Roof garden
358237
221382217
2008-06-24T07:53:19Z
William Avery
1398
Disambiguate [[Antiquity]] to [[ancient history]] using [[:en:Wikipedia:Tools/Navigation_popups|popups]]
{{Nofootnotes|article|date=February 2008}}
[[Image:Rockefeller 2007.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The roof garden of the [[Rockefeller Center]] in Manhattan.]]
[[Image:DirkvdM casa grande roof terrace.jpg|thumb|right|180px|The roof terrace of the Casa Grande hotel in [[Santiago de Cuba]].]]
[[Image:Roof_garden_large.jpg|thumb|right|180px|An extreme example of a roof garden, in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]].]]
A '''roof garden''' is any [[garden]] on the [[roof]] of a [[building]].
Humans have grown [[plants]] atop structures since [[ancient history|antiquity]]. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, architectural enhancement, and recreational opportunities. Available gardening areas in cities are often seriously lacking, which is likely the key impetus for many roof gardens. The garden may be on the roof of an [[autonomous building]] which takes care of its own [[water]] and [[waste]]. [[Hydroponics]] and other alternative methods can expand the possibilities of roof top gardening by reducing, for example, the need for soil or its tremendous weight. Plantings in containers are used extensively in roof top gardens. One high-profile example of a building with a roof garden is [[Chicago City Hall]].
For those who live in small apartments with little space, [[square foot gardening]], or (when even less space is available) [[living wall]]s (vertical gardening) are wonderful solutions. These use much less space than traditional gardening (square foot gardening uses 20% of the space of conventional rows; ten times more produce can be generated from vertical gardens). These also encourage environmentally responsible practices, eliminating [[tilling]], reducing or eliminating [[pesticides]], and weeding, and encouraging the recycling of wastes through [[compost]]. In small apartments, a [[Bokashi]] compost system is more practical than conventional composting.
The related idea of a [[Living machines|living machine]] is based on the most basic mode of gardening: dumping wastes ([[compost]] and [[sewage]], appropriately broken down, usually in some specialized ditch or container) on the [[soil]], and harvesting [[food]] which, when processed, generates compost, and when eaten, generates sewage. In most of the world, this kind of very tight closed loop gardening is used, despite certain health risks if necessary precautions are not taken. Compost including human or pet waste should reach thermophilic conditions and age for at least a year before being used. Manure from vegetarian animals is safe without these measures.
Composting itself is a safe process which, when composed of a variety of different materials, is one of the best forms of fertilization available.
==See also==
*[[Green roof]]
*[[Living wall]]
*[[Kensington Roof Gardens]]
*[[Urban agriculture]]
*[[List of gardening topics]]
*[[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]]
* [[Ralph Hancock]], Designer of The Rockefeller Center Roof Gardens
==External links==
<!-- Please don't post any links here before reading [[WP:LINKS]], [[WP:SPAM]], [[WP:COI]] and [[WP:NOT]]. Links placed here that do not conform to those guidelines will be removed. If you have a link, it would be advisable to ask on the talk page before posting it. -->
*[http://www.ljconline.nl/garden/indexgarden.htm Greenhouse in the Sky]
*[http://www.greenroofs.com/archives/sg_jan-apr04.htm Website with pictures of roof gardens in London]
*[http://www.ralphhancock.com/ Ralph Hancock website]
*[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6194809477 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (A Non-Profit Group Devoted to Green Roofs)]
[[Category:Gardening]]
[[Category:architectural elements]]
[[de:Dachgarten]]
[[mk:Покривна градина]]
[[ja:屋上庭園]]