Beyond Raised Beds

IDEAS FOR

URBAN MICRO -

SCALE

AGRICULTURE

Emily Hale Sills

LSS 389

Spring 2011

WALLS AND FENCES

Advantages:• Large, frequently unused surfaces

• Fit many plants into small footprint

• Layers do not shade each other out.

• Chain-link fences can function as

ready-made arbors for climbing edible

vines, which also beautify the fence.

Considerations:• South-facing walls provide the best solar access.

• Often require an irrigation system.

• Need to ensure access for maintenance and harvest.

Greensgrow Farm in Philadelphia designed these lettuce

trays on the side of a storage container.

The Roof Garden Project in Montreal

designed this tray at the base of a wall

with strings for climbing vines like beans

or peas.

Sometimes the best use of a wall is not plants but garden

art, like this mosaic at Mill Creek Farm in Philadelphia.

Trellises (seen on the left side of the

shed) are a long-standing method for

growing vines on walls--why limit them

to decorative plantings?

ROOFTOPS AND

PARKING LOTS

Advantages:• Heat island effect benefits warmth-

loving plants like melons.

• Offers the potential for temporary

installations in overflow lots when they

are not in use.

• More permanent installations can

beautify abandoned lots and bring

community activity into them.

• Plants on rooftops reduce heat

island effect and collect rainwater.

Considerations:• Structural stability of roof, safety for gardeners.

• Exposure to particulates from car exhaust if lot is

actively used for parking or near a busy street.

A project called “Growing Lots” in Minneapolis came up

with the design for these straw bale and chicken wire

towers planted with potatoes and melons.

The restaurant Rendezvous in

Cambridge, MA uses herbs from its

rooftop herb garden, which is irrigated

by the air conditioning system. Greensgrow in Philadelphia has turned an abandoned

lot into a nursery and urban garden using hoop houses

and other small-scale techniques.

NARROW STEEP SLOPES

Small terraced gardens are useful for slopes that are too steep

for cultivation. They also help to prevent erosion, and bring

plants up to a more convenient height for people who cannot

easily bend over to work.

LAMP POSTS AND

OTHER POLESAdvantages:• Infrastructure for hanging baskets on lampposts is

frequently already in place.

• Highly visible, yet out of reach of dog urine, car

exhaust, etc.

• Many plants in a small footprint.

Considerations:• Could grow herbs or similar edibles where

stray nibbles by passing pedestrians would

not be devastating.

• Often require an irrigation system.

• Need to ensure access for maintenance

and harvest.

The Rootop Garden Project in Montreal

designed this vertical system (and the

one below right) using re-purposed

containers. Both systems incorporate a

simple, top-fed irrigation system for water

and nutrients.

Lamp post frequently have ornamental hanging

baskets. What if they were edible as well as

decorative? Could restaurants make use of them?

STAIRCASESAdvantages:• Easy access for maintenance and harvest.

• Eye-catching and attractive

• Could potentially be detached and started

indoors before it is warm enough outside.

• Makes use of the edges--an otherwise

unused space.

Considerations:• Need to be securely attached so that

they do not fall and break or cause

injury.

• Often require an irrigation system.

• Easy access for maintenance and

harvest.

This beautiful staircase planter design comes

from The Rooftop Garden Project in

Montreal. It utilizes repurposed materials

and a top-fed irrigation system.

Vegetables in

flower pots

also work well.

SIDEWALKS

Advantages:• A great opportunity for container gardening

in repurposed barrels, crates, etc.

• Highly visible.

• Easily accessible for watering and

harvesting.

Considerations:• Could grow herbs or other edibles where

stray nibbles by passing pedestrians would

not be devastating.

• On busy streets, car exhaust and other

particulates might be an issue.

A collection of repurposed containers

collected and planted by the Sembradores

Urbanos (Urban Cultivators) in Mexico City.

Rolling platforms create portable

planters that can be relocated for

optimal sun, night-time storage,

or simply a change of layout.

Raised beds can be installed

on wide sidewalks.

TECHNIQUE:

Self-watering pots

The Rooftop Garden Project has

developed a number of designs

for self-watering pots. These

repurposed containers store water

in a small cistern at the bottom,

allowing it to be drawn up into the

soil as needed.

This means that the planters do not

need to be watered as often, an ideal

characteristic for many urban micro-ag

installations.

For more details, see

http://rooftopgardens.ca/?q=en

TECHNIQUE:

Vertical Irrigation Systems

Another concept designed by

The Rooftop Garden Project is

the vertical irrigation system.

Like self-watering pots, these

systems reduce the need to

water frequently, and provide

nutrients for plants in small

containers.

Containers placed above the

planters slowly release water or a

nutrient solution into the planters.

Any extra collects in a container

at the bottom so that it can be

reused.For more details, see

http://rooftopgardens.ca/?q=en

TECHNIQUE:

Buffer Plantings

Non-edible buffer hedges protect gardens near busy

streets from particulates produced by cars. They also

buffer noise and create a sense of shelter. In

addition, they can be decorative, and draw the

pollinating insects that are frequently necessary for

the production of many fruits, including melons,

strawberries and squash.

Local Example: the Pleasant Street Community Garden in Greenfield, MA has a

newly installed buffer hedge.