I visited the SkyFarm in Houston, Texas. August, the lead farmer on this 5.5-acre green space located on a rooftop downtown, took time on an autumn morning to talk about how they can build a space that gets 10-12 hours of sun and reach temperatures up to 170°F into a green space in a sustainable, regenerative way – all with just 6-12 inches of soil – and in a way that the building owner wants to keep that green space up there.
This only happens successfully with a lot of intentional forethought and decisions. One has to understand the constraints and the opportunities to allow it to literally bloom. Houston is not Wisconsin. It is hot and humid. It is on the Gulf and called the Bayou City for a reason. As August told me, they water the plants at night so it doesn’t evaporate immediately. But that’s just the beginning.
First, if they have pristine weeding protocols, it sure looks 1950’s pretty, but it means even less water is retained. Ground cover and companion planting allow more water retention along with additional nutrients being put into the soil naturally.
Second, they use native plants that are already adapted to the unique world of Houston. Those native plants also help attract other natives like pollinators. Those pollinators come along and do a lot of the farmer’s work all while adding a touch of whimsy to an urban rooftop.
Third, roofs, even big ones, have a slope to them. That means water is meant to run off them, which then carries the dirt with it. With only 6-12 inches to begin with, any dirt carried off has a big impact. But it doesn’t have to go unimpeded. Instead of planting rows of kale all the way to the edge, they put swale corners in. In each corner, there are plants with roots that hold on to the dirt and aren’t mown. Now, that slope helps water those plants.
With these approaches, they lowered the average temperature on the rooftop to 125°F. They can remove previously-installed irrigation systems. That means the building owner is now seeing advantages to the regenerative approach. All because August thinks about what the constraints are and building them into the plan. He didn’t double-down on the fight with the limits but embraced them. He used them to enhance the space. And, yes, the output of the farm increased, too.
Now let’s take those lessons and use them. Look at our constraints and embrace them. Then we build with thoughtfulness and intentionality – not make the “easy” decision or the “what has been.” Instead, we look at what actually works for our goals and do what moves us forwards towards that.