Garden and Home South Africa - October 2015

exclusive extract
Sky
Here’s an exclusive sneak preview of veggie
gardening expert Jane Griffiths’ new book
on urban gardening. In this extract she
reveals that cities offer ideal spaces for
growing healthy, organic vegetables
Using rooftops is an ideal way
for urbanites and city dwellers
to turn unused areas into
productive vegetable growing
spaces. In fact, if you look out of your
window right now, you’ll probably see
a suitable one you can use – on a shed,
a garage or a cottage. Many apartment
blocks also have a flat top or a level section
over the parking area that would be ideal.
However, before you start piling soil or
placing boxes on your roof, there are some
practical aspects to investigate. Apart from
the usual elements that go into any wellplanned
vegetable garden, you need to
consider the following:
WEIGHT BEARING
AND SAFETY
“Before you start, ask a structural
engineer to assess the roof,” recommends
Marc Nel of Evagroup, an experienced
rooftop landscaper, who’s designed and
installed numerous rooftop gardens in
Durban. “You might find certain areas
can carry higher loads than others, or
you might have to build a reinforcing
framework. Once the load capacity
has been measured, a kilogram per
square metre rate is given. Remember to
calculate your garden in a wet state as
water is heavy. Choosing light materials
will help keep the weight down.
“Working on a rooftop brings other
challenges, such as safety. A balustrade
is generally the cheapest way to ensure
that there are no accidents. This must be
installed before work commences.”
TEXT JANE GRIFFITHS PHOTOGRAPHS JANE GRIFFITHS, KEITH KNOWLTON, MARC NEL
AND KAREN SANDISON (THE STAR)
132 OCTOBER 2015 | gardenandhome.co.za