Kitchen patio planters

A compact edible collection for containers, patios, and near-door harvesting.
Keep harvestable plants close to the kitchen and easy to water.
Layout notes
Keep basil and kale within arm's reach for regular harvest.
Use coral bells as a foliage contrast in mixed containers.
Plan consistent watering for edible containers in hot weather.
Layout sketch
A scaled bed view shows how the collection can sit together in space, with plant circles sized from catalog spacing and growth data.
8' x 8' bed, 3 placements
GE
LA
CO
A clump of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) in garden soil, showing the upright, branching bushy habit and terminal flower spikes of a maturing plant.
Ocimum basilicum
Genovese basil
A tender warm-season culinary herb native to tropical Africa and Asia; grown as an annual in most US climates for fragrant edible leaves and as a kitchen-garden staple. Sweet basil is the species behind Genovese, Thai, and most ornamental purple basils.
Herb
Full sun / Part sun
Consistent moisture
Zones Annual (perennial in 10a-10b)
Climate: narrow
Edible
Container
Filler
Lacinato kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia) showing the characteristic upright rosette of long, narrow, savoyed blue-green strap leaves.
Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia
Lacinato kale
A productive cool-season edible Brassica (a wild-cabbage cultivar in the Acephala / non-heading group, alongside collards). Upright blue-green strap-shaped leaves with strong kitchen-garden value and ornamental texture; grown as a cool-season annual or short-lived biennial.
Vegetable
Full sun / Part sun
Consistent moisture
Zones Annual (biennial in 6a-9b)
Climate: narrow
Edible
Filler
Coral bells (Heuchera 'Marmalade') showing a low mound of ruffled coppery-orange foliage characteristic of the Heuchera villosa-derived hybrids.
Heuchera spp.
Coral bells
A genus of compact native foliage perennials (largely Heuchera villosa hybrids in the modern colored-leaf trade) for shade edges, containers, and color contrast near paths. The 'Marmalade' cultivar shown here is heat- and humidity-tolerant and deer-resistant.
Perennial
Part sun / Part shade
Moderate water
Zones 3a-8b
Climate: moderate
Border
Container
Filler