Lessons From a Manhattan Rooftop Kitchen Garden

City centers conjure culture and dining—not farming. But landscape architect David Seiter argues we should leverage existing infrastructure for food production. His Pool Farm project, converting a restaurant's rooftop pool into an upscale dining terrace and kitchen garden, proves the concept.

When Adam Block of The Press Lounge approached Seiter, the project aligned his passions: urban infill, gardening, and rooftop landscapes—in Manhattan, no less. The restaurant's forager and farm-to-table chef made diners eating alongside their ingredients logical, both practically and philosophically.

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Block's vision: sink the dining area into the former pool. Seiter and Future Green Studio designed terraced planters cascading from pool deck to floor, softening the transition while keeping plants accessible. Salvaged ipe decking—inspired by a sushi mat's fixed-yet-flexible geometry—rolls fluidly from deck into pool and planters, enclosing diners in an intimate urban haven.

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Early collaboration with the chef, forager, and a rooftop farming consultant shaped plant selection and site design. The consultant continues managing seasonal rotations. Seiter acknowledges Pool Farm's exclusivity but emphasizes its inspirational value for edible gardening everywhere.

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1. Repurpose Materials

Construction coincided with the restaurant's renovation. Scrap ipe from demolition became the project's primary material. Existing conditions creatively drove design. Inventory what you have—remodel leftovers, forgotten pottery, even dumpster finds—before buying. It saves money, reduces waste, and builds intimate connection to each component.

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2. Work With the Site

Seiter preserved the pool's bones—steps, depths, handrails, even lights—layering history into the design. The sunken dining area shelters from rooftop winds and enabled versatile planter design. Embrace your site rather than imposing trends.

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3. Solve Problems Creatively

Terraced planters conceal varied sizes and depths, allowing planting flexibility: substantial herbs (rosemary) in larger planters, delicate herbs in shallower ones. Ipe planters were cedar-lined to prevent leaching into edibles. Rooftop weight constraints demanded lightweight growing media—Rooflite supplied a specialized rooftop agriculture mix tested at Pool Farm.

Future Green Studio

Future Green Studio

4. Productive Gardens Are Beautiful Gardens

Pool Farm proves performative landscapes can equal or surpass ornamental ones in beauty and value. Not everyone has a penthouse garden with a forager, but many have front yards, porches, windowsills, or walls. Consider edible estates over lawns. Create planters, urban habitats, living walls. On a civic scale: street orchards instead of street trees; temporary farms on post-industrial sites.

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Seiter hopes projects like Pool Farm, the High Line, and Brooklyn Grange redefine what makes a landscape worthwhile—shifting from visual stimulation alone to landscapes that work.