Rooftop Farming

Last November, I got a phone call from a fellow named Ben Flanner.  He'd heard about me from asking around at Greenmarket, and was looking to start a new career as a famer.  The twist to our partnership?  The farm he wanted to start was on a rooftop in Brooklyn.

Half a year and 6,000 square feet of soil later, Ben and I have finally begun the process of carving a little piece of country into the waterside neighborhood of Greenpoint.  Snapped stems of baby chard (casualities of a fierce East River wind), a pair of goniff pigeons, and irrigation issues galore aside, we're happily farming within view of the glorious midtown skyline.  Last night, for example, I transplanted six zucchini plants, watched the sun set in a straight golden path between the buildings lining 42nd street, and then, as Manhattan's lights flickered on brighter than our stars, gave everybody one last soak with the hose before calling it a night.  Split between work at the New York Botanical Gardens, the Union Square Greenmarket, and movie-making with the Meerkats, farming has become a days-off and nights job.  But give me a multi-tasking whirlwind of farming, animation-making, teaching and, oh, sleep, and I'm happy as a clam (or fiddlehead fern).

If you'd like to join us (and we'd love to have you as the adventures continue), check out www.rooftopfarms.org