What Grows on the Rooftop Garden

Run entirely by volunteers, the YWCA has harvested over three tonnes of fruit and vegetables since 2006.

Over the years we have planted many types of vegetables to determine what grows on the rooftop (almost everything!) as well as what is appreciated by the women we serve.
 
We focused on fresh greens and varieties that produced tender vegetables that were not normally donated to the Food Bank and were too expensive to purchase fresh. Due to space constraints, we did not consider bulky field crops such as corn, pumpkins and melons.

What did not work

• Heirloom varieties as the products “looked weird” so were not appealing
• Winter crops as there is insufficient light from November to February
• Savoy cabbage as it attracted too many aphids
• Crops that are routinely donated (potatoes, cooking onions, green peppers, celery)
• Broccoli and cauliflower as they were decimated by crows
• “Weird stuff” (asparagus peas) that the women did not know how to cook
• “Cute stuff” (toy choi) as they do not produce enough volume to be worthwhile
• Mixed seeds (lettuce blends) as the volunteers did not know how to thin equally
• Arugula (nobody likes arugula)

Plants we have grown successfully

From basil and beans to tomatoes and turnip, many varieties of plants, vegetables and herbs have thrived on the YWCA Rooftop Food Garden.

(WC=West Coast Seeds V=Veseys Seeds)

• Basil – Genovese (WC)
• Beans (yellow bush) – Carson (WC); Indy Gold, Gold Dust, Gold Mine (V)
• Beans (green bush) – Maxibel, Venture, Jade, Nickel, Festina (WC)
• Beans (pole) – Blue Lake, Fortex Filet (WC)
• Beans (broad) – Goldmarie Romano, White Emergo (WC)
• Beets – Red Ace, Kestrel (WC); Detroit Dark Red, Merlin (V)
• Cabbage – Charmant (WC); Stonehead, Parel (V)
• Carrots – Nantes Coreless (WC); Napoli, Neptune, Chantenay (V)
• Cucumbers – Marketmore, Sultan (WC)
• Dill – Fernleaf (WC)
• Eggplant – Fairytale (WC)
• Lettuce – Red Sails (WC); Green Forest (V)
• Onions (scallions) – Kincho (WC); Parade (V)
• Oriental greens – Joi Choi (V)
• Mint
• Oregano                                  
• Parsley – Forest Green, Dark Green (WC)
• Parsnips – Gladiator (WC); Albion (V)
• Peas (snap) – Dwarf Grey Sugar, Sugar Daddy (WC)
• Peppers – Jalapeno (WC); Fat ‘n Sassy, Gypsy (V)
• Potatoes – Russian Banana Fingerlings, Yukon Gold (WC)
• Radish – Altaglobe (WC); Rebel (V)
• Rosemary
• Spinach – Tyee, Space (WC)
• Squash (summer) – Gold Rush, Sunburst (WC); Magda, Onyx (V)
• Squash (winter) – Bush Delicata, Celebration, Tay Belle (V)
• Swiss chard – Bright Lights (WC)
• Thyme
• Tomatoes – Gold Nugget (WC); Red Alert, Sugary (V)
• Turnip – Tokyo Cross (WC); Purple Top White Globe (V)
• Rhubarb – various plants donated
• Blueberries
• Blackberries – Lochness
• Huckleberries
• Raspberries – Tulameen plus donated plants
• Strawberries – Puget Reliance, Totem
• Kiwi – Actinidia Deliciosa
• Calendula