General ROOF FOOD

26/05/2021

Ghent rooftop vegetable garden ROOF FOOD, pioneer in urban agriculture, called on ILVO to make their operations even more sustainable.

The environment in which the vegetables are grown is very different from an ordinary field or greenhouse and the composition of a specific roof garden substrate is therefore crucial to obtaining a good harvest. ROOF FOOD strives to close the cycles and therefore wants to match the soil improvers used as closely as possible to the needs of the vegetables grown in the roof garden.

ILVO determined the chemical and microbiological characteristics of the substrate for the roof garden and studied how an optimal root environment for the vegetables could be obtained. Maintaining sufficient carbon in the top layer of the roof garden appeared to be one of the biggest challenges, but also lowering the acidity level (pH) of the substrate slightly and adding organic material that can supply sufficient mineral nitrogen were a real challenge. ILVO made recommendations on how this could be achieved. This can be a source of inspiration for other roof agriculture projects.

Interested in more information? Then read on at the links below:

More info:

dakmoestuin met groenten en naamplaatjes per gewas
Rooftop garden ROOF FOOD

Do you also wish to work with the Plant and Soil Living Lab?

Contact us right away. We guarantee that all of your questions will be handled confidentially.