Hi all, I’m looking for resources on “rules” for a large rooftop garden: plant-to-soil depth ratios, best practices, etc.

It’s a concrete built-in raised bed, soil depth is currently around 18 inches (with the possibility of being raised a couple additional inches), zone 6b.

Appreciate any advice from those that have used perennial species.

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I live in Philadelhphia, where rooftops get very hot, dry, and breezy in the summertime. I have a number of veradek 38"tall/14"deep/about 3 feet wide planters that currently have Heavy Metal Switchgrass that provides a nice, U-shaped perimeter through the season. The U shape faces the prevailing westerly winds and is a row home. The U-shape is about 4x14x4 feet, 5 planters total at 1x3x1 in the U]. The containers warm up considerably and I find on really hot days a daily watering is required.

I currently have a 1/4" water line going across the planters with spray misters. It works "ok", but the bluetooth irrigation system I have no longer works and isn't made any more. I'm also questioning whether a larger water line would be easier/better.

Are there current recommendations for

-bluetooth/wireless, multi-zone irrigation systems? I see so many, I thought I'd see what Reddit community might suggest.

-other approaches/photos of how others may be doing this?

I'll try to keep an eye out for spam--message me if I miss something. We'd love to see your rooftop gardens!!

Hi everyone, I'm putting together a green roof horse shelter and thought I'd post the plans and results here. I've already started buying materials, but if you have any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them! Will post the results in probably a couple weeks depending on how busy work is.

The shed is limited by county regulations to 150 sq. ft. so I'm planning a footprint of about 12' x 12'. This will be located in a 7a Zone in Maryland, and while the sheltering provided is good, it isn't designed for extremes.

Here's a link to the SketchUp file, and a few pictures:

Pictures

SketchUp

General Construction:

The base will be composed of Concrete Blocks with the holes horizontal to help with ventilation. I'm thinking that having some way to cover them during cold weather would be nice. Shouldn't be too hard to put a few strips of wood on hinges on the outside after the fact if it is necessary. Floor will be compacted dirt initially. Since it will be covered and slightly elevated from the surrounding land, mud shouldn't be an issue.

Framing will be treated southern yellow pine. 4x4s in the corners and at the entrance that are embedded a couple feet in the ground. No concrete planned. 2x4's for the walls. I'm thinking of rotating the 2x4's that sit at a plywood seam so that the flat edge is parallel with the plywood. I know this isn't commonly done, but I'm not sure why. Will also have horizontal 2x4's along the top and bottom of the walls.

Walls will be southern yellow pine Plywood Panels. I don't know about sealing or painting it yet. I'm also going to try to get something like Wisteria or English Ivy to cover some of the walls.

Will have 2 windows on the back and one side wall. They will be 2.5" high and about 1.8" wide. Bottoms will be about 4.5" from the ground.

Left and right half walls at the entrance will have the other half on a hinge to flip up and close things off a bit more for bad weather.

Roof pitch is planned at 5 degrees (just over 1 in 12). Rafters will be 2x6's supported in the back with a 2x4 with a vertical 2x4 beneath each 2x6 and supported above the front wall with a 4x4 with 4x4 braces. The 4' overhang should hopefully counter sagging in the middle of the roof. The rafters will be notches to sit flat on the 2x4 and 4x4. I'm considering adding a second 4x4 in between these supports, but it's not currently planned.

For the living roof:

- Base will be treated .5" Plywood. 

- Waterproofing will be 14.5 mil (.37 mm) reinforced PVC Pool Liner. This is maybe a bit thin, but I don't expect it to be damaged and even if it did develop a minor leak somehow, I don't think it will matter for this application. This is a single sheet that will cover the roof with no seams and will drain to the gutters. I'll probably use 3M Spray Adhesive to make the liner stay put, but still be removable without destroying anything.

- Drainage/Water Retention/Root Barrier - I'm thinking of something called J-Drain. Can't find much info about it, but it seems like it would do the job well.

- Rock Barrier - I'll be using small rocks from around my property to make about 6" of border to help prevent roots getting to the edge of the roof. Will buy some gravel to fill in since I don't have anything smaller than a golf ball.

- Growing Media - I'm thinking about a base layer of some wood chips and on top of that a mix of 30% aged compost (from horse manure, yard waste, and kitchen waste), 60% local soil (pretty heavy in sand and silt), and about 10% Expanded Clay. This is quite a bit heavier on organic content than usually recommended, but I want to have a wider range of planting options.

Plants - I'd like to grow as many usable plants as possible. Oregano and Thyme seem to be pretty popular for green roofs. If I could find something that deters flies that would be appreciated by the horse I'm sure. Otherwise I figure I'll throw a wildflower mix in and see what happens.

Full disclosure: I am a moderator of /r/ZeroWaste.

I believe that /r/ZeroWaste is a great community for exploring deeper into ways of reducing your waste and your footprint on the world.

The sidebar description:

Being "zero waste" means that we adopt steps towards reducing personal waste and minimizing environmental impact. The zero waste ideal is to send nothing to landfills or high-temperature incineration facilities and to prevent unnecessary pollution and the squandering of nonrenewable resources.

This community is for those who are interested in living a low- or zero-waste lifestyle. There is a major focus on the "5 R's", being refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. We follow this by reducing consumption, choosing reusable and sustainably-produced goods, promoting recycling and composting, and encouraging each other in our attempts to live more sustainably.

It is still a smaller subreddit (but has grown significantly in the last year!) and has plenty of insightful discussions and ideas.

You should take a look!

Hello, I'll soon be moving into a new apartment where I'll have the possibility to start my own rooftop garden! I'm interested in any resources about the topic. So if you know some links, books etc. you can recommend please let me know. I'll have about 30m^2 (Europe, 48.5°N) and want to grow some vegetables, some flowering plants and if possible I'll set up one of my beehives there.