Densely populated urban areas like those seen in Mexico City or in St. Petersburg, Russia, offer little land space for gardening. Flat rooftops are possible gardening areas in crowded cities. ECHO's simulated rooftop garden demonstrates container choices and hydroponic techniques appropriate for those who cannot afford fancy equipment or expensive soil mixes. Each method illustrates creative uses of available materials - often waste and trash materials - to substitute for more conventional containers or gardening media. Tire gardens, for example, employ old tires as containers. Fertilizer costs associated with urban gardening usually are recoverable because excess produce can be sold on the street or in the markets.

Three basic container gardening methods are demonstrated on ECHO's rooftop. Wick gardens use a fabric wick, such as old polyester clothing, overlaid by a protective cover such as gravel or pine needles. Over-turned buckets can be used to provide water and nutrients to the garden. Shallow beds us a base of coarse plant wastes or perhaps punctured soda cans overlaid by compost. Shallow pools maintain about one inch of fertilized water at the base of the garden for the roots to sit in.

Many of the techniques described and demonstrated for rooftops may be used on other paved areas such as balconies or abandoned sidewalks. These methods are also readily adaptable to yards and patios in the U.S. or to gardens for the handicapped in any country, rich or poor.