Want to Grow Edibles in Pots? Top 10 Patio Plants You Can Eat

Want to grow edible plants in pots or containers? If you’re short on garden space, live in a city apartment, or only have a small deck, courtyard, or patio, you can make the most of container gardening to grow some of your own delicious produce.

In this article, we’ll be sharing ten of the most popular and easy-to-grow patio plants you can eat. This will give you an idea of what might be best to grow in your situation, as some edibles are better suited to pots and containers than others.

Let’s take a look!

10 Easy-to-Grow Patio Plants You Can Eat

1. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a popular choice for growing in pots on a patio or balcony. They’re easy to grow and can be a lot of fun, especially once they start setting fruit. At this stage, you can watch the trusses of developing fruit grow bigger each day.

Before choosing tomatoes for your patio garden, there are a few key things you’ll need to consider:

First, they need a large pot or container to grow in. Even if you choose a dwarf variety, the container should be at least 12 inches deep, preferably deeper.

Second, you’ll need to provide staking or a tomato cage for support once the plants begin to grow. Tomatoes grow fast, so it’s best to add support at the time of planting.

And third, tomatoes don’t like the cold, so you’ll need a warm, sheltered spot that gets between 6 and 8 hours of full sun.

2. Herbs

Herbs are another great choice for patio plants you can eat. In addition to being edible, many herbs produce attractive flowers that brighten your outdoor space.

Once again, the size of the container you grow them in is important. Many smaller herbs don’t develop extensive root systems, so you can get away with a pot about 6 to 8 inches deep. However, for larger herbs, you’ll need a pot about 12 inches deep.

As a rule of thumb, choose a container based on the size of the fully mature plant.

• Handy Tip: You can also combine multiple herbs in one pot or planter. Just remember to pair them with herbs that prefer the same growing conditions.
• If you’d like to learn more about successfully growing multiple herbs together, check out our companion planting guides here »

Some well-known herbs that grow well in pots include parsley, chives, basil, cilantro, and mint. Others include sage, oregano, thyme, lemon balm, and rosemary.

3. Salad greens

Salad greens such as lettuce, spinach, and arugula grow well in containers and are quick and easy to grow. Adding these edibles to your patio garden gives you fresh, young salad leaves right at your doorstep, ready to harvest whenever you need them.

Salad greens are best grown from seed. You can plant them in small pots, troughs, or planter boxes that hold at least 4 to 6 inches of potting mix. For cut-and-come-again salads, you can either stick with loose-leaf lettuce varieties or experiment with mesclun salad blends.

Salad greens grow best in partial sun and require regular watering to keep the soil moist.

4. Strawberries

Strawberries are among the best patio plants you can eat. Not only are they delicious, but they also add color to your container garden when they flower and bear fruit.

While these berries grow well in almost any planter box or container, they do best in a strawberry jar or planter. Strawberry planters are tall, urn-shaped pots with openings or pockets down the sides. They allow many plants to grow in one pot and make an attractive addition to your container garden.

Once your strawberry plants begin to develop fruit, you’ll need to protect them from birds and pests, such as slugs and snails, that will try to beat you to your tasty crop.

Strawberries require full sun and regular watering, but if you look after them well, they will continue to produce fruit for several years.

5. Beans

Beans are another easy-to-grow option for pots or containers and require a sunny, sheltered spot. There are two main types of beans to consider for this purpose: bush beans and pole beans.

Bush or dwarf beans don’t need any support and grow up to two feet tall. They start producing pods ready for harvest in about six weeks, which is quicker than pole beans. However, they have a short growing season and must be harvested almost all at once.

Pole or climbing beans grow up to eight feet tall and require a trellis or staking for support. They also develop larger roots, so you’ll need a pot or planter box that holds about 8 to 9 inches of soil. Pole beans take a little longer to start producing but have a longer growing season. Their bright flowers are also an attractive feature.

6. Peas

Like beans, peas make an excellent addition to your patio garden or balcony. They are quick and easy to grow, which is a good thing because you really can’t beat the taste of freshly picked peas.

You will need to provide them with some kind of support to grow up. But if you’re already considering growing beans, you could combine the two.

The three types of peas you can grow in pots or containers are: English peas, snow peas, and snap peas.

Peas have shallow roots, so you can use a pot or container that is 8 inches deep. You can also use troughs or rectangular planters, such as window boxes, and select one that is at least 20 inches wide.

7. Peppers

There are many types of peppers, from sweet bell-shaped peppers to chili peppers, and they make the perfect patio plant that you can eat. The key is to start them early in spring so they have plenty of time to grow and produce during the summer.

Peppers need a warm, sunny spot to thrive. So if you live in an area that gets late frosts, start your plants indoors in small pots, then transplant them outside into larger ones once the weather warms up. They also need room for their roots to grow, so the ideal container size for most peppers is 9 to 12 inches wide and 12 to 17 inches deep.

8. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are another great option for patio growing and can be grown successfully in pots. However, it is important to choose the right type to get the best results.

The two main types are bush cucumbers and vining cucumbers.

If you don’t have much space, select a bush variety. These are more compact and grow to about three feet tall. If you choose a vining type, remember that they like to spread, so they are best trained up a trellis or vertical wires.

Cucumbers need a large container that allows room for their roots to grow. Pick one that holds about 5 gallons and fill it with high-quality potting mix. Plant one plant per pot. Select a bright, sunny spot for your plants and water them regularly, as they don’t like to dry out.

9. Zucchini and summer squash

Zucchini and summer squash are easy to grow in containers and can thrive on a patio, deck, or balcony. They are fast-growing and ready to harvest quickly. Just one plant can provide an abundant harvest throughout the summer.

When choosing a variety, opt for a bush variety, as these are better suited to containers. Zucchini and summer squash have large root systems, so they need a large container to grow in. As with cucumbers, you can use a 5-gallon bucket for each plant. But if you can find a larger container at least 12 inches deep, that’s even better.

Zucchini and summer squash are hungry plants, so you’ll need to feed and water them regularly if you want them to grow and produce well. Position the container in an area that gets at least 6 hours of full sun, and keep the soil consistently moist.

10. Lemons

Lemons deserve a spot on our list of patio plants you can eat. While they require a little more patience and effort to grow, they are well worth it. They also make an attractive feature in your container garden.

When growing a lemon tree in a pot, it is important to choose the right variety. The Meyer dwarf is an ideal choice because it doesn’t grow as large and can tolerate cooler climates. However, other varieties can also do well in pots, provided the pot is big enough.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, we hope this list has given you some ideas and inspiration for the best edible plants to grow in pots and containers. So if you’re short on garden space or only have a small balcony, courtyard, or patio, you can still enjoy the benefits of growing some of your own produce.

 

Last update on 2026-09-01 / Affiliate links / Some images and data from Amazon Product Advertising API