Rooftop garden puts fresh vegetables on the menu at Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital
Lettuce, herbs and tomatoes just a few of the vegetables being grown and served to patients, staff
Patients and staff at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon have a fresher option for vegetables at the hospital's cafeteria these days.
That's because the food is being grown six floors up, in a garden on top of the hospital's roof.
Vanessa McCubbing, a Saskatchewan Health Authority employee who helped develop the garden, said the pilot project was created as a way to get locally sourced food into the hospital for patients and staff.
"Rooftops are generally unused spaces," said McCubbing. "We thought it was a really fun opportunity to grow local food."
The food in the garden — which was planted in July — is grown in aeroponic towers. The plants' roots sit in a tub-like structure and are sprayed with a nutrient-rich mist to help them grow.
McCubbing said more than 70 kilograms (around 160 pounds) of produce have been used in the hospital's cafeteria through the project so far.
"It's pretty low-maintenance — no weeding, which is great, low labour, very ergonomic," she said.
There are also nutritional benefits, since when vegetables are shipped by truck, nutrients are often lost in the transfer between the field and the table.
Melanie Marushechka, a food services employee at the hospital, has been hard at work this summer growing and harvesting the food, which has mainly included lettuce, herbs and tomatoes.
"We look at our menu options that we're serving in the cafeteria for today as well as tomorrow, and we come up and harvest the things that would go along with those menu items," she said.
From there, the vegetables are used for salads in the cafeteria, or as side items for meals delivered to patients.
Marushechka said the garden is also pesticide-free, which is ideal for patients who can't tolerate food sprayed with chemicals.
The garden, she said, has attracted attention from hospital patrons.
"They're shocked that we're growing something here on the roof," she said. "It's sparking their mind as to how to grow things, how to be sustainable here in Saskatoon."
Rooftop gardens have many benefits: researcher
Wanda Martin, an associate professor in the college of nursing at the University of Saskatchewan, said the project helps people connect with where their food is coming from.
"When you're eating food that really looks good and is really fresh, you're more willing to consume it," said Martin. "So it enhances your opportunity for well-being when you're a patient in the hospital."
Martin said the garden could also become a crucial source of food as climate change continues to impact growing conditions around the world.
"As [other growing regions] get warmer and there's opportunities for food systems to fail, having localized food systems … can prevent some challenges in the future."
Rooftop gardens, said Martin, can also reduce the carbon footprint of a building.
Asphalt roofs generate a considerable amount of heat, but plants can trap the heat and use it to grow.
Martin herself has been part of the work around the garden. She hopes with enough funding, a feasibility study can be done to see if a greenhouse could be built on the roof to keep the garden running year-round and provide food to the wider community.
The project will wind down with this year's growing season, and the aeroponic towers will be placed into storage for the winter.
If it's continued next year, staff hope to experiment with other crops such as strawberries and continue to grow flowers that were planted this year to add some colour to the garden.
"Food matters — food is medicine" said McCubbing. "Having that involvement in being able to produce food that is consumed within the health-care system is really rewarding."
Marushechka said the hospital normally has quality food.
"But I think the benefit of having things like this is it's at its freshest."
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With files from Chelsea Cross