FAQ

• How does hydroponics work? What grows well like this?

  Obvious question I should have answered earlier :)

  Basically, there is a water holding tank known as a reservoir. The reservoir contains a nutrient solution consisting of, in this case, a "worm compost tea." This solution is circulated around directly to the plant's roots and then back to the reservoir. There is just enough soil, or other growing medium, for the plants to grow from comfortably.

  There is no magic solution to our food & water problems but hydroponics has some nice trade-offs. Since the water circulates, instead of flushing down the drain, there is less overall water used to grow these veggies.

  Many plants grow well with hydroponics. Ones that don't grow well include root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips, etc, BUT tomatoes, peppers, mustard, kale, and many others do grow well. So that's what we'll be growing :)

  Last updated: Friday Jan 13, 10:06pm EST
• How large are the systems? How much space is required to grow with them?

  The reservoir is 40 inches on each side and a foot deep. This holds up to 50 gallons and, when full of plants and water, weighs about 500 pounds. The plants grow vertically in "towers" and are modular. The towers on the roof will be about 6 feet tall and grow 16 plants each. 

  Depending on how tall the towers are constructed, you want to space them at least 3 feet apart. Southern sun exposure usually helps with plant growth, especially those that prefer more sunlight like tomatoes. 

  Last updated: Friday Jan 13, 10:06pm EST
• It's wintertime, what are you doing farming?

  Farmers are weird people, that's for sure! One thing I was told is that farmers start planning their summer tomatoes in November. Right after we finish jarring and seeding any bumper crop we start thinking about doing it all again. Ditto for most other crops.

  In addition, we'll still need to physically build the farm on the rooftop of the Plant. We'd like to have everything ready to grow by mid-March and possibly start planting starts indoors or on the roof shortly thereafter! 

  Last updated: Wednesday Jan 25, 11:45pm EST
• Why aren't some rewards available until summer?

  Any fresh produce rewards will be available when the plants tell us they're ready to be picked! Hopefully that will be early-summer through late-fall, depending on the crop, weather and about 42 other factors. ;-)

  The Urban Canopy gear like t-shirts, bags, etc. should be ready by April. If someone knows a great logo designer that's willing to work for veggie payment, send them my way. Dave, my buddy screenprinter will go from there...

  Last updated: Wednesday Jan 25, 11:45pm EST
• How will my money help the project succeed?

  Your pledges truly enable this project to happen; period. The funds will be used to purchase the materials needed for the rooftop farm. This includes a long list of things like water pumps, irrigation hoses, structural elements, soil, compost, seeds, containers, water reservoirs, air pumps/stones, etc.

  There will also be lots of small costs like screws, wood supports, trellising, buckets, shipping costs, and a fraction of the funds to create and send you amazing people all your rewards!

  Last updated: Wednesday Jan 25, 11:58pm EST
• Will there be fresh veggies available once the project gets going?

  We sure hope so! There should be plenty of fresh fruits and veggies left after providing the pledges with their bagfulls and CSA boxes. We'll be ordering organic and heirloom seeds beginning of February and the list will include a few varieties each of lettuces, chards, mustard greens, kale, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumber, and more. 

  There's already been a few special requests and if you provide the seed we'll try to grow it (send us a message)! A full list of plantings and expected plantings will be available monthly starting April or May.

  Also, we want to stress that a portion of the food grown will be donated to local food banks and social service providers.

  Last updated: Thursday Jan 26, 12:06am EST