Salad, yo! In all seriousness, there's a lot more that you can do with, like, land than you can with like, window boxes. I had to haul 50 lbs of dirt up here to grow a handful of tomatoes. Totally not worth it. That said, my grandpa was a farmer and I've always dabbled with it. When I can get out of here, I'll be getting the hell out of here and onto some acreage. A recommendation? Two books: - Five Acres and Independence by Maurice Kains. This book was written in like 1924. It's a no bullshit "here's how you turn land into food and fuck the world you're self-sufficient." The thing I like about it is it focuses pretty cleanly on how not to spend a lot of time farming. - Gaia's Garden by Tobe Hemenway. "Permaculture" was created primarily by the Israelis and Australians as a way to reclaim land from the desert through careful planting of perennials. The hipsters got ahold of it and turned it into "lazy man's farming." Somewhere between there lies the truth; either way, Hemenway's book is a great way to plant things that don't require a lot of tending. It's also worth pointing out that the fastest growing print magazine right now is Mother Earth News. I've got a subscription. I should also mention that every pro gardener I've ever known calls the big box stores "buy and die" stores.