The Rooftop Farm Season Finale

First off, let me apologize for the lack of posts this summer.  I have had an insane schedule at work and simply have had zero time to put anything up on the site.  That said, I was unable to document the progression of my first gardening attempt, which is something I deeply regret.  However, I did take pictures of my garden before moving apartments in September, so I did memorialize my garden’s bounty as of August 31, 2009.  As you can tell from the picture above, I should change my name to Orange Julius Peppers. 

Operation Urban Rooftop Farm – The Initial Ascent

There has been considerable progress since my last post here at the Roof Top Farm.  My tomato plants have more or less doubled in size and look quite robust and healthy.  Unfortunately, I had 12 tomato plants in one large planter, which simply doesn’t work.  I transplanted the tomatoes into seven planters, two of which are large circular planters that can hold only one plant in each, and 5 long rectangular planters that now house two plants each.  This took a toll on my bedroom since I went from having just three planters (two house my pepper plants) to having nine large planters sprawled across the bench beneath my windows.  Thankfully we should be beyond the point of overnight frosts here in Boston, so my plants will be taking up residence on the roof very soon.  I can’t tell you how imperative it is that these plants get out of my room.  There are little gnats, which I believe are called mud gnats, which live in the soil and buzz around my room like they own the place AND I needed to mix some fertilizer into the soil, so my room smells like the restroom at your local KFC.

Operation Urban Rooftop Farm – Where Have I Bean?

 

Well it has been a long while since my last post, but as you can see there has been much agricultural progress.  My tomato plants, pictured above, are growing like weeds.  They grew rapidly when in their individual seed pots, but since transplanting them into the larger pot above, they have really taken off.  The average last frost date in Boston is May 5th, so I cannot put them outside yet, but given the recent streak of nice weather, I might start hardening them off a touch earlier than anticipated.  My pepper plants are also doing quite well.  They do not seem to grow with the same vigor as their tomato neighbors, but they are looking very promising.  However, not all of my plants have faired so well…

Operation Urban Rooftop Farm – Week 2

 

Well apparently I got a great batch of seeds, because these puppies are growing like weeds.  In just one week I’ve gone from seeds to well established seedlings.  Owen’s nursery is apparently a decent place to call home.  The plants that have really done the best so far are the pole beans and tomatoes.  Everything else is fairing quite well too, including the crimson-stalked Swiss chard, which are by far the most visually appealing seedlings as yet.  What I find to be incredibly interesting is that despite being very different plants when mature, all of these plants look more or less identical after one week of growth.  The pole beans are the outlier here.  They are making every other plant look bad.  My brown-nosed pole beans are growing at an incredible rate…they are already in need of repotting.  The only plants that have not exploded with growth are my peppers.  The cayenne peppers have just barely sprouted, and I’ve seen zero action from my orange bell and habanero peppers.  Hopefully this won’t be the case in next weeks post.

Operation Urban Rooftop Farm – Week 1

 

Living in Boston for the better portion of the last three years has made my completely reliant on grocery stores and farmers markets, which I certainly do not have any complaints about.  The supermarkets here tend to sell locally produced fruits and vegetables and the farmers markets are loaded with the most beautiful produce I have ever seen.  However, since I do not have any land to call my own, I have yet to take a shot at growing my own fruits and veggies.  I do not have a yard, but I do have a roof deck, which means 2009 is the year that I attempt to grow a full-fledged vegetable garden while in the urban confines of Boston.  I will post a garden update every week in order to keep you all abreast of the progress of my urban farm.

 

Hugh marches on…

Photo Copyright: UK Evening Standard Online

Fearnley-Whittingstall is at it again, this time attempting to make garden landshares hip! It is always heartening to see a celebrity investing some of their fame and fortune in a cause to try to make a positive impact, but hardly ever is it for a cause as un-sexy as ‘shared gardens.’ Is Fearnley-Whittingstall ‘ahead of his time’ with this one?

The Coming D.A. Farm

provisional 'cut of meat payouts'

Whoever said that food and politics don’t mix was fantastically mistaken. As a political junkie, poll addict, and FiveThirtyEight.com groupie this election season I wagered the farm on Obama and won BIG. 

As a prologue to the run-down of my winnings, a brief note on intent: In writing this post, I invite the suggestions of all readers as to particular breeds of animals, farms from which they can be purchased, and any other advice for a first-time animal farmer. If all goes as planned, the Delicious Attack Farm will open its doors during the late spring/early summer of 2009.