There’s nothing like the taste of home-grown fruits, vegetables and herbs but not everyone has the luxury of a large garden or access to an allotment.

However home-grown food is still achievable for those with the smallest garden, patio or even an apartment balcony.

The key is to choose foods that grow vertically.

There are a number of herbs and vegetables that grow well in containers and can be trained upwards to save precious floor space.

Tromba Squash

These little squashes both look attractive and will happily grow upwards, making them very suitable for small spaces.

They can be used as an alternative to courgettes.

Nasturtiums

A practical choice in small spaces are these multitasking flowers.

They are an excellent salad ingredient, look pretty and colourful and attract bees and other beneficial insects to the garden area.

Chillies

These offer a great space to flavour ratio if you have a sunny spot.

You can get 50-100 chillies from any one plant and need only use a little at a time.

Surplus can be dried.

Oriental leaves

Chinese cabbage and broccoli, mizuna, tatsoi, mustard red giant and choy sum have a speedy growth rate, even in a shady spot and don’t take up much room.

You’ll get a year-round crop to be used in stir fries and salads.

Runner beans

These are one of the easiest vegetables to grow.

The yield is high and the flowers are beautiful, as long as you water regularly.

Tomatoes

The classic container food, you can crop up to 5kg from just one plant thanks to a long harvesting period.