Farm-In-The-Sky: Bushwick’s own rooftop farm an article by by Joel Wolfram
Arriving at Brooklyn Fireproof East, a bar and arts space in the heart of the industrial section of Bushwick, I felt vaguely like I had reached the threshold of an occult and magical world. For, just a short vertical distance from where I was standing, I was to believe, there existed a farm. A farm in the sky. The sense of mystery intensified as I was pointed to a nondescript industrial stairwell and told that all the way up and through the fire door on my right, I would arrive on the farm in question. As I scaled the stairs and lost count of the flights, I felt a bit like a wide-eyed Charlie navigating Wonka’s factory. Was this a test? Was I was worthy of admission to something as strange and wonderful as a farm in the middle of this grim, post-industrial landscape?
As promised, passing through the fire door at the top of the stairs, I reached the building’s roof and Farm-In-The-Sky, where farmer Matt Lebon was waiting with a few other visitors to begin a tour. The farm tours were being offered as a part of a fundraising event for Ecostation:NY, the farm’s parent organization. It’s obvious right away that this is not your father’s farm. Coming out of my reverie, I observed that it bears little resemblance to the imagery conjured by the term. Instead of rows of identical crops in tilled soil, it’s a colorful hodgepodge of diverse plants growing out of a motley array of pots, storage bins and buckets. This practice, Matt explained, is known as container gardening.
Go to Joel's blog to see the full article with pictures!
http://learningtodrivealunarrover.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/farm-in-the-sky-bushwicks-own-rooftop-farm/
