Rooftop growers encounter weeds just like in-ground growers. Managing weeds efficiently is currently difficult to do given open flame bans (no flame weeders allowed) and impossibility of bringing up tractors. How do we deal with weeds at commercial scale without spraying, flames, or tractor-based mechanical tillage?
Wind on city rooftops is stronger than at ground level. Vegetable crops beaten by wind are sometimes dwarfed, toughened, and stressed.
Ideas: -Monitoring to document predominant wind patterns -Exploring cost/feasibility/ of infrastructural improvements like mounted windbreaks -Vs. living breaks?
We who grow on soil-covered rooftops have limited soil depth. Trellising tall and heavy fruit crops like tomatoes is a challenge because we cannot drive stakes deep and wind is strong.
Hack needed! Focusing on low/no-cost, making use of existing roof infrastructure, redesigned weight distribution...
I just came across this site based in Begium, which is being used to document the individual components that would go into open source hardware based structures. The web site is http://openstructures.net/ I am interested what this community might learn from these efforts. I think the approach of documenting not just the opensource nature of the finished tool but of individual components which can be grouped into tools is very ambitious but also exciting.
At Farm Hack NYC, there will be a tool and technology design charrette on Sunday, where farmers and allies can team up to dream up and begin the process of prototyping new or improved farm tools and systems.
This forum is where you should post your idea, or summarize the problem you hope to solve, so that other farmhackers can be thinking about it ahead of time.
Thank you to the organizers, sponsors and helpers at Farm Hack Ithaca this past weekend. I was only able to attend the Saturday session, but really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with others and discuss ideas on tools and systems for improving small scale farms.
Forum discussion post can be found here: http://www.farmhack.org/forums/cultivating-tractor-what-features-would-you-see
NOTES NEEDED
New tool post can be found here: http://www.farmhack.org/tools/prone-position-weederharvester-workstation