As Vancouverites embrace the urge to grow their own food during the COVID-19 crisis, chances are they'll want to max out the tight floorspace of their condos or apartment balconies. Expanding vertically is the way to go, and there are a range of towers, shelves, and containers of all prices and dimensions to do the job. Here are five good options.

7 Pockets Vertical Wall Planter

$25.99, Amazon.ca

Among the cheaper options out there are these water-retaining, nontoxic felt pockets that can hold soil and plants like strawberries, herbs, and leafy vegetables. Hang it on your balcony wall or fence.

Invivo Vertical Garden 3-Pocket Planter

$59, Etsy

Made in part from recycled billboard ad posters, the Invivo design has a bottom drainage pocket to collect excess water. It comes in light blue, desert, and crisp white, creating a leafy "wall" of veg.

Doolittle Resin Raised Garden

$139.99 (on sale) at Wayfair

The stacking system of this attractive wood system allows you to arrange the shelves horizontally or vertically, and best of all, you can tilt the resin containers to the sun. It looks great as a fragrant balcony herb garden—parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme at your doorstep.

Panacea Mission Cedar Raised Garden Bed

$229.99, Canadian Tire stores

Cherry tomatoes, lettuce varieties, and herbs can all share space in this sturdy old-school design. Check out the shelf underneath to store your watering can and trowel.

Garden Tower 2

$489.99, at Amazon.ca

Perhaps the Eiffel Tower of all vertical gardens, this model grows 50 plants in four square feet. The main draw, though, is that it turns waste kitchen scraps into compost. Made from food-grade plastic, it has a two-gallon drawer that captures water that exits the potting soil for reuse. Basil, chard, kale, spinach, strawberries—pile it on in lush layers.