It's been unseasonably warm in the past few weeks. The rapini (or is that rapa) has gone to seed. It's nice to see that my cedar SIPs are working properly.
My test run of peat based potting mix (foreground SIPs) vs. coir (at top) is still going strong.
The tomatoes are off to a good start. Despite our tomato seedling glitch, I have tomatoes in 8 SIPs this year, all growing varieties I bought from Genesis Growers at Green City Market.
You'll notice that I've skipped the plastic bag mulch/UV cover and am using ordinary pine bark mulch. After seeing that the SIP used by the Montreal Rooftop Garden program uses wood mulch in place of plastic (as detailed in the instruction manual contained in a pdf found at this link), I decided it would be worth breaking with our normal procedure in order to eliminate some plastic. That discovery also led to my next change.
Earlier this spring, I surrounded my rubbermaid tub SIPs with long panels made out of 2x2 lumber, UV resistant brown tarps, and cedar fencing boards. There are a several advantages: I don't have to use a plastic bag to protect the tubs from UV; I can now roll a length of tarp over the top of a row of planters at the end of the growing season, offering protection against the winter elements; best of all it doesn't look like my rooftop is littered with plastic bags that are sprouting plants.
After stopping by to say hello and take some pics, H2 headed home with her herb starts.
