Rooftop garden providing food for University of Saskatchewan students

A rooftop garden project promoting sustainable agricultural practices and urban farming is sprouting on campus this summer.

“This is the other face of agriculture—urban agriculture,” said Grant Wood, a professor in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources.

Tomatoes, hot peppers and leafy greens (including lettuce, kale and spinach) will soon be popping up on the roof of the phytotron, a sunny, triangle-shaped area visible from the above-ground walkway between the biology and agriculture buildings.

 “We might try a few other things, too,” said Wood. “I want to try zucchini, just to see. They’re a warm season crop—it could be fun! We’re going to try some cucumbers as well and see how they respond.”

Wood, who teaches a class on urban food production in the Department of Plant Sciences, is no stranger to rooftop gardens. He worked alongside Diane Knight (from the Department of Soil Sciences) to develop a garden atop the Stadium Parkade two years ago. So while the idea is not an inherently new one, this is one of the first where food production to supply Culinary Services is the overall goal, he explained.