Grow edible plants in pots

Many edible plants are just as visually appealing as they are a treat for the tastebuds and so offer far greater value than most purely ornamental varieties. They’re ideal if space is limited as you can get both good looks and taste from a single plant. Add a few aromatic herbs such as lavender, sage and thyme and your nostrils will be well satisfied, too!

All the plants we’ve used here are edible in part – and eating food you’ve produced yourself is the best, and only, way to get that fresh, ‘just picked’ flavour. 

Herbal treat: potted pansies, lavender, sage and parsley

Herbal pot

Most herbs are well suited to growing in containers and look particularly good teamed up with earthy-coloured pots. 

These potted plants can also be placed in a sunny spot for winter because thyme, sage and lavender are all perennial – all you’d need to do is swap the pansy for a winter-flowering one such as our Best Buy ‘Sorrento Serenade’. Ensure you use free-draining compost.

Pansies

Violas and pansies are a colourful topping for salads, and petals can also be frozen in ice cubes to add colour to summer drinks. Deadhead regularly to encourage flowers. Latin name: Viola ‘White Violet Wing F1’.

French lavender

In common with other lavenders, this can be used to flavour biscuits and jellies. Trim off faded blooms to encourage more to develop and take cuttings in summer. Latin name: Lavandula stoechas subsp pedunculata.

Sage

This attractive sage has aromatic leaves that are purple-red in colour. Also look for golden-leafed and tri-coloured varieties. All are evergreen and useful in winter as well as summer. Latin name: Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’.

Parsley

So popular in all sorts of dishes and great in containers with their rich green, curled leaves. Cut leaves regularly to encourage a continuous supply. Variety names: ‘Champion Moss Curled’ and ‘Green Pearl’.

Spice up your cooking with these colourful chilli peppers

Hot and spicy pot

This trio of colourful chilli peppers will bring a splash of colour to any warm patio or seating area. Site the container in a sunny position outdoors where the fruits will mature in late summer. Bring them inside or under glass as the weather cools.

Chilli pepper ‘Numex Twilight’

This tall, hot variety bears pointed upward-facing fruits. They slowly ripen through purple, orange and yellow to red.

Chilli pepper ‘Tricolor Variegata’

In shades of green, cream and pinkish-purple with striking purple stems, this highly ornamental chilli produces hot fruits that are purple, then red.

Chilli pepper ‘Prairie Fire’

This dwarf variety is ideal for small pots or for the edges of larger ones. In a sunny spot it’ll produce a high yield of fruits that mature to bright red.

Salad pot

Attractive and taste: nasturtiums, lettuce and cherry tomatoes

Composed of tasty, colourful lettuces and sweet cherry tomatoes, this group of plants has plenty to offer the eyes and the stomach. Place this in a sunny position. 

You may need to sow a few extra lettuces later in the season to replace the original ones once they've been harvested. Remove faded, uneaten flowers from the nasturtiums and keep the pot well watered.

Nasturtium

Both the leaves and flowers of nasturtiums are edible and tasty. Choose a dwarf, compact variety and keep an eye out for blackfly, which can cause real damage. Latin name: Tropaeolum majus ‘Whirlybird Mixed’.

Lettuce

Highly ornamental and tasting good, fancy-leafed lettuces transform the appearance of salads. Pick a few leaves at a time as and when you need them. Variety name: ‘Lollo Rossa’.

Cherry tomato

Dwarf bush or trailing tomatoes are ideal for containers. ‘Yellow Balconi’ bears masses of sweet, cherry-sized tomatoes on neat, very dwarf plants.

Salad leaves can also be grown throughout the winter. See our guide to growing your own winter salad for more.

For something out of the ordinary, try these unusual edibles

Unusual pot

This group of unusual edibles will look good for a long time and will give you something interesting to go on your dinner plate, too. Position your pot in full sun or in a very lightly shaded spot and don’t allow the compost to dry out – mixing water retaining crystals with the compost will help. Support asparagus peas with twigs if need be.

Toothache plant

If you chew any part of the herb, especially an entire flowerhead, you’ll experience a gentle numbing effect in your mouth. Looks great in pots and is ideal for mixed salads. Latin name: Acmella oleracea.

Asparagus pea

With bright red flowers and pods that taste like asparagus, this is easily grown in a pot. Pick the pods when 2.5cm long. Lightly steam and serve with butter for an unusual treat. Latin name: Lotus tetragonolobus.

Radicchio

Tight heads of crisp, deep green leaves redden towards autumn. Sow in early summer or, as they are cold tolerant, sow in late summer for a winter crop. Variety name: ‘Palla Rossa’.

Want to grow other types of fruit and veg? Read our guides to growing peppers in pots, growing soft fruit, growing your own winter salad, growing your own herbs or growing tomatoes in hanging baskets.