It is not widely known that one hundred and fifty community garden beds exist on the roof of the Broadway Market. For a lucky number of gardeners the roof offers the perfect spot to access communal growing tools and assets, including watering sources, knowledgeable help of neighboring gardeners and plenty of sunshine.
This past Saturday, Friends of the Broadway Market gathered at the rooftop garden to listen to live music by the Trippy Daniels Band and celebrate the unique gardening effort that started five years ago.
The occasion was part of a “blessing at the gardens” ceremony, as well as the kick-off of rooftop activities for 2014. Over the years, these rooftop gardeners have been working towards creating what has now purportedly become “the largest rooftop garden community in the country.”
It’s initiatives such as this that will help to draw new faces to the Broadway Market. As the Monsanto GMO battles continue to wage, there is a growing interest in these sorts of community gardening efforts. Each of the 150 garden beds is full of produce that is cultivated and regulated solely by the passionate gardeners that tend them. Vermont may be leading the way in the battle against GMO labeling, but Buffalo should be recognized for this inspirational achievement that sums up a new way of organic, grassroots DIY thinking.
For more information about this awesome community garden initiative, call 716-913-7575.
Photo: Tom Chrosniak, Garden Volunteer Coordinator, Sophie Baj, President of Friends of Broadway Market, Gabriel Fischer and Marcie Fischer, Community Gardeners and Dedicators of Garden. Standing in front of award winning Black indigo cherry tomatoes.