Issue № 41·April 6, 2026·SCIENCE
A Small Garden in a Big City
“On the rooftop, three tomato plants are the whole farm. Their season is short. Their tenants are loud.”
Our rooftop is small. Three tomato plants, one pot of basil, and a pot of mint. That is the whole garden.
In April, I carry the pots up the stairs. In May, the tomatoes start to flower. In June, the first small fruit appears. By August, we eat tomatoes every week. My son calls this "the farm." He is five years old.
The rooftop is also noisy. The birds come in the morning. The cicadas come in the summer. A neighbour practises the trumpet in the next building. The mint grows well in all this noise. The basil grows a little less well. The tomatoes, I think, do not mind.
In October, I carry the pots back down. The garden is gone for the year. My son asks when the farm will come back. I tell him: April.
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Vocabulary
- rooftop
- The flat top of a building, often used for a terrace or small garden. — They set up chairs on the rooftop to watch the fireworks.
- basil
- A green herb with a sweet smell, used in cooking — especially Italian dishes. — She added fresh basil to the tomato sauce.
- cicadas
- Large insects that make a loud buzzing sound in summer. — The cicadas were so loud we had to raise our voices.
- trumpet
- A brass musical instrument played by blowing into a mouthpiece. — He practises the trumpet every evening after dinner.