Five farmers in Brooklyn are out to set a record: to plant the largest commercial rooftop farm in New York City.

Last week, the Brooklyn Grange team, with the help of volunteers and a rented crane, hauled 1.2 million pounds of a soil and compost shale mix from Pennsylvania to the top of a six-story warehouse building in Long Island City, Queens. The nearly one-acre rooftop space is the first of its kind in the city, and the Brooklyn Grange team hopes it will be the first of many.

“The long term plan for the Brooklyn Grange is to put a farm on every structurally sound roof in New York City and beyond,” said Gwen Schantz, head farmer at Roberta’s pizzeria in Brooklyn and key player in the Brooklyn Grange project.

Finding a structurally sound roof, and a willing landlord, however proved to be fairly difficult tasks for a project that has been in the works for nearly a year. The team lost a major investor and a roof space in late March pushing back plans to plant seedlings.

“It’s been difficult for landlords to cope with the idea of putting more than a million pounds of soil on top of the roof,” Schantz explained. “You call a landlord and you say, ‘I want to put a farm on your roof.’ And they say, ‘What? You want to do what on my roof?'”

The team continued to search for over-engineered buildings that could hold the weight of the soil, and found one that the structural engineer approved of and the team was excited about. With a space confirmed last week and plans to get the seedlings in the ground by the end of the month, Schantz believes they’ll still be able to grow enough for the markets, local restaurants and supper clubs this season.

Being financially viable is a primary goal for the project, which is estimated to cost just under $200,000. Each of the partners invested in the start-up, and money also was raised through several equity investors, a bank loan and fundraising events, including a page on the fundraising website kickstarter.com.