I rent a house, there is room in the backyard for a garden, but would require intensive tilling and other work. What are your suggestions for container gardening what works and grows best? Pros? Cons?

Old 55 gallon plastic barrels. You can plant in them, building vertically. Also, if you're really serious, there's hydroponics.

Here is your vertical garden.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjY3C81zSZM[/youtube]

Small hydroponics system. This is an indoor system, but the only difference from an outdoor system is the grow light.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz6m5370RB0[/youtube]

*side note* It's odd your first post on a Nissan/Infinity forum would be about gardening...