Brooklyn Grange’s New Brooklyn Navy Yard Roof Farm Celebrates First Harvest with Mayor Bloomberg

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg visited <a href="http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Grange's</a> new 43,000 square foot farm atop a warehouse in the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/brooklyn-grange-rooftop-farm-is-expanding-to-the-brooklyn-navy-yard/brooklyn-grange-roof-2/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Navy Yard</a> to ring in its very first harvest. to The mayor admired the fresh and juicy tomatoes, kale, basil, eggplant, cucumbers and more, which are masterfully grown in 7.5" deep beds with <a href="http://www.rooflitesoil.com/" target="_blank">Rooflite Soil</a>. Click through some of the photos we saw this morning on <a href="http://gothamist.com/2012/08/02/brooklyn_grange_celebrates_first_ha.php#photo-2" target="_blank">Gothamist</a> of the rooftop crops, which are expected to yield around 20,000 pounds (that's 10 tons!) of fresh produce by the end of the year.

The farm not only produces food and herbs, but also plays a key role in greening New York City. It insulates the building beneath the crops throughout both hot and cold weather, and captures and absorbs tons of rain water, cutting down on the city's nasty <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/can-new-york-citys-subway-system-handle-hurricane-irene/flooding-subway-station/" target="_blank">flood</a> run-off.

The <a href="http://www.brooklyngrangefarm.com/our-farms/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Grange</a> began in Queens when Farmer Ben Flanner began his own s<a href="http://rooftopfarms.org/" target="_blank">mall rooftop farm</a> that catered to locals and caught the attention of a few passionate New York City restaurants. Soon enough, a number of <a href="http://www.farmtotablenm.org/" target="_blank">farm-to-table</a> fans banded together, gained funding, and opened the first 2 acre <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/brooklyn-grange-worlds-largest-rooftop-farm-kicks-off-second-growing-season/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Grange</a> on a Long Island City rooftop.

The farm was so successful, an even larger plot was sown in the Brooklyn Navy Yard as part of the area's massive <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/brooklyn-navy-yard-announces-development-of-massive-green-manufacturing-center-for-nyc/" target="_blank">revitalization</a> project.

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The Brooklyn Grange is also a farm for all seasons. In the winter months, farmers will plant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_crophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_crop" target="_blank">cover crops</a> like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia" target="_blank">vetch</a> and clover to refresh the soil's fertility.

Borough President <a href="http://gothamist.com/2012/08/02/brooklyn_grange_celebrates_first_ha.php#photo-2" target="_blank">Marty Markowitz</a> is such a fan of the rooftop crops that he plans to make it easier for New Yorkers to get involved and grow their own. "Here in New York, we don’t have acres and acres of land to grow fresh food, and that’s why I’ve been advocating for the changing of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/mayor-bloomberg-encourages-green-building-by-lifting-zoning-laws-for-rooftop-sunshades/" target="_blank">zoning laws</a> to maximize rooftop space and open up our borough’s industrial buildings for growing fresh produce."

The Brooklyn Grange has also gone a sweet step further and included the city's first and largest commercial<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apiary" target="_blank"> apiary</a>. These pioneers in beekeeping have over 30 hives that are expected to produce over 1,000 pounds of honey this year.