it was about $100. This makes taking the ladder in and out much easier, as you can fold it up and stick it through the window

[walnuthill]

Jake, that's exactly what I was looking at, and was thinking of covering it with a tarp or something out on the roof so I don't have to drag it back inside. Thanks!

[qweezyq]

Jake, that's exactly what I was looking at, and was thinking of covering it with a tarp or something out on the roof so I don't have to drag it back inside. Thanks!

Only thing is the little giant (immatation art least) is kind of heavy.

[JakeL]

Also, I highly recommend this PDF by the Community Design Collaborative, which looks at the structural nature of Philly roofs and putting rooftop gardens on them. It's full of drawings and multiple recommendations from a simple container garden to full garden roof deck

http://philadelphiarooftopfarm.files...t-may-2010.pdf