EzGro Rooftop Garden
The EzGro Rooftop Garden is perfect for gardeners looking to grow food on a space where the ground cannot be penetrated. This system is unique because it just sits on top of any solid surface and can be used in a variety of locations such as rooftops, parking lots, patios- virtually anywhere. This system is not meant to be 100% water tight but can be used indoors with proper considerations.
What You Will Need
When planning for your EzGro Rooftop Garden, make sure you have an area that is level and receives plenty of sunlight. When choosing a site, visit your preferred location at several different times throughout the day to be sure it gets enough sunlight at all times of the day. Make sure there is a water source and an electrical outlet close by, preferably with three or four plugs. A power strip may be used if needed. When planning for a rooftop garden, the maximum weight capacity of the roof must be taken into consideration. The roof should be able to support the weight.
What You Can Grow
These pots were designed for almost anything you can think of to be grown in this system. Many different types of herbs including, but certainly not limited to, basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, thyme and oregano can be successfully grown in this system. A variety of leafy greens such as lettuces, Swiss chard, kale and spinach thrive in these pots. Flowering plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, nasturtium and marigolds may be grown as well. The possibilities are endless!
How it Works
The EzGro Rooftop Garden is specifically designed for the gardener who wants to grow food on top of a hard surface such as a rooftop, a parking lot, a basement, or even a patio. The design of this system is unique and the footprint of the base system is just 2’ wide by 12’ long and is available for about $3,000. This is a 100% complete system, just add water and plants. It includes everything including medium and nutrient for about a year. The quad pots stack on top of each other to take advantage of vertical space; the base system can accommodate between 120 and 480 plants or more, depending on the design you choose. The nutrient tank houses a submersible pump that delivers nutrient solution to each tower. The plumbing runs from the frame, at ground level, up through the center of each tower. Once at the top, the nutrient rich water passes over the root system of each plant. Roots take up the nutrients they need, then the remainder of the solution returns back to the reservoir where it will be recirculated through the rest of the system.
The base system is composed of 6 towers, each on pedestal that is supported by a sturdy metal frame. The base kit includes everything necessary to get started: quad pots, a 50-gallon nutrient tank, the metal frame to support the towers, and all the plumbing parts needed. There are several options and upgrades available so that the system can be customized for your site and your needs. The basic vegetable has 5 pots per tower with 6 towers in a 2’ x 12’. The basic strawberry has 6 pots per tower with 10 towers in a 2’ x 12’ space. The most popular strawberry system has 15 towers with 6 pots each in a 2’ x 18’ footprint and can handle 700 plants. As an upgrade, the frame may be ordered as an “erector set,” which is composed of 6 basic pieces that in quantity may be arranged in any rectangular shape and size that can be bolted together to fit your specific site needs.
For some homeowners, the system’s appearance may seem industrial with the plumbing and the metal frame exposed. EzGro offers the option to purchase a beautiful cedar skirt to hide all the plumbing and structural support beneath the towers. The skirt is made from Texas red heart cedar trees that did not survive the drought. EzGro has partnered with a local sawmill to up-cycle these trees and transforms them into the beautiful cedar skirting shown in the picture. We will also be making water huts, barrel and tote skirting
Many different types of plants can be grown in this system. The pots can be spaced apart differently, according to what type of plant will be grown. When growing strawberries and lettuce, the pots can be placed closer to one another, with less spacing between them, because the plants are relatively small. This will maximize the use of the vertical space, allowing the highest number of plants to be grown. The same setup may be used for herbs and lettuce. When growing larger plants such as tomatoes, peppers, or cucumbers, towers may be spaced further apart to give each plant more growing space.
EzGro is working with Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension Service’s Dr. Joe Masabni, the vegetable specialist for Texas. Dr. Masabni is in the process of researching the system to confirm several different things. They want to show that a closed-irrigation system is more efficient, and that it will be economically profitable to the user very quickly. To read more about Dr. Masabni’s research, see the AgriLife article.
Whether you are growing on a roof or indoors at ground level, the Rooftop Garden can be customized to suit any space for nearly any type of plant.
[box] If you are interested in a Rooftop Garden please contact us at info@EzGroGarden.com or call us at 512-800-8315[/box]