Do you live in an apartment with a balcony, fire escape or rooftop terrace? Most city dwellers neglect these spaces or use them for nothing more than hanging laundry and storing bicycles. And for a long time, so did I.

Several years ago I decided to transform my under-used balcony from a lifeless concrete pad into a little garden in the sky. Every year I grow a small harvest of vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas, and more than enough herbs to satisfy our culinary needs. Sometimes I even grow watermelons. You don't need to live in the country or have a big yard to own a productive garden.

This book will guide you through the challenges of container gardening in one of the most sterile of urban environments: a high-rise balcony. With topics including:

• Container gardening basics
• Small space composting and vermicomposting
• Starting plants indoors from seed
• Self-watering containers
• Hand-pollination
• Diagnosing common plant problems

And detailed growing instructions for all of my favorite garden herbs and vegetables