Introduction

There’s nothing quite like growing your own food. Whether you’re tending to a sprawling vegetable patch in the countryside or have an itty-bitty balcony garden in the city, there’s no better way to make sure that what you’re eating is fresh and healthy. Of course, urban life doesn’t always leave us with much space for a large outdoor garden. But just because you live in the city doesn’t mean you can’t get some quality time spent with your veggies! In fact, if you’ve got some room on your rooftop, it can be a perfect spot to grow plants of all kinds—including food. It may seem intimidating at first, but rooftop gardening isn’t all that different than regular ol’ gardening… as long as you know how to do it right (and we’re here to help!).

Pick plants that grow well in containers.

Once you have a rooftop garden plan, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing plants. If your plant choices can’t thrive in the space and conditions you have, it’s best to reconsider them and choose something more suited for your space. Here are some common plants that do well in containers:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Okra
• Peppers (bell peppers, jalapeno peppers) This is not a comprehensive list of all container-friendly plants—just some highlights!

Go vertical to maximize space.

If you have the space, consider going vertical with your plants. This will maximize the amount of food you can grow on a limited footprint. You can use trellises, stakes and netting to train tomatoes, cucumbers and other vines to climb up structures like chain link fences or walls. Cucumbers are especially easy to grow in this way since they only need about 5 feet of headroom.

In addition to using trellises for climbing plants, consider using tomato cages for those that grow best upright such as tomatoes and peppers (which are technically fruits). These cages are also extremely useful when growing beans because they reach full maturity at different times during the season so harvesting them one by one would take several weeks instead of just one afternoon!

Finally if you have room for all three types of supports then definitely try growing squash vertically as well—it’s such an efficient way to grow food in small spaces!

Consider the weather

Rooftop gardening requires a lot of planning and consideration when it comes to climate. How you choose to utilize your space and the plants you grow will largely depend on what the weather is like in your particular city and region. For example, if you live in a place that experiences very little rain, it may be more efficient to plant edible crops that don’t require as much water as traditional produce (such as lettuce). However, if you’re in an area that gets heavy rainfall during certain times of year, then perhaps vegetables like tomatoes would be better options for you.

The best way to find out what type of weather patterns are typical for where you live is by checking online resources like AccuWeather or WeatherUnderground—or even just going outside! If possible though (and only if necessary), try visiting different parts of town throughout the year so that when winter rolls around again next year there won’t be any surprises waiting for everyone involved.

Create your own planting calendar using the seasons.

You can also create a planting calendar based on the seasons, weather and your own schedule. Some vegetables need a certain amount of sun each day to grow properly, so you need to determine what time of year will be best for them and when they will produce their best results. For example, tomatoes and peppers need more than six hours of sunlight per day in order to thrive; broccoli needs at least eight but less than twelve; radishes are happy with five or six hours of sunlight per day.

The weather plays an important role as well: some plants grow better (or at all) in cooler temperatures than others do. This is why some gardeners plant their crops during the winter months: springtime arrives before many crops are ready for harvest! Unless you live somewhere with year-round temperate weather conditions (like California), it’s usually best not to try growing anything outside during the hottest part of summer—and certainly not after Labor Day since most people start school again around that time anyway!

If you’re looking for ways to maximize your rooftop garden space by making use of vertical containers instead of ground beds then check out my previous blog post about small container gardening ideas here .

In the summer, be sure to water your plants deeply every other day (or every day in the hottest temperatures)

If it’s hot out, water your plants deeply every other day (or daily). If it’s cold out, water deeply once a week. If it’s rainy or cloudy, keep the soil moist but not wet. This will encourage healthy roots that can reach deep into the ground and find more moisture.

Be sure to plant pest-repelling varieties.

Plants that are pest-repelling are like a natural force field around your garden, protecting it from unwanted visitors. If you’re worried about pests, here are some suggested varieties:

• Basil – This variety of basil is one of the best for repelling insects and other pests. Its strong fragrance acts as an insect repellent and is great for cooking with as well!
• Lettuce – Lettuces are another great choice for deterring pesky critters by their strong smell. They also grow quickly so they’re easy to keep up with when tending your rooftop garden.
• Rosemary – Rosemary’s heightened aroma will not only scare off bugs but also keep cats away! Try planting this herb alongside other aromatic herbs such as parsley and lemon balm to create an insect-repelling garden paradise in no time flat!

Keep a close eye on your containers and soil.

To get the most out of your container garden, you need to make sure that it is getting the right amount of water. First, check the soil moisture level in your containers. If it’s dry, add some water—but be careful not to over-water! The best time to do this is in the morning so that any excess can dry out during the day and leave room for evaporation at night.

If you have a greenhouse or other indoor gardening space, now would also be an ideal time to check for pests or insects (and their eggs). You’ll want to look for signs of disease or fungus as well as over-watering and under-watering.

Grow food on a city rooftop by planning ahead, creating a planting calendar and watering frequently (here’s more).

When it comes to growing food on your city rooftop, the first thing you need to do is plan out what you want to grow. You can’t just put seeds in dirt and expect them to grow without a little bit of help from you. You have to decide what kind of crops you want, when they should be planted and where they should go in relation to each other.

This process begins with creating a planting calendar that includes all of these details and more. This will make sure that everything goes smoothly and will help prevent any problems from occurring later on down the line during harvest time when things can get pretty chaotic! Once this is done we recommend watering frequently since plants need water in order

Conclusion

We hope these tips will help you on your journey to growing food on a city rooftop. If you live in New York City and would like more information about starting a rooftop garden, check out our website for more details!