This rooftop garden is in full bloom in downtown London. Are others viable?

A downtown non-profit is one of the few locations in London that’s taking advantage of an often underused urban environment to grow food — the roof.

Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) on Richmond Street started their rooftop garden in 2017, and with only a brief pandemic pause, has been providing fresh herbs and produce to patrons visiting its café and to food-insecure youth. 

“Our programming really is on food security, food consciousness and then teaching youth how to use ingredients in their diet for healthy nutritious meals,” said Nick Martin, manager of food services at the YOU Made It Café.

He said they focus on sustainable harvesting, which allows them to reuse a plant several times over the season without needing to reseed.