Best Edible Flowers To Grow In Pots
Growing your own edible flowers is not always possible as many people today live in smaller apartments without a garden. If you have a balcony or some courtyard space, you can very successfully grow edible flowers in pots or containers. I will show you here how easy it is.
If you are short of space, then hanging baskets, stacking pots or vertical gardens are wonderful alternatives to using small spaces for growing beautiful edible flowers.
I had a beautiful abundant flowering stacker pot on my balcony and it was so easy to maintain. These stackable planters are easy to assemble and can be put on a wheeled platform so that they can be easily moved around.
Many studies have been done discussing the benefits of growing green walls and nurturing plants in our domestic environment.
Growing edible flowers in pots is a great way to be able to experience the joys of having a garden when you don’t have one!
Here are my top 11 easy to grow edible flowers which you can try.
Handy Tips For Growing Edible Flowers In Pots
When growing edible flowers in pots, it’s important to consider a few factors such as the size of your pot or container, what flowers are best to grow and what are the conditions they need.
Choosing The Best Pot or Container For Your Edibl Flowers
- choose a pot that is large enough to accommodate the plants you want and provide them with adequate drainage.
- When choosing your plants make sure you choose plants that won’t outgrow the pot.
- While some plants may be small when you first plant them, they can quickly grow too large for the pot. This will cause them to either take over the space, causing your other plants to die or they just won’t thrive due to a lack of the nutrients that they are needing.
Choosing Edible Plants That Like The Same Growing Conditions
- It’s important to choose plants that like the same amount sunlight and water. For instance, a cactus would not like the same moist conditions as a marigold! I know that’s extreme, but you get my drift!
- Some flowers like shady conditions, such as impatiens, begonias, and violets.
- Others will only thrive in full sun, such as cosmos, dianthus, and miniature roses.
Choosing a Good Quality Organic Potting Mix
- choose a soil that is rich in nutrients and has good drainage.
- a good quality potting soil is vital to the success of your container garden. Many of the cheaper versions you can buy will not sustain your plants sufficiently.
What Edible Flowers Grow Well in Pots
Choosing plants that are well-suited for container gardening will help ensure that your garden thrives and produces an abundance of beautiful, edible flowers.
Here are some of the best edible flowers to grow in a container garden.
10 Best Edible Flowers That Grow in Full Sun
Most of the flowers I have suggested are full sun lovers but I have included some which like a shady or part shade environment.
- Nasturtiums: low growing plants, which flowers abundantly. They can take over the space quite easily so you may find you need to control it by pulling out some as the plant matures. Choose trailing nasturtiums for pots so that they hang over the edge of your container.
- Calendula: Grows to height of 30cms (12 inches). Plant with spacing of around 20cms
- Pentas: smaller hybrids are better for containers so choose ones that will suit the type of container arrangement you will be planting. This plant will reward you with abundant clusters of star-shaped flowers in shades of red, pink, or white.
- Linaria: also known as toadflax, is a compact and easy-to-grow plant that produces delicate, snapdragon-like flowers in shades of purple, pink, yellow and white.
- Dianthus: very compact, low growing little plants. They are lovely for adding texture to your container with pretty frilly edges to the petals.
- Pineapple Sage: produces tall spikes of red flowers with a fruity, pineapple-like scent and flavor. They can grow up to 1 metre high so you will need a large container.
- Cosmos: produces daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, white, and red. They grow to a height of 60ms (2 feet) and are effective in group plantings.
- Miniature Roses: Miniature roses are a great choice for container gardens because they are compact and easy to grow.
- Sunflowers are a classic choice for a tall plant in a full-sun container. Make sure you plant the miniature version as the standard sunflower will outgrow your container and your balcony garden!
- Marigolds: short, compact plants which will self-seed themselves if left.
Edible Flowers That Grow in Partial Shade
- Pansies: perfect for container gardens and very easy to grow. Small and perfect for edges of containers.
- Violas and Johnny Jump Ups: very easy to grow and don’t mind competing for a bit of space. They are a wonderfully versatile edible flower to have in your container garden
Edible Plants That Grow in Shade
- Begonias: Low growing plants which will flourish in pots and flower abundantly. A very versatile edible flower with uses decorating cakes, desserts and cocktails.
- Impatiens: Grows to a height of about 20cms, with bright cheerful flowers. There are many hybrids available with varying heights, so check this before planting. Impatiens are very easily propagated from cuttings which can be rooted easily by popping the stems into a jar of water for a week.
- Torenia: also known as wishbone flower, produces delicate, trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of blue, pink, and purple. A small low growing plant.
Quick Tips For the Beginner Gardener So That Your Edible Flowers In Pots Flourish
- When planting your seeds or seedlings make sure you don’t plant them too close together so that they all have enough room to flourish.
- Feed your new planting with an organic seaweed and fish based foliar fertilizer. As the plants get bigger you can do this fortnightly so that they grow healthy and flower abundantly. You can also use a slow release organic fertilizer, either in a soluble granular form or liquid.
- Make sure that you keep your container well-watered – but not over watered!
- Pop a saucer or dish under your container to catch any water draining from the bottom. This will have the benefit of firstly catching any water you may not want on the floor and secondly, it will help keep ants away.
By choosing the right combination of plants, you can create a beautiful and bountiful container garden full of edible flowers.
Click here for a step-by-step process of how to grow edible flowers in pots, and which are the best edible plants to plant together.
