one of my favorite apartment gardening books has to be ...
"Old Mac Donald Had An Apartment House"
OK .. it's a fanciful childerns book.. about a super of an apartment building.. who's gardening takes over his apartment... and as folks move out of the building from time to time he takes over their apartments and turns it into more growing acerage,, till the entire building becomes a farm...and he sells the veggies and flowers..
any similarities to the story and the arthor of this post is just a coincidence..










yellow color of the last photo is due to a 400 watt HPS light .. traveling on a 6 ft moving track.. one of three I have..

lol. Excellent. Do you grow a lot of edibles, Gordon?

Hi Tee...well I grow a few... mostly up on the roof.. although most will have been started inside... lets see... well first there are three great produce markets... as well as an organic food store and market with in two blocks of my front door... and there's a farmers market along the park on the corner on Sundadys all year long... so there's plenty of great fresh produce as close as one might have a veg garden at home
I do grow a few raspberry plants [ 4 ] and strawberries that come back every year... always a few volunteer tomatoes... and one or two new ones... I tried a gradted tomato last year and it got to be 8 ft tall... I just started 50 of the hottest peppers in the world yesterday... the Carolina Reaper....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C......
there's also plenty of passsion vines... [ passion fruit ] I guess there's maybe 6 different ones and more plants.. but I don't eat many.. this year I've three dragon snake vines going.. they grow like a rampant run away train...[ think kudzo ] the twisted snake like fruit is eaten like a squash in asia,, and is used in piles of homeopathic ways there..

oh there will likely be others this year.. as in years past.. oh basil for my years supply of pesto.. that's every year.. and mint for the mohitos.. i couldn't get rid of that if I wanted to..it's too hardy

I know that's one of the benefits of living in NYC ... great produce markets nearby, etc. Gordon, I just knew you had a bunch of edibles in there somewhere. I'm familiar with that Carolina Reaper Pepper. Ouch! What do you do with them?

Gee...I'm not sure what I'll do with them all... They say they grow 5 ft tall and 3 ft wide
Maybe a long barrier hedge with roses mixed in..
I guess I'll grow a few out harvest a few ... Come by for some

Wow Gorden what a bunch of happy plants thanks for those pictures I love your cat also looks so happy amongst the plants. My cats would have eaten everything so I end up hanging or placing everyone very high. I work in Brooklyn do you have a favorite place to buy plants?

Thanks for sharing your photos, you have given some great ideas, I love what you did with the bamboo. Your plants look happy, great job

Thanks Angela... well they do love to chew them here also... there's just so many plants .. they don't do much damage.. do you know the Brooklyn Terminal Market.. it's the wholesale distribution center ... where the simi trucks unload much of the plants that gget distributed to all the little stores that sell plants... out about 81 St and Foster I guess.. there's 6-8 wwholesalers there ... and they are happy to sell to anyone... quanity always gets their best prices ... but buying one is a great deal also.. there's a pile of them about here also.. Chelsea Garden center in Red Hook.. near me.. and I go to NJ alot to nurseries there... Metropolitan is in NJ just a block or so from the George Washington Bridge.. they are great.. This is nursery hunting season.. come on by for a road trip..
Thanks Christine.. yes I love Bamboo... you can split it into tiny pieces.. 1/2..1/3 ... or 1/4 dia and lash them together ... with the plastic wire ties... all my trellises are done with them... this is the most difficult time ... they are getting so big inside... but it is still a bit early for them to go out.. usually about the first of may for me now... I used to have them out on the 15th... but they might get set back if it gets cold again... then I'm a month or so getting them back... so I'm ahead if I just wait... I've some plants growing in Saugerties.. that I've given to friends there.. at their houses... deer proof items... not a single deer here .. one pest I miss on the roof...
SO there mighe be some folks that haven't seen my roof top as shown in the New Yorker vedio that was done... so check it out if you haven't seen it...
NYorkers.com/Gordon-Hawkins
got a few interesting seedlings going ...exotic Japaneese morning glories ...and summer poinsettias ... and the hottest pepppers known to man .. and many to many to put out here.... so come by and trade some.. or just take them ..


the picture shows the bamboo trellising up on the fence

You really are a Brooklyn treasure, Gordon! Love the morning glories and your beautiful job with the trellis.

for sharing the video, your roof top garden is fabulous, you have so much & its all put together so well. Saugerties is a nice little town, I'm right outside the village, I've been up here for 20 years, I am a Long Islander and I do miss it, I love the beach even though its pretty nasty to swim in
Christine

Thanks Christine.. it is a labor of love for sure.. I didapointed the video didn't show my lawn up there... otherwise estatic about it.... I have a few friends up in Saugerties,, out 212 just before it gets to be Woodstock.. sometimes I get to plant some things up with them.. I'll have to post some inside growing.. before it gets to go up to the roof again...