Thursday, July 28, 2011

Surviving the Scorching Heat

Bucolic Bushwick Rooftop Container Vegetable Garden 2011

While it's always hot on the roof in the summer last week's dangerous heat wave was the first time the rooftop garden has had to endure such extended scorching temperatures. I was extremely nervous about how the garden would weather the incredible heat, but I was pleasantly surprised over how resilient the plants proved to be. Even the stressed Valencia tomato plants, which do not like the rooftop environment at all, made it through, and I fully expected those plants to just keel over and die.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Reading Round Up: Molecular Farming Edition


Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming > Conventional Agriculture. Check out the comment thread too.

Grist has posted a rebuttal to the above article: In defense of organic.

Backyard Homesteads: Honey, I Shrunk the Farm

Plan to End Use of Environmentally Harmful Chemicals On Commercial Crops Developed

Vertical Farming: Can Urban Agriculture Feed a Hungry World?

Friday, July 22, 2011

Sizzling Results


Today it hit 104 degrees in NYC. Out of morbid curiosity I put an oven thermometer on the roof. Ouch, 125!

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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Reading Round Up: Pepquinos Edition



Planting 'seeds of hope'

Climate Adaptation of Rice

Popular Fungicides Failing, May Cause Hard Choices for Apple Growers.

No Fallout Legacy for Japan's Farms Despite Prior Contamination of Food

Using a Big Fork May Help You Eat Less

Mobola Plum: The Strawberry-Apple-Gingerbread-Plum

Thursday, July 14, 2011

What a Difference a Week Makes

Bucolic Bushwick Rooftop Vegetable Container Garden 2011

Daily monitoring of the garden can make it hard to see the steady, incremental changes in vegetable plants, so I was excited to see what kind of progress was noticeable in the garden after not viewing it for a whole week. I was not disappointed!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Reading Round Up: Gourmand Syndrome Edition


Ok, back from Maui. We were right on the beach! I miss it already.

'The Muncher' turns organic waste into compost in less than an hour

Urban farming: Local interns flock to city farms for hands-on training from compost to chicken coops

America's Food Addiction and the Science of the Munchies

Restaurant Gardens a Boon to New Farmers

Five Innovations that Conserve Water While Improving Harvests

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Reading Round Up: Giant Hamburger Edition


Could Paying Cash Help You Eat Healthier Food?

The Spam Factory's Dirty Secret

Urban Fish Farming: Wave Of The Future?

Woman served bloody meal at Kingwood, TX restaurant

Crops out of concrete: Farming Hong Kong's urban island

Giant Hamburger
Sets New World Record

Scottish Band Releases Single on Edible Chocolate Record