Intensive Methods
Raised Bed Intensive Gardening
By far the most important step next to the use of compost itself. The concept of getting your garden above ground allows for better aeration, better drainage and a better opportunity to establish better soil in a given amout of space.
Square Foot Gardening
An improvement on raised bed gardening. Developed by Mel Bartholomew, this system calls for a specific combination of soil elements and the use of a visual grid with which to plant seeds and seedlings in square-foot blocks within the grids according to the minimum spacing required between plants of the same type.
French Intensive or Double Dug Method
If you have confidence in the quality and safety of your soil and you don't mind a little shoveling, this is a cost-effective method.
Container Gardening
You can garden almost anywhere and get the benefits of raised bed gardens. The material per plot is much more expensive, though, and should be reserved for visual effects and small spaces.
Vertical Gardening
The group of methods to deal with vine crops. If you're a Type A personality, you will be fascinated with these methods as they bring structure and power to your gardening life. If you're Type B, its what to consider for next year after the slugs got the tomatoes that hung down on the ground.