Few things are better than gardening. Traveling somewhere new and exciting can be one of those things. With that in mind, never pass up on the opportunity to volunteer in a garden in a foreign country. On top of an industrial business building in the Østerbro district of Kopenhagen are the rooftop gardens of ØsterGRO. ØsterGRO was founded in April, 2014 by three friends - Christian, Livia, and Sofia. Since then, Sofia has moved on from the group and has become a parent. Livia and Christian are still active and help maintain the gardens as well as run a restaurant on the same rooftop that utilizes the gardens’ produce.
Because ØsterGRO was constructed on top of an industrial strength building, the building did not require any alterations before the gardens were implemented. The roof is covered by layer of brick tiling, even underneath the garden beds. The garden beds themselves from the tile up consist of an impermeable fabric filter layer, a four centimeter tall water reservoir, a root permeable fabric filter, and a soil layer which is 10 cm tall on the pathways and 35 cm tall where plant rows are located.
Every Wednesday, ØsterGRO welcomes people onto their rooftop to help volunteer. Christian & Livia (mentioned above) were actively working alongside volunteers on the day I visited. Mikkel, a regular volunteer, created a delicious lunch meal with crops fresh from the garden. This lunch included cooked squash, a UFO-shaped white pumpkin, spaghetti, leafy greens, and edible flowers. It was fantastic! Throughout my afternoon at the gardens, I worked with people from different countries, but was surprised to learn that 3 of the volunteers I was working alongside were also from the United States - mostly from the East Coast, including New York & Boston. Of the three, I talked with Trevor (from Boston) the most and learned he was about to begin his masters degree in business with an emphasis in climate change research at a university in Copenhagen. When he was still in the United States, he earned a degree in website design.
The weather during the day was hot - roughly 90 degrees Fahrenheit - with a light breeze and few clouds. In order to stay cool, water and other drinks were offered throughout the time people were there and an inflatable pool was filled with cool hose water. Following the meal that Mikkel prepared, I was able to sit down for a brief 6-minute interview with Christian which I hope to share in future. Unfortunately, during the interview my camera’s memory card filled up and I realized I didn’t have a back-up. As I write this post, I struggle to recall what all Christian told me before I realized that my camera’s memory was full. Christian and Livia encouraged me to send them e-mails if I need any more information, which I might end up doing - for information and to keep in touch. One of the things I did learn from interviewing Christian is that ØsterGRO is not a very profitable venture. It took a lot of money to get it to the point it is at today but it is sustained by volunteers, CSA, and the restaurant. Even if the economic component of venture isn’t the most sustainable, the community of people at the gardens seemed to be growing strong - both with regular and new volunteers.
Quick side note: Although I didn’t learn a lot about the restaurant, I know they offer cider and kombucha which they had available to the volunteers. Both were delicious. The kombucha was made locally and was rose flavored, and the cider had a tart but enjoyable taste. Second side note: Never turn down fresh produce when it is offered. Livia told Trevor and I of produce were free to take which included golden-orange plums, giant zucchini, and I think garlic. Because I didn't want to risk not being able to take a giant zucchini on my bus trip from Kopenhagen to Malmö, I only took 5 plums and they were all amazing and delicious.