Grow 30 flavour-packed plants in pots – and transform the way you eat.

Drawing on more than fifteen years of small-space growing, award-winning garden writer and Vertical Veg founder Mark Ridsdill Smith has selected 30 vegetables, herbs and leaves that offer exceptional rewards in containers. Chosen for their flavour, nutritional value, productivity and ease of growing, these plants can bring fresher, more varied food to your plate – and more joy to everyday meals.

Whether you are planting your first pot or wanting to create a highly productive edible garden in a small space, Mark’s Eight Steps to Success, detailed plant profiles and practical techniques show you exactly what to do. Ready-made garden plans help you adapt the advice to real-life challenges, including limited space, little time and less-than-ideal sunlight. Illustrated with 150 photographs, this practical guide will help you grow successfully and affordably on a balcony, rooftop, patio or yard – and enjoy fresh, homegrown food throughout the year.

PRAISE FOR The Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardening: “Mark’s enthusiasm is infectious and, together with his attention to often-overlooked details, will give you confidence and knowledge to grow an impressive amount of food in seriously small spaces, where you probably thought you could not!” Charles Dowding, author of No Dig

About The Author

Mark Ridsdill Smith founded Vertical Veg in 2009 after discovering how much food he could grow on the balcony of his flat. His website, Substack and Facebook page inspire and support people to grow food in small urban spaces, and Mark has run workshops across the UK, including for Garden Organic and Capital Growth. Mark has shared his growing experience on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, Alan Titchmarsh’s Love Your Garden on ITV and BBC1’s Countryfile. He has also written a series of 15 articles for the Guardian’s ‘Live Better’ campaign and a feature for Which? Gardening. Mark’s first book, The Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardening, won the Garden Media Guild Practical Book of the Year Award 2022.