Having considered the many lessons of our first season, the Battery Rooftop Garden is now implementing its second season planting plan.   Among the main things learned in 2010: 

• the richness and depth of our soil allows us to achieve varieties and planting densities not possible with leaner and more conventional green roof soil mixes;
• the real sun-lovers cannot live in the west-most beds, which lose the sun too early in the day;
• celery is difficult;
• potatoes need to start early and be mounded conscientiously;
• zucchini on a roof is prone to mildew, perhaps because of the denseness of the planting.

Our planting plan for 2011 is as follows:

To be grown from seed:

• Arugula
• Bean, Empress
• Bean, Providor
• Bean, Contendor
• Bean, Foremost
• Beet, Chioggia
• Beet, Detroit Red
• Beet, Burpees Golden
• Carrot, Purple Haze
• Carrot, Atomic Red.
• Carrot, St Valery
• Leek, King Richard
• Lettuces:  Focea, Cherokee, Panisse, Skyphos, Buttercrunch, Deer Tongue, Australe, Barbados.
• Onions:  Forum, Red Zepplin, Candy, Copra.
• Pea, Blue Podded
• Peas, Sugar Snap
• Pea, Alaska
• Scallion, White Spear (heat tolerant).
• Spinach. Bloomsdale Long Standing
• Spinach, Monstrueux-de Viroflay
• Watercress
• Zucchini, Tondo Scuro di Piacenza (“Eight Ball”)
• Zucchini, Costata Romana

To be grown using Greenmarket transplants:

• Broccoli
• Sorrel
• Purple Cauliflower
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Basil
• Spinach
• Malabar spinach
• Kale:  Red Russian, Lacinato, Winterbor.

As of April 29, the beets, lettuce, onion sets, peas and spinach are in the ground.   Currently ready for harvest:  parsley, scallions, lettuce (started in the cold frame and transplanted a couple of weeks ago):