Vertical vegetable gardening isn't intuitive. Although some vegetables, such as tomatoes and pole beans, have been grown vertically for a very long time, it is only recently that gardeners who are short on space have looked to vertical methods and structures for growing vegetables that traditionally have been thought to require a lot of horizontal space. Vertical Vegetable Gardening provides information on growing all types of leafy, root, and other vegetables vertically, saving space, protecting from insects, and making harvesting easier. Now people living in urban areas can grow produce that used to require sizable plots of land. Also included are ideas and plans for vertical structures.

Chris McLaughlin has been an avid small-space gardener for more than 30 years and a Master Gardener since 2000, and she small-scale farms with her family in Northern California. Chris writes for such magazines as Urban Farm Magazine, The Herb Companion, and The Heirloom Gardener. Online, Chris is a regular contributor at Vegetable Gardener.com and Blissfully Domestic.com. She is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Composting, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Heirloom Vegetables, and The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Small-Space Gardening.