Were Crops Grown On Sod Roofs

The roof was the most difficult and dangerous part of the house to build.

Were crops grown on sod roofs.

A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium planted over a waterproofing membrane it may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. Its distribution roughly corresponds to the distribution of the log building technique in the. It is made of a waterproofing layer a root barrier a drainage system and growing medium for the plants. About 30 pounds per square foot.

Fleas mice bed bugs and snakes here living in these conditions were difficult to keep well maintained excluding the fact where also shortage was a major problem overall from this it was. A series of cedar poles held up layers of brush tied into bundles mud grass and sod. Roofs in scandinavia have probably been covered with birch bark and sod since prehistory. Building a sod house putting on the roof the most difficult task.

During the viking and middle ages most houses had sod roofs. You were supposed to grow crops on it and fight against the old bad luck for five years. Moreover another predominant issue was dirt and disease as sod houses consisting of earth floors walls and roofs were very difficult to keep the dirt out as they gave shelter to all sorts of pests e g. These roofs were a constant source of irritation and concern.

Until the late 19th century it was the most common roof on rural log houses in norway and large parts of the rest of scandinavia. The lack of normal roofing materials like wooden shingles or slate tiles led to the inventive use of natural materials. Turf roofs in norway are a tradition and you will see them everywhere. Any small sound structure with 2 by 4 inch rafters supporting as short a span as found on a coop is likely strong enough to hold the weight of a green roof after a heavy rain.

A green roof is simply one that fosters the growth of vegetation. Life wasn t easy back then and many of the homesteaders of the late 1800s had to face a totally different environment. If you re planning to grow crops the sod shouldn t be hard to come by. A sod roof or turf roof is a traditional scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards.

With basic carpentry skills and tools you can easily install a green roof on a chicken coop doghouse or a well house. Rather than a big central fire pit and large hole in the roof a central wood stove with just a pipe running up through the roof will protect from the elements much better than the wicker baskets the mandan people used to cover their smoke holes when it rained.