Winter containers have to be the easiest, most beautiful, most convenient, and dare I say most rewarding gardens a busy woman can grow. They overflow with edible goodness and abundance of color, and are like dynamite: big impact, small packaging. If you’re anything like me, that is exactly what you’re looking for this time of year. A Winter porch garden could be exactly what you need.
My very first edible porch planter came from me breaking the cardinal rule of Wild Child gardening: I went to the nursery on a whim, without a plan. I came home with more than I had room for, so I stuffed lettuce in my window boxes, chard in the pots where my mums once were, and cilantro everywhere. The result was shocking: a gorgeous Winter porch garden.
Now, several years later, I have mastered the art of edible containers, and I teach it to the gardeners I coach inside of my program, The Wild Child Kitchen Garden Academy.
Here are a few tricks to remember when creating these gorgeous planters that provide something to add to your supper table all season, while staying beautiful:
- Use quality bagged potting soil. Drainage is key in containers, so you want the good stuff.
- Group tall plants like Swiss chard, mustard greens, parsley, cilantro, and arugula in the middle of the pot for height.
- Group trailing plants like thyme, oregano, marjoram, sage, and violas around the edges for beauty.
- Stuff lettuces of all kinds in every nook and cranny left.
- Feed a high-quality organic granular feed like Jobe’s or Epsoma weekly to keep the beauty coming, and only water when needed—generally around once a week.
The beauty of these plants is that they only require around four hours of sun every day, and you can give them that most anywhere. AND, all of the plants in these edible containers will keep producing for you all Winter, and even into Spring. They are cut-and-come-again, so go out, grab what you need (no shoes required)—leaving at least 1⁄3 of the plant behind—and voilà. You’ve got gorgeous edible container gardens all season long. You can’t go wrong with these!! If you try them, tag me @wildchildkitchengardens. I would love to see your creation!