SEEDS FOR USE IN CONTAINER CULTURE
In the hands of a determined gardener, almost any plant may be grown successfully in a container. This list is for less-than-determined gardeners who'd like to grow plants in pots on their balcony or patio without a lot of fuss. Unless otherwise specified, these plants will require at least 6 hours of full sun.
VEGETABLES
Parsley Pea
This peculiar little pea produces hypertendrils with tiny pea-flavored leaves that are perfect for salads. In addition to greens, stout plants produce delicious little snap peas that can be eaten pod and all. Very precocious; has set pods for me whilst still in a 2" pot!
Cherokee Tiger Black Tomato
Cherokee Tiger Black is a dwarf tomato with stunning chartreuse foliage that persists through the entire season. Plants grow to about 3' in a 12" container and set a good crop of delicious salad-sized striped tomatoes. Also available is the even smaller Cherokee Tiger Black MINI, which is suitable for small containers. Gorgeous plants, worth growing for foliage alone.
Erbette Perpetual Spinach
Erbette is not a spinach botanically, but can be used like spinach in almost any recipe. This unusual vegetable is related to chard and is common to Italian cuisine. Plants will produce tender and delicious greens throughout the summer and autumn. Harvest regularly. Multiple plants will fit into a large shallow container. The best and probably most nutritious of cut-and-come-again greens.
Gelber Englischer Squash
An ancient strain that produces beautiful fruits appropriate for use as zucchini when young. Allowed to mature, they are incredibly decorative too-cool-to-eat winter squash that will keep for months. Young fruits look like mushrooms or baroque UFOs and are perfect for grilled kebabs. Bush plants are relatively compact and can be grown in a 12" container filled with good soil amended with compost. Productive. Fertilize, water, and harvest frequently.
Cumari do Para Pepper
The tiny lemon yellow peppers of this wild Brazillian species are sweet, fruity and habanero-hot. Unlike actual habaneros, however, the heat is ephemeral and does not linger. Plants are attractive with a dense canopy of leaves and spreading habit. Very decorative and productive. Makes an amazing hot sauce. Overwinter indoors for an even more impressive crop in the second year. The most delicious pepper I have grown.
Noir des Carmes Melon
This old French melon is commonly used for forcing during the winter months in France and the United Kingdom. It is tough and precocious and will produce under almost any conditions. In a large container well-tended plants will set a good crop of beautiful black pumpkin-shaped melons that very politely turn orange when they're ready to eat. Flowers are fragrant and edible. Hand pollinate and use male flowers for cocktails and fruit salads. Best size and flavor with good fertile soil and weekly applications of Neptune's Organic Fish & Seaweed. Vines can grow to 5' and fruits will require support.
Malabar Spinach
Crazy vining tropical with magenta stems and succulent leaves that are excellent raw. Aggressive growth requires a trellis or teepee, but plants don't seem to be particular about pot size or soil. Best performance in hot weather and lots of sun. Cool nights and wet feet will halt growth. Unique, attractive, and nutritious.
Asparagus Pea
An ancient species that has been grown primarily as an ornamental in the past few hundred years, but odd winged pods are quite delicious and very nutritious when picked at 1"-2". They must be cooked, and are excellent stir-fried. Beautiful deep red flowers are gorgeous and edible. Mounding growth is perfect for containers.
Mouse Melon
Rampant and productive wiry vines require a trellis or teepee. Fruits resemble tiny watermelons, taste like sour cucumbers, and can be eaten raw or pickled. Fantastic in cocktails and on a hummus plate. Adorable and easy.
Gotu Kola
Marketed primarily as an herbal supplement in the West, this plant is a common salad vegetable in the East. Stoloniferous plants require large containers and lots of water. Incredibly nutritious. Requires some patience from seed but worth it.
FRUITS
White Delight Strawberry
This unique variety of strawberry is more vigorous than others, and produces a good crop of relatively large delicious and fragrant white fruits over a long season. Very happy in a 6" ceramic pot. Fertilize every two weeks or so with Neptune's Organic Fish & Seaweed. Pick ripe fruits daily.
EDIBLE FLOWERS
Radio Calendula
This variety of Calendula dates to the 1930s. Clear orange quilled petals are edible and hold up to high temperatures, making them suitable for use in savory scones and such. Flowers lack the resin common to medicinal strains, making them much more palatable. Sprinkle over salads and scrambled eggs. Makes an excellent container companion for Borage. Tolerates shade.
Borage
Borage is edible in its entirety and commonly used to stuff ravioli in Italy. Borage flowers specifically are a gorgeous clear blue, are shaped like stars, and taste of cucumber. Try freezing flowers in distilled water for pretty ice cubes. Add them to salads willy-nilly. Plants will sometimes flop in containers and are best planted in combination with other species.
Signet Marigold
Though all species of Marigold are technically edible, few of them are actually palatable. The species Tagetes tenuifolia, commonly referred to as the Signet Marigold, is easy to grow and produces hundreds of small citrus-scented flowers on compact plants. Pinch young plants to encourage a rounded habit. Single plants will be happy in 6" terracotta pots. Varieties available include Lemon Gem and Tangerine Gem.
HERBS
Cilician Parsley
Among the herbs we grow and sell, this has to be one of the most precious and unique: Cilician Parsley is an ancient strain brought to the attention of gardeners by William Woys Weaver. More delicate in texture and flavor than Italian Parsley, Cilician Parsley is perfect for containers and will appreciate a good deal of shade.
Fijne Krul Chervil
One of the big four of French 'Fine Herbes', Chervil is very happy in small containers. Appreciates shade and cooler temperatures. Harvest frequently to discourage flowers. Quite content in a windowsil.
Lime Basil
This underappreciated species has an incredible lime fragrance and flavor that is wonderful in salsas and cucumber salads. Tastes like summer to me. Makes an amazing sorbet. Very happy in a 6" terracotta pot. Harvest regularly to discourage blooms, which diminish the quality of the leaves. Flowers are also edible and possess the same great fragrance and flavor. Sprinkle them over lemon curd tartlets.
Aka Shiso
Rather tragically known as ‘Beefsteak Plant' in this country, Aka Shiso is common to Japanese cuisine and is a useful herb that will make a delicious bright pink syrup for use in pickles and soda. Aka Shiso is responsible for the color and unique flavor of umeboshi plums. Pretty enough to grow for purely ornamental purposes. Fast growing. Pinch regularly to discourage flowers.
Garlic Chives
Easily grown from seed in a small container. Will happily overwinter in a sunny windowsil. All parts are edible. Foliage is somewhat lily-like and quite ornamental. Flowers are sweetly fragrant. Appreciates full sun and frequent water. Delicious, nutritious and undervalued. Will tolerate more shade than common Chives.
OTHER THINGS
Blue Butterfly Pea
Stunning blue flowers are edible and a single flower muddled in a glass will magically color beverages pink, purple or blue depending on pH. Happiest in long, hot summers and partial shade. Few flowers here in the Hudson Valley. Delicate foliage is beautiful in its own right. Easy and worth growing.
Cranberry Hibiscus
This tropical species has cut red leaves that are not unlike those of a Japanese Maple. Easy and beautiful. Can be pruned to shape. Will grow to tree-like proportions in a large pot, but perfectly happy in a deep 8" container. Blooms in late autumn. Flowers may be dried for use as an edible dye. Leaves are cooked and eaten in some cultures.
Lace Leaf Vitex
Another Japanese Maple imposter, Lace Leaf Vitex is a fragrant flowering species that thrives in a container and is suitable for Bonsai. Edible and medicinal, but attractive enough to grow for purely ornamental purposes.
Kenilworth Ivy
Common to castles and stone walls throughout Europe and especially the UK, Kenilworth Ivy has pretty purple little snapdragon flowers that tuck themselves into crevices once pollinated. Leaves are succulent and edible, although probably best as a novelty. Likes shade and moisture. Grows and spreads quickly. Adorable. Possibly invasive in warmer locations, but doesn't overwinter for me in Zone 5.
Naranjilla
Large tropical Solanum that produces delicious fruit suitable for juicing. Stunning foliage is covered in interesting silver or purple fuzz and sometimes spikes! Requires heat and sun to produce fruit in the north. Start seeds as early as possible. Ornamental and worth growing for foliage alone.
Moss Verbena
Moss Verbena is a butterfly and pollinator magnet. Plants are low and spreading and flowers will cascade beautifully out of containers. Especially important for urban container gardens. Easy to grow.
Tall Sweet Alyssum
Attractive to pollinators and parasitic wasps, this species will also waft a sweet perfume. Happy in a small container; several pots here and there are highly recommended. Shear as necessary to encourage continued blooming. Will tolerate some shade.