We grow in the tropics, on a cement rooftop, in more than 6 hours of direct sunlight. Needless to say, our garden gets hot. However, though we water only in the cool of late evenings or early mornings, by dusk the following afternoon our soil is still moist and forms loose clumps when squeezed in the palm. The key to healthy soil is … Read More
With the need to maximize our limited square footage and access to soil, we are growing up in a variety of ways. The simplest vertical structure anyone can find the materials for is a bag garden. All you need is a tall bag, soil, string or rope, a cutting utensil, and your plants. While we are using woven plastic bulk rice bags … Read More
Some seeds can be direct-sown while others do better when started in a nursery environment prior to the start of the growing season. Sowing Directly This method works well when you have a long growing season and plenty of time for the plants to mature and produce a full harvest. Large seeds, such as beans, corn, peas, cucumber and gourds all do … Read More
It is important to select crops that will both grow well in your climate and provide the most nutrition for the amount of resources you put into them. Let’s start with location. If you have sunny windows and plan to grow indoors, you can grow anything you like year-round. But if you plan to take advantage of a balcony, rooftop, or plot … Read More
The first roof plot we will be working with is located on the northeastern side of Colombo and has approximately 60 square feet with full sun throughout the day. With this amount of exposure and tropical climate, temperatures can reach extremes. It will be important to find the best mulching and water conservation practices, and the hardiest vegetable varieties to keep this … Read More