For those familiar with the Danforth's favourite health food store, you'll know that The Big Carrot is more than just a grocery store selling organic veggies and bee products.

Carrot Common — the name of the complex which houses 17 other businesses, mostly health-related — also includes a book store, supplement dispensary, and atop everything: a rooftop garden called the Carrot Green Roof. 

Part event space, part urban garden, the Green Roof provides a place for workshops and community events along with an area where visitors can admire an array of innovative gardening methods. 

Open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., there's room for about 120 people here, and the roof comes equipped with a little bar area and scattered seating for anyone who wants to plan a holistic garden party, perhaps, or a fundraiser. 

From sedum to shrubs and vertical gardens, the Green Roof features a wide array of vegetation and tries to replicate different ecosystems in which plants can survive.

While the roof has existed for a while, it's seen some changes in the last couple of years. Rather than do a simple reno, the governing board of The Big Carrot — with helpful funding from Toronto’s Live Green program — has made improvements over time.  

Along the South Learning Centre you'll find self-watering planters, greenhouses, and access to a seminar room where yoga classes and workshops are held.

From this little nook of the area you can look out across the Green Roof's irrigating water feature, a garden of succulents and native plants along with an area where The University of Guelph holds field studies. 
The garden itself is full of solar panels, sedum and perennials, trays of edible plants in a space that feels homey, with a sense of walking through your own backyard. 

Take the steps up to the Carrot Green Roof if you're looking to improve your green thumb with some workshops, or just want to take a stroll through a nicely plotted garden before heading downstairs to buy some organic kale.