Winter Prep for Rooftop Gardening + Carl

There's always some kind of indoor prep for the spring roof garden. Today it's 25 degrees in Chicago with enough snow to need shoveling, a good day to cut the "shower caps" that keep moisture from evaporating off the 58 two-bucket SIPs on our roof.

 When May finally arrives, bringing temps in line with tomato-eggplant-squash-pepper planting, it's like the start of the Indy 500. So much to do you can't wait to get started. You don't want to be cutting out plastic circles when there's potting mix to be shoveled and young plant starts to get in.

Though we re-use the potting mix and SIPs themselves, I'm reluctant to the take the shower caps into another season. Sure, the plastic would last at least one summer. But with a fine underside coating of fertilizer residue and possible plant cooties (professional term), I elect to cut new discs each year.

We get 12 from a garbage bag using the large Olive Garden to-go bowl/cloche as a measure, scoring and then cutting.

Since you've patiently read through our indoor task for today, here's a picture of Good Dog Carl from earlier this week, Jan 25, 2011.

 

He is a good dog.