I'll have to get the new Western Garden Book of Edibles: The Complete A-Z Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits, just published by Sunset Books. (Maybe they should have called it "Soup to Nuts" because it covers nuts, too.)

It includes instructions on growing in containers as well as in the ground, planning kitchen gardens, composting, building raised beds, and more. Of course it provides growing season details for all regions of the West, which is what makes it especially valuable to western gardeners.

I've grown ornamentals for years but have been trying to grow food for just the past few years. I've found that the requirements for food plants are more complicated and not at all flexible. My second season was more successful than the first, so I'll keep trying.