The Potted Winter Garden

After the garden is put to bed and before it is time to begin starting vegetables indoors, there is a valuable opportunity to create an indoor potted garden. Several species are best suited to container culture here in the north, and winter doldrums will be soothed by fresh herbs snipped from pots on a windowsill. Make good use of those grow lights and heat mats now before they are monopolized by Peppers and Tomatoes.

Useful Plants for Pots

Among the easiest and most useful plants to grow indoors over the winter are culinary herbs. Za’atar and Greek Oregano are lovers of dry heat and will do well in a terra cotta pot in a sunny south window or under warm grow lights. Use fresh leaves in gremolata, chermoula or zhoug, along with the aromatic Cilician Parsley and little Lemon Coriander leaves (and eventually immature seeds). Though the latter should be grown in ceramic pots and watered often, all of these can be kept happy indoors given regular snips and some good sun.

More culinary herbs for small pots inside include Red Featherleaf Celery, the lovely Bronze Fennel, easy Sweet Marjoram, either Glossy or Oaxacan Red Epazote for flavoring big pots of bean soup, and Pepicha for corn and onion relish (which is my favorite “fresh” winter “salsa” from pantry ingredients).

Basil is the stalwart of potted herbs, and the little Dwarf Sweet Basil is the best selection for small pots. Mrihani is unique in both appearance and flavor and seems to almost prefer pots. Thai curry is made amazing with a few leaves of Thai Basil. The oddly named Married Man Pork is truly odd in every way and waits ages to bloom even when neglected, making it a fine container plant even if you never plan to use it for food: the fragrance of the leaves is enough reason to grow it. Honestly.

Though not exactly a culinary herb the sweetly scented Roman Chamomile makes an incredible container plant. Individual flowers can be used for a soporific nightmare-ameliorating tea, and the feathery foliage is an absolute pleasure to just stroke and sniff and marvel at its apple fragrance.

Likewise, the native White Sage is a worthwhile choice for container culture, especially in the damp Northeast where drainage is key to keeping it happy. Start indoors anytime and grow on in loose soil cut with cactus mix. Beautiful.

Other not-exactly-culinary herbs to grow in containers: rare and diminutive Corsican Rue, Golden Carpet Feverfew, Spanish Catmint, and Costmary. All of these charming plants have worthwhile features, but especially fragrance.

Several Peppers, but particularly the “superhots”, are best grown in containers, as they produce the biggest crop of pods in their second year. Ghost Peppers are easy enough to grow in the garden, but are also easily overwintered inside. Chocolate Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Trinidad Scorpion, and the Chiltepin are ideal for container culture. The seeds require heat to germinate but will grow on in fairly cool conditions given enough light.

Dwarf Tomatoes like Cherokee Tiger are great for containers, but only the odd House Tomato is a reliable producer of fruits in the winter. Sow the seeds anytime and grow on in a pot in a window. Easy and actually delicious in the dead of winter. Zimbabwe Bird Pepper is worth sowing now, as is anise-scented Aztec marigold Tagetes filifolia.

Many marigolds are actually quite nice in containers, but particularly Lemon Gem Marigolds, which feature fragrant foliage and edible flowers to brighten winter salads. Their small stature and love of neglect makes them easy inside.

There are a few tea herbs that can be grown in containers of loose soil in bright light, including Balkan and Greek Mountain Teas. Beautiful and rare little Altai Dragonhead can be started indoors almost anytime. True Holy Basil can likewise be sown anytime and really must be grown in a container at all times.

Some species suitable for container culture require considerably more time to germinate than those above. These include tropical culinary herb Culantro, which needs around a month at least of high heat and bright light to sprout. The beautiful and useful Spineless Caper requires stratification and should be sown into pots placed outdoors now. Likewise, Labrador Violets are erratic germinators and require at least some cold and time to sprout indoors or out.

Not particularly useful but beautiful: Silver Lace Tansy is a rarity that we grow in containers as its unique filigreed foliage is spectacular up close. Succulent Kenilworth Ivy is marginally edible but mainly just incredibly charming and is best in a container, particularly where it can become a nuisance. Both tolerate just bright morning sun!

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