A comprehensive, essential guide to growing 30 of the best edible plants on your balcony, rooftop, patio or yard—simply, successfully and cheaply—so you can eat a diverse range of vegetables, herbs and leaves throughout the year.

Author Mark Ridsdill Smith trialed over 100 different plants to choose the top 30 that will give you the most ‘bang for your buck', based these four criteria:

• Do they have great flavor and are they versatile in the kitchen? 
• Are they hard to buy or expensive in the shops? 
• Are they highly nutritious? 
• Do they grow easily and / or productively in containers? 

For beginners, Mark gives the steps to grow successfully in containers, together with essential growing skills, like sowing seeds. For more experienced growers, Mark includes tips on growing more in a small space, cost-saving ideas as well as signposting other plants that can be grown using similar techniques. There are also specific growing plans for different scenarios, each one tailored to help overcome a common obstacle, including shortage of time, a lack of space, and growing spaces that don’t get much sun. Other plans in this section will include one for first-time gardeners, for foodies and one for those who rent or are often away from home. Mark will also offer simple ways to make use of your produce in the kitchen.  

This is an essential guide for any gardener, whether growing in pots in small gardens or even large spaces, who wants to look after their gut health, bring diversity and flavour into their diet and reap all the holistic benefits that growing your own can bring.