Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2013 - (Page 22)
PLANT PROFILE
tHe edible Roof:
tomatoes
and collaRd
gReens
IN EACH ISSUE WE pROfILE A GREEN
ROOf OR WALL pLANT, ExpLORING ITS
BIOLOGy, USES AND pREfERENCES
By: MARGUERITE WELLS
T
he past couple of years
have seen a surge in interest in growing food
on roofs. Two food roofs have
received a GRHC Award of Excellence in the past two years,
and many more mixed-use
roofs have raised beds and easy
access for residents. I want to
use this space to explore two of
my favorite vegetables for any
garden, roof, wall or otherwise.
TOMATOES
The “vegetable” that seems
to ignite the most passion in
gardeners is tomatoes. Every
gardener has a favorite variety; a memory of the tomatoes
they ate in their grandparent’s
garden; or a special collection
of seeds they’ve been saving
for generations. A sun-ripened
tomato with a few grains of salt
might as well be manna from
heaven for tomato aficionados.
Tomatoes are technically fruit,
of course, being the seed-bearing body of reproduction for
the plant. However you classify
them, they do well in containers, raised beds, walls, or even
hanging upside down from the
edge of the roof. They thrive on
roofs, because they like heat and
full sun, and good air circulation
prevents foliar diseases.
Tomatoes are members of
the plant family Solanaceae—
they are related to peppers, potatoes, eggplant, tomatillos and
the deadly nightshade weeds. A
close look at the flowers of all
these plants reveals their common heritage. Medicinally, the
red pigment in tomatoes—lycopene—has received plenty
of attention in recent years as
a powerful antioxidant. Lycopene capsules are sold as dietary
supplements.
Tomatoes come in two distinct growth habits. The first is
called indeterminate, meaning
that the plant will keep growing in height for the entire
growing season. Given a long
season, they can reach ten feet
long or more. This gives them
a long fruiting season, as it is
the new growth that produces
flowers and fruit. By contrast,
determinate varieties reach a
certain height and stop growing. Some are markedly dwarf,
while others are taller. This
results in a short, heavy fruiting season for the plant, since it
sets its entire season of flowers
and fruit at roughly the same
time. Determinate varieties are
more convenient for container
gardens where small stature is
important. In either case, the
plants need to be staked or put
in cages to keep them upright,
need natives?
sedum plugs or cuttings?
mats, tiles or modules?
motherplants
http://www.mothersplants.net
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2013
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Spring 2013
Contents
From The Founder
Strata
On the Roof With...
Policy and Standards
Current Research
Living Architecture Meets Hurricane Sandy
How Healthy Is Your Hospital?
Leadership
Product
Plant
Conference
Project
Project
Project
New Corporate Members
Professional Calendar
GRHC Board Member Updates
GRHC Buyer’s Guide
The Lucky 7
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