For 27 years, ECHO has experimented with and promoted methods for growing vegetables or flowers on rooftops and a variety of other above the ground situations.

These methods are well suited to many urban locations not normally considered good gardening sites: on rooftops, concrete slabs, or abandoned parking areas.  They also have use in any area where gardens may benefit from being out of the ground due to factors like flooding; roaming chickens, iguanas, or goats; extremely poor or acidic or alkaline soil; or simply the ease of working in gardens that are raised to waist or chest height. 

As the economy continues to suffer, non-profits and schools are considering community and co-op gardening as a way to provide sustainable ways to supplement their food pantries and school lunch programs. Thanks to the support of the SWFL Community Foundation, ECHO can now provide planning and consulting to organizations interested in producing food in this community.

ECHO has compiled information for crops that are useful in cooler climates of the world.