The larger tomatoes are in their 7th week of growing from seed.

This little side project has been a learning experience. I figure expanding out on the roof next spring I could grow several hundred plants in addition to the ones in the greenhouse.

Using fog to deliver nutrients worked very well in increasing heat tolerance for the plants.

soon [img width=300][/img] Work load got in the way, so I haven't spent the time I hoped.. Plus I had to do some repairs to the roof before assembly. Assuming the rest of the parts arrive by the end of the week and my electrician gives me permanent power.. stage 1 will be ready for seeds.

All right! Post some pics when it's up. I'd love to see it

Well, two weekends ago I started building a free-standing greenhouse, fully equipped with a combo hydro/fogponic system.

Hopefully, I will have it completed by the end of the month, since i can only really work on it on weekends.

So if we get hit with the Zombie Apocalypse, at least I won't have to brave the carnage going out to get fresh fruits and veggies.

I used the advice from John Kohler at www.growingyourgreens.com and had good results...John says if you have healthier soil, you'll have healthier plants that will resist most pests, except for those damned slugs which copper tape works on. His recipe includes rock dust, worm casings, and compost tea are very effective.

Well...

After getting nailed by aphids and white flies, followed by damage due to the extreme heat this year, I finally got my black krim tomato plant to grow back.

Now it's dying from some sort of blight (which is also attacking my cherry tomato plant).

I can't win...


On a brighter note:

I think I came up with a decent design for a rooftop cold box that should allow growing veggies all year round. If my finances allow (my budget is competing with my wife's desire to buy furniture), I am going to build a couple and see how they work out.

If the project is successful, I will post the details so others with flat roofs can copy.

Sponging the leaves with a mix of dr bonner's soap and feline urine will protect against many types of aphids.

I discovered online that slugs hate copper, they sell tape you can put around your containers and beds. I didn't want to wait for mail order so I made a sort of 6" table with 1/2 copper tube legs for my lettuce container. We've also spotted several mantis nymphs in the yard, it appears last years laid egg cases!

I have had aphids attacking my seedlings for a month or so now, and I've kept them indoors until very recently. I wonder how the aphids got in my plants, does anybody know?

I've been treating them with all-natural organic pesticide (basically essential oils), but they have come back. Real pain in the butt.

Well.. I have Ladybugs now. They came in on their own. Unfortunately, not in sufficient numbers to kill off the aphids. So I am still spraying. On another note: I kinda of got inspired by this vid........ He manages to keep everything alive for 10 months out of the years. I figure with a greenhouse, I can keep things growing all year long. So I am working up design, complete with some crude thermal storage. Figure if I have the $$$$, I will build it this fall. Anyone else here build an urban greenhouse on their roof?

In addition to ladybugs, I've had success controlling aphids with a soapy spray of 1 tbs dishwashing liquid to 1 qt water. Good luck!

Big problems with aphids as well - they love my parsley plants. Thanks for the advice on the lady bugs at the 14th street garden center - I will be taking advantage of that.

I also have slugs going after my bleeding heart plant... going to leave some beer out for those bastards.

I totally forgot about the marigold-tomato thing. I suppose I should find myself some marigold seeds or plants before my tomatoes start to come out.

Quote:the garden store by the exit from the Holland Tunnel has these containers that are completely overflowing with live ladybugs. It's kinda gross actually, since there are so many ladybugs in there, they start crawling over the dead corpses of their lady brethren. But if you want a quick infusion of live ladybugs to kill off your aphids, that's a good place to go! No shipping time, no breeding time, no nothing!

Mantis's also eat humming birds.

Now that is a bad-ass bug.

http://i34.tinypic.com/mwy8le.jpg

Sometimes letting nature just take it's course works. The predators will discover the feast of aphids you have and the problem will go away. I once noticed my peach trees heavily infested with aphids, soon enough they were gone. I rarely spray anything. I did put out slug bait after they ate several of my cuke starts down to stubs.

Years ago I released ladybugs, and I often order mantis egg cases, because they're simply the coolest creatures around. They're dubiously beneficial because they'll eat everything good or bad, bees, whatever, they don't care. It's real fun for the kids to catch one and feed it flies till it dies in the fall, as they all do.

Hi MDM,

Congratulations on your rooftop garden! My dear old dad taught me some wonderful organic gardening tips back when I was a kid. They are easy and relatively inexpensive.

For vegetables, try some companion gardening techniques -
marigolds planted alongside of tomato plants work wonders!

Learn about companion planting here.

Also, you can order your own set of ladybugs which will naturally demolish your aphids in a matter of days. It is really cool to release them and watch them in action.

Order your ladybugs here.

Good luck!

My rooftop outdoor mini garden has been invaded by green aphids (which are now being terminated with extreme prejudice via various pesticides). It took a whopping 72 hours for my peppers and tomato plants to get covered.


I figured being in an urban area, on a rooftop with no gardens anywhere near, these little bastards would be slow on the attack.


Man, was I wrong.