Agricultural researchers at the Ohio State University are investigating the efficiency of farms located in abandoned asphalt parking lots.

In major cities across the country, farmers and researchers are experimenting with urban farming, the development of agricultural operations within municipal boundaries. Urban farming offers cities a change to boost revenue and generate desperately needed jobs, while simultaneously increasing access to nutritious food in food deserts, regions with limited access to supermarkets or fresh produce.

The recent parking lot project at Ohio State was inspired when researchers noticed a significant number of abandoned parking lots on the Ohio State campus. According to one researcher, “Since there is so much wasted land, we thought, ‘What can we grow here?’”

The research team is seeking to explore the viability of plants grown on parking lots and in asphalt gardens. In order to control methods, the researchers planted a variety of plants in raised beds on the lots, in land dug out from the lots, and in soil beds near the lots. Out of more than 6,000 crops, including blueberries, peaches, kale, green beans, and apples, the researchers discovered that plants grew equally well in plots of land cut out of the asphalt and in pots and raised beds directly on the asphalt.

Joe Kovach, professor of entomology and the head of the research project, says that with the right soil, any closed parking lot could be transformed into a garden, expanding the range of urban farming projects and expanding access to nutritious food and produce.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer