Sowing, growing and an irrigation system for the roof garden

It’s already May. There has been so much to organise in preparation for the sowing season. We are very thankful to the dedicated students at UAL Green roof society who invest time into the garden and the activities it brings: weeding, sowing, watering, composting, harvesting, building new planters, shovelling soil to transport from the loading bay to the roof terrace through corridors and lifts, helping moving planters on fragile floorboards with a pallet truck!

One of the main problem we encountered on the roof last year was how to keep the garden watered, especially through the long bank holidays weekends and holidays. Following this dilemma, we investigated the possibilities of installing an irrigation system.

Then, there was an opportunity of applying for some funds. We are very pleased our bid to install an irrigation system on the roof terrace was successful and that the installation already took place a few weeks ago. In order to accommodate the irrigation system, we had to make some modifications to the original layout, moving planters to create an adequate configuration. This benefits the entire roof terrace garden and can be extended if needed.

We have been reusing the blue barrels that carry our binders for growing plants for some time, we recently tried them as water butt, hoping to collect enough water for dyeing. We use our repurposed shelving in the workshop to host seeds and seedlings.

Some of the dye plants have grown a lot since January: the woad is in full bloom with its tiny yellow flowers, the madder roots have come out their hibernation with theirs leaves coming to life again, the marigold hasn’t stop flowering, one head chopped encouraging more to grow.

It’s a crucial time of the year, the garden needs lots of attention and nurturing. Nearly time to plant some seedlings!