We visit gardens (and gardeners) in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut with greenhouses, terrariums, plants, and ideas that were first made popular in the Victorian era.
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In the 19th century, large-scale urbanization left in its wake an intense longing for connection to the land that’s still with us today. At Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Brooklyn, New York, they’ve found a solution: bring the farm into the city.
Annie Novak, the 27-year-old farmer in charge of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, provides her neighbors with fresh produce and the opportunity to pitch in themselves—an update on the market and kitchen gardens of the Victorian era.
The farm’s location, atop a warehouse building in the heart of the city, is possible thanks to 21st-century green-roof technology. Crops grow in a light, soilless growing medium and are watered with New York City tap water.
Selecting the right crops, ones that will thrive in this rooftop environment, is key. Vegetables that require more than six inches of soil are off limits. The operation is fully organic; marigolds (pictured here) are an effective natural pest deterrent.
