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The Break-apart Roof Garden
With this simple design, Brooklyn architect Matt Kaplan shows city-dwellers how they can maximize the amount of light available to their vegetables, while keeping hungry street squirrels at bay.
- Use standard 2-inch plumber's PVC piping. It's lightweight, and it cuts and joins easily. It also stores compactly during the winter months.
- Construct a frame that's 10 feet wide and long by 7 feet high.
- Attach three-quarter-inch filament netting to the frame using plastic garden ties, cut to size.
- Secure frame to the roof with ropes.
- Cut a doorway flap in the netting and reinforce it with plastic plant stakes.
- To prevent roof damage, lay down heavy-duty matting and grow your vegetables in plastic containers. Also, use a lightweight planting medium, such as a vermiculite mix.