The origin of the “Roof Tomato”
![097_tagtomat_portraet_mads-boserup-lauritsen_2016-08-22_kristine-kiilerich_1800px-web Mads Boserup Lauritsen](https://tagtomat.dk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/097_tagtomat_portraet_mads-boserup-lauritsen_2016-08-22_kristine-kiilerich_1800px-web.jpg)
We endorse you to look around our different blogpost, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. As we are, still, a small company, we do not have the ressources to translate our homepage into English, but we will love to make projects with you whereever you live in the world. In June 2017 we made a small “Green Anti-Terror barrier” and this small video has English subtitles if you prefer.
The beginning in 2011
Our Open Source project “TagTomat” started on the roof of our garbage shelter in the backyard in May 2011 with a few “Self Watering Containers (SWC)” made out of recycled materials. The name “TagTomat” is translated directly to English “Roof-Tomato”. The first year we had some different tomatoes and some yellow flowers.
My parents has grown tomatoes in these boxes in their greenhouse back home as long as I can remember. Now I live with my own family in a small flat on the 3rd floor in the Neighbourhood Nørrebro in Copenhagen. If you are in Copenhagen please contact me, if you like to visit the roofgarden.
2012
In May 2012 the local neighbourhood council donated 10.000 dkr (aprox 1500€) to give away materials for DIY-Workshop (Do it yourself). We bought materials for 50 “SWC” in danish “Kapillærkasser” for planting out Tomato plants in our neighbourhood. During the season of 2012 the project evolved to a more or less industrial RoofTomato-rooffarm, with over 2000 tomatoes harvested, different salads and a lot of social happenings
As more and more people showed interest for the project, I started to make tours and give away interviews to Danish and Swedish newspapers, and a few danish food and garden magazines has written about the roofgarden.
2013 Fortovshave / Sidewalk Garden
During the first months of the year I have assisted a group of people in another neighbourhood at Østerbro building a “Fortovshave” / “Sidewalkgarden”. The project is supported by municipality of Copenhagen as this neighbourhood is called “Klimakvarter” / “Climate Neighbourhood” and is a test area for new ways of handeling heavy rains as the climate changes. Link www.klimakvarter.dk
Fortovshaven is a setup of 30 1000 liters tanks, wich are “Hacked” into large Self Watering Containers connected to two 1000 liter water tanks, which is harvesting rainwater from the roof of a city block.
Fortovshaven is located one a south facing corner, and you can enjoy the different plants in the sun all day long.
The 5th. of May we had inauguration of this project, and I had another DIY-workshop, with big succes (We ran out of materials ….
2013 our own roofgarden
We have had another DIY-workshop her in our backyard in the end of may and as I am writing this the first tomatoes are growing out from the yellow flowers. We have been eating salads for a month and looking forward to eat the rest This year we have planted Pumpkins, corn, zuchini, beans, chili and some more vegetables I do not remember..
Please follow us at Instagram and Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates and inspiring stories from everyday life in Copenhagen
/Mads, 5. of July 2013
ps. Please come visit us and share your stories