Vertical Gardening

Fell explains the benefits of vertical growing: less ground to weed, better air circulation and fewer diseases, cleaner fruit, easier picking and more attractive gardens. He describes the structures you can use, from simple stakes and string to trellises, arches, fences, hanging baskets and plant towers, and shows how to combine vertical supports with raised or small beds.

Most of the book is a guide to the best plants for growing upwards, based on his experiments with thousands of varieties: climbing beans, peas, cucumbers, squash, melons and tomatoes, fruits such as grapes and berries, and ornamental climbers and flowers. For each he explains how to plant, support and care for it. Colour photographs from his own garden show the methods in practice. The advice is aimed mainly at North American gardeners, but most of it works anywhere.

Practical and inspiring, ideal for small gardens and busy gardeners. Beginners will find clear instructions, while experienced gardeners will pick up new plant suggestions and inventive ideas for supports, structures and attractive combinations of edible and ornamental plants. About 336 pages in the Rodale paperback.