Growing vegetables on green roofs has become more popular in recent years as a way to make farming more sustainable in cities. Rooftop gardens are becoming a big element of the current revival of urban farming. They provide city dwellers a different place to cultivate vegetables for city markets. Green roofs make it possible to grow vegetable crops, which therefore make it possible to bring farming into cities. But for now, there isn't much vegetable production going on on roofs since there are a lot of problems that need to be solved before it can happen on a large scale. These problems are explained and examined in length here. Extensive systems (<15 cm depths) may have the best chance of long-term productivity since most structures can't handle the weight of intensive green roof systems (>15 cm middle depths). So, shallow-rooted vegetables, such vital salad greens, are regarded to be the best for broad systems since they can produce a lot with little effort. The studies discussed here all agree that crops like lettuce, kale, and radishes can be grown well in a large green roof medium as long as there is enough water and nutrients.

Other studies have shown that crops with deeper roots, like tomatoes, can be grown, but they will need to be watched closely for fertility and moisture levels. It is possible to cultivate vegetables in cities on modified green roofs with shallow growth substrates and a lot of seasonal upkeep. Rooftop farming can help several ecological functions, make cities more biodiverse, and make sure that everyone has enough food. Green roofs may aid urban areas by growing food and providing a novel way to cultivate food in places that are usually not utilized. As more people move to cities and city dwellers grow more interested in local meals for their families, alternative agricultural production methods like green roof technology will become more important. Green roofs are not the only way to make cities more sustainable and livable, even if growing food on buildings is an important part of it.