5 tips for growing food at your apartment (and above it)

Once, the roof was silver tar, sticky and blinding in the summer heat like a melting spaceship.

Now, it's a green oasis three stories above the ground.

Annie Novak hunches over rows of crops, harvesting chard and arugula as she looks out over empty rooftops towards the Chrysler Building, the East River, and the water towers and smokestacks of derelict industrial plants.

Her garden, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm ^[1], is a 6,000-square-foot for-profit operation atop a soundstage in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Novak's model—the sprawling, elevated farm with dozens of varieties of produce, plus bees, chickens, and rabbits—won't work for everyone. But no matter your housing situation, there's something any urban dweller can grow. Two experts told CityLab how to settle on the right crop (and keep it alive).

Consider sun and space. Most edible plants thrive in full sun, meaning 6 to 8 hours a day, says Novak. If your building is a little less drenched, you can still try herbs such as basil, thyme, or sage.

Microgreens are a good choice because you can harvest them quickly and often. "You can eat arugula even if it's an inch-and-a-half tall," says Novak.

Another approach would be to prioritize rarity. Novak planted borage flowers because she had trouble finding them at markets. (The little blue petals taste a bit like cucumbers; Novak uses them as cocktail garnishes.)

Many plants for sale at big-box stores or bodegas have been shipped across the country. They might not be the varieties best suited to growing in your area. Blume suggests buying plants from your local nursery, where an expert can help you decide what will have the best chance of success.

Start small. On her urban lot, about 1/10 of an acre in Oakland, Blume tends to fruit trees, berries, grape vines, hops, and a vegetable garden, and raises pigeons, chickens, and other animals. It's quite a spread.

Caloric Burn of Yardwork | HealthGrove ^[2]

Select the right container. Blume points out that plants in the ground have room to spread their roots many feet wide.

But the snug fit won't do the vegetables any favors.

Herbs have shallow roots and can handle being tucked in to a windowbox.

But for produce such as zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplants, Blume recommends a 15-gallon container. "The more dirt and space you can give a plant, the better it's going to do," Blume says. (Melons and squashes will benefit from a trellis, too.)

Page 2 of 2 - A sturdy container is a good choice for a balcony, where a flimsier one could blow over in a gust of wind. And bigger containers are often a little better at retaining moisture, which will be handy during the season's hottest days.

Regardless of the size of the container, you'll want to add compost or organic fertilizer throughout the growing season. That's because potting soil is a bit of a misnomer. Most mixes designed for containers are a combination of peat moss and coconut coir; they drain well, helping to prevent the roots from rotting, but on their own, they won't fuel optimal growth. "At a certain point in the season, the plants will tap out without supportive nutrients," says Novak. "Compost is a quick and dirty way to top them off a little bit."