There is a great trend that we’ve started to see in Dhaka and we love it. People have been setting up little gardens on their roof for years, but now the practice has become more widespread. Some make their gardens beautiful and flowery while others opt for more nutritional gardens full of fruits and vegetables. Some just put together a green rooftop to emulate the sense of escape from the city. Regardless of type, we love them all. Today we’ll go through how you can begin creating a rooftop garden.
Assessment of Area
When you plan on creating a rooftop garden, you first need to know what you’re working with. Surprisingly, or maybe not if you’re already knowledgeable on the topic, gardening is a really heavy task; literally. Pots, earth and the plants themselves are incredibly heavy. You need to run a proper assessment of the roof to know if it is sturdy enough to hold the amount of plants you want. It is best to consult your contractor or someone who worked on the roof before about how much weight you can spread out across the rooftop.
And in the cases that you create a garden bed instead of use pots, keep in mind that plant roots are very strong. They have the ability to break through concrete, so consider what type of plants you want to have and how you will prepare the place. Assess the rooftop; a simple initial step that too many people forget about or avoid.
Type of Garden
If you’re good to go with creating a rooftop garden, decide what type you want. By type we mean do you want a garden that looks beautiful, hides you from the city or provides resources? Some of you may be surprised because you didn’t realize this was a consideration. In rural areas, it is common to see gardens dedicated to resource production. In the city, we are more accustomed to flower gardens. But this single-purpose habit is now behind us. We see more and more rooftop gardens go for a mixed setup of flower and fruits! You can enjoy the newfound beauty of your rooftop while biting into an absolutely fresh apple from your own garden.
Plan: Material, Maintenance & Budget
Hopefully you know what type of garden you want to set up. So apart from the seeds or roots of the plants you need, you need a list of all the gardening equipment and material. First and foremost, you need some form of containment. This can be in the form of pots or a designated area for the soil which is another component you need to get your hands on. To keep the soil fertile, you need fertilizer. And obviously you need water to give to the plants along with lots of sunlight and love. But don’t forget to get tools like shears, scissors, handheld shovels, and anything mobile that can help you move around earth and keep your plants in good shape.
Arrange Space & Design
The idea of creating a rooftop garden is absolutely beautiful to us. We’ve seen numerous of all designs, sizes and types. One thing to keep in mind is the layout of the roof. Forcing a design idea you have for the garden is like forcing a room design indoors; an interior design mistake you should definitely avoid. Not planning according to what you have or can actually work with may incur problems like lack of space, water and soil management issues and even pest problems.
You want there to be sufficient space for all the plants you want. You also want them to be organized in an aesthetically pleasing manner or laid out in a way that is easily accessible in case you want to collect fruits and vegetables. Also, keep in mind that you want the plants to actually have good access to sunlight and your watering source.
Lastly, leave some space for yourself. You are creating a rooftop garden; you should have somewhere to appreciate it from. It will also be your escape from the city, so have somewhere comfy to go.
Miscellaneous Arrangements
Those were the basics of creating a rooftop garden. But there are a few things you should definitely keep in mind. Winds at excessive speeds can be a cause of concern for delicate plants. It can also cause things to fall over. It’s a good idea to ensure the rooftop garden has a good housing and stability support for your plants so that wind can’t damage the plants or knock them over.
Netting is also useful for open air gardens. Birds, especially crows, love stealing food fresh off the trees. Though not perfect, netting greatly helps in averting this issue. You also need to consider vigilant watch and pesticides to avert pest infestations. Lots of ways to protect your home from pests and even many forms of natural pest control work great in the outdoors, so you may consider them when creating a rooftop garden.
Rooftop gardens are beautiful, be they aesthetic or resourceful. But it’s not the easiest to setup with so much material to manage. Nor is it something you can just hope becomes extravagant without really putting your back into it. Plants need attention, love and care. Plan out your garden well and do these things and we assure you, you will have a beautiful escape from the city right above your home.
