Five Reasons Why You Must Take Up Rooftop Gardening

Those who live in cities understand that they trade the comforts of large open spaces for the many conveniences that city life offers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have homegrown fruits and vegetables for meals, and beautiful flowers blooming all over your house? Rooftop gardens, also known as green roofs or living roofs, offer some visible benefits.

Here are five convincing reasons for you to opt for rooftop gardening - 

1. Give back to your environment

• It is important to understand that what you personally grow in your garden can have a positive impact on the environment. One of the most vital benefits is how these gardens positively affect the Urban Heat Island. Since the sun heats up concrete way too faster than it heats plants and trees, temperature in cities often soar to an unbearable level. Rooftop gardens thus assist in cooling down the area.
• Interestingly, these gardens help moderate noise as well. The combination of plants and soil absorb, reflect and deflect sound waves and and provide the building with considerable noise reduction.
• Apart from cleansing the air, they potentially contribute to decrease in waste since a lot of such material can be used up by residents of the building for their gardens. Also, plants remove the distribution of dust in the air.

2. Grow your own vegetables and fruits

• Harvesting your own vegetables and fruits not only provides immense satisfaction, but also helps in saving a certain amount of money you spend on vegetable shopping. Planting them yourself makes the taste even more worthwhile. Directly growing crops in accordance to your needs and surroundings removes the dangers of germs and pesticides that could have been involved. Homegrown veggies are more nutritious compared to others.

3. A boon for your health

• It's convenient to include fruits and vegetables in your diet when they are growing right in front of you, at most affordable rates possible. Also, freshly picked vegetables contain the maximum amount of nutrients and natural flavour.
• Good-tasting food is not the only benefit that gardening may offer, it is also the most pleasant way to spend time in the bright sunshine and fresh air, thus enabling physical activity. Nurturing plants is a great way to exercise and relax.
• It is clinically proven that gardening is a pleasant way to help de-stress.
• Significantly, these gardens take carbon dioxide out of the air while they release breathable oxygen.

4. There’s no harm in pleasant recreation and some extra space!

• Rooftop gardens -- when designed consciously -- may even provide a little extra space to hang around and plan light gatherings with friends, family and also hanging around with pets. For those who look for peace and quiet, these gardens are heaven. What’s better than sitting by the garden in fresh air with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in another.

5. A thing of beauty

• Rooftop gardens offer an admirablable view not only for the people who own it but also for the neighbourhood. The aesthetic value increases and the house becomes even more pleasant to reside in.

Logically, everyone needs to understand that one roof garden in the city will not make a significant impact. We need more, we need to establish more and gradually, there will be a huge positive impact.  

Featured image credit: Homedit

Also: Green Bite: Ten reasons why gardening is therapeutic

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