"It is fulfilling to eat something that you have cultivated yourself, especially knowing it's organic and healthy," Huang says.

Additionally, the experience of tending the gardens allows people to make friends and get to know others who either live in the building or visit from outside.

For the space to plant, tenants need to pay an annual fee of 300 yuan ($44) per square meter.

Those that do, get to live a double life as an urban farmer, regularly watering, fertilizing and managing their own green patch, which offers solace and some rural charm high above the traffic and bustle of the city.

Experts have been invited to give them tips on vegetable planting and pest prevention.

"We also have service personnel who will step in and take care of things when the 'urban farmers' can't handle it," Huang says.

Over the past few months, since the rooftop green space opened, about 20 people have claimed their spots, and Huang has brought them together in a WeChat group.

"They have been very enthusiastic, exchanging notes on vegetable cultivation," Huang says.

"Everyone knows one another better and has thus expanded their social circle."

Events, such as open-air performances, are staged on weekends to spice things up, drawing in residents from the neighborhood who may have the seed of a similar idea planted in their own mind.

"It's really close to my heart," Huang says.