Edible Fall Container Planting

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During the spring and summer months I grow indeterminant tomatoes (large, vine plants) in large garbage bins like this one purchased for $10 each a number of years ago at the local Ikea. The flat grey colour has faded significantly over the years but the containers are still holding up under the wear and tear of hot summers and winter heaving caused by fluctuating temperatures.

I typically fill each container with a single tomato plant and surround it with 4 basil plants. With the weather being warmer this fall I decided to try and keep the rooftop deck productive AND aesthetically pleasing by replacing the spent tomatoes with attractive, cold-hardy edibles previously growing in smaller, individual containers. This also allowed me to get a head start on clean-up bringing in some of the smaller, terra cotta containers that will eventually come indoors for the winter.

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In This Container:

  • Tri-color sage
  • Pansy (will keep flowering. Flowers are edible.
  • ‘Lacinato Blue’ Kale aka ‘Dinosaur’ Kale
  • ‘Red Bor’ Kale
  • Cinnamon Basil (not cold hardy but surprisingly still going strong.)

Everything in this container is edible. Unfortunately, while we were away a squirrel made a hearty lunch of the dinosaur kale but everything else is still thriving and ready for picking whenever we need a bit of sage for our eggs, some flowers for a salad, or kale to flavour a soup.

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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5 thoughts on “Edible Fall Container Planting

  1. Wow! I love this idea of creating an ornamental edible container garden. Anyone can do it! So many possibilities there to grow better herbs and grow better veggies. I think the use of potting soil instead of putting the plants directly in garden soil keeps them a bit healthier too, so another good reason to do this.

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