Monthly Archives: September 2010

Malabar spinach

Basella alba, or Malabar spinach (also Phooi leaf, Red vine spinach, Creeping spinach, Climbing spinach) is a perennial vine from the tropics.  It grew in the summer of 2010 up a south facing screen, and was the picture of health, … Continue reading

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Basil

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The Secret Garden

Tucked in the extreme south east corner of the Battery Roof-top Garden is the Secret Garden, a refuge separated from the rest of the garden, with a cozy bench for two, oriented to the view over Battery Park and Brooklyn … Continue reading

Posted in Alpines in the Secret Garden, Design, Non-edible Perennials, Ornamental Shrubs, Photos, Secret Garden | 1 Comment

Photo-voltaic Solar Panels

The Battery Roof-top Garden is greatly enhanced, aesthetically as well as environmentally, by the adjacent penthouse tower of The Visionaire condominium (LEED “Platinum”), the east and west facades of which are lined with cobalt blue photovoltaic solar panels.  The “Double … Continue reading

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Callicarpa — Beautyberry

Anyone who doubts that Callicarpa (“Beautyberry”) will thrive on a green roof, need only have a glance below.   On the Battery Roof-top Garden, this handsome specimen of Callicarp dichotoma (Early Amethyst Beautyberry), separates the main cocktail area from the Secret … Continue reading

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Another meal from the roof, August 3, 2010

A group of the Battery Rooftop Gardener’s law partners and their spouses enjoyed another meal sourced entirely from the Rooftop Garden on August 3.   The abundance of the harvest can be seen below:

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Dinner Party 21 July 2010 — Everything From Battery Roof-top Garden

Annie Novak, urban farmer and head of http://www.growingchefs.org, together with Jordan Colon, chef at EAT in Williamsburg, prepared a fabulous multi-course meal sourced entirely from the Battery Roof-top Garden:

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Panspermia: “Life Everywhere”

The Battery Rooftop Gardener worried whether insects necessary for pollination and other lifeforms would find their way to the 35th floor.  Experts advised that insects would not travel more than 11 stories vertically without a green place to rest.  Such worries … Continue reading

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2010 Planting

Planting in April (see “Visionaire Veggies” page for varieties):  Tomatoes (1 psf), Squash, Potatoes (4 psf), Broccoli (1 psf), Bush Beans and Pole Beans, Celery (4 psf), Basil (4 psf), Peppers (1 psf), Peas, Leeks (16 psf), Lettuce, Scallions (16 … Continue reading

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September 21, 2010 — Breakfast

21 September 2010 — Breakfast  As Michael Polan reminds us, humans are nearly unique in the animal kingdom in having to ask themselves the question, “What shall I eat?”   I have taken the approach, at least at breakfast, in letting … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking and Eating, Green Beans, Malabar Spinach, Meals and Menus, Raspberries, Spinach, Tomatoes | 1 Comment