Imagine stepping onto your patio and being greeted by a container garden brimming with basil, sweet alyssum, glossy bell peppers, and trusses of cherry tomatoes twining up elegant obelisks.
Channel the magic of a traditional French potager kitchen garden, but design it to fit right onto a balcony, courtyard, or sunny deck.
That’s what this post on container potager layouts is all about!
Not Quite a Homestead is all about helping you create a beautiful and productive garden, no matter how big or small your space, so you can grow the plants you love. I love a good potager garden, and I’ve written a guide to designing your own French-inspired kitchen garden as well as a post on why I think a potager is the only garden you need!
Whether you have a small renter’s backyard, a city balcony, or just a sunny spot by the front door, you can make a garden that gifts you with delicious produce, fragrant herbs, and loads of color.
What Is a Container Potager Garden?
A potager (poh-tuh-zhay) is the French version of a kitchen garden that’s designed to be functional and ornamental. Traditionally, potager gardens are part of large estates, laid out in symmetrical beds and edged with boxwoods or flowers. They can be very ornate and intricate.
On the other hand, a container potager garden is a scaled-down version of this that uses pots, planters, and other containers to recreate a similar look and feel. This makes them ideal for:
- Renters who can’t plant in the ground
- Small-space gardeners with balconies, courtyards or decks
- Wheelchair-accessible gardens where raised pots and troughs make tending easier
- Garden dabblers who want to try gardening without committing to digging up the yard
- Seasonal displays to complement an existing garden
Why Choose a Container Potager Garden?
A container kitchen garden is a great way to play around with vegetable gardening without making a big investment or commitment. Creating a raised bed or in-ground garden complete with pathways, structures, a greenhouse and more, takes a lot of time and energy.
You really have to know what you want if you’re going that route!
Instead, try making a container potager so that you can:
- Have flexibility. Rearrange your garden whenever you like.
- Play with style. Mix pots, plants, and vertical features to create a look that’s truly you.
- Enjoy an accessible garden. Place pots right outside your kitchen for easy harvesting; put them in a sunniest part of your yard, even if that’s on the patio.
- Create year-round interest. Pots make it easy to swap plants in and out with the seasons. This is especially great if you live in a mild climate and can garden all year.
Key Design Elements for a Container Potager
Every garden masterpiece includes a few key design elements and a container garden is no exception! Anytime I design a garden for myself or for others, I keep these four elements in mind.
1. Mix and Match Plants
One of the best parts of any potager is the mix of functionality and beauty.
Let me just release you from designing a vegetable garden that’s just for production. You are allowed to choose pretty plants!
Try growing purple string beans, pink or yellow tomatoes, dark opal basil, or patty pan squash. Vegetables can be beautiful if you find the right ones.
Mix them with colorful flowers (edible ones check all the boxes!) like marigolds, nasturtium, or zinnias.
I love a garden with a theme, and I’ve put together a post on themed vegetable gardens for small spaces.
Take a look for inspiration on mixing and matching plants.
2. Play with Height, Shape, and Texture
Avoid a flat look by mixing tall, medium, and trailing plants. Growing up and not just out will keep your garden looking more interesting.
- Put obelisks or trellises in large pots to add height.
- Use plant stands or pedestals to raise some pots higher.
- Mix foliage textures like grassy chives and wide, glossy chard leaves to add more interest.
- Plant trailing plants that will spill over the sides of pots.
3. Keep Materials Cohesive
Reimagine utilitarian things like containers, gardening tools, and watering cans. These don’t have to be ugly or uninspiring.
Use beautiful containers. Find a cute watering can that fits your aesthetic and leave it out by your garden as part of the decor.
It’s OK to have pretty things.
But keep it cohesive by choosing elements in the same material or color family. Even better if you can get things that match your patio or house.
- terracotta
- wood
- glazed ceramic
- galvanized metal
4. Accessibility and Proximity
Container gardens are great for accessibility because you can place a container almost anywhere.
Keep containers close to your kitchen or seating area so it’s easy to harvest on a whim and enjoy your garden as you relax.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
5 Simple Container Potager Layout Ideas
Here are five ways to arrange your pots to create a gorgeous container potager garden for your space. In each visual, you’ll see a container filled with plants that would grow well together and paths, walls, or furniture.
I’ve also included links to pots that I thought might work for each layout to help you imagine what the space could look like.
I’m also giving away a free download of these ideas plus some bonus content in a container potager layouts PDF when you subscribe using the link here or at the end of the post.
1. The Windowbox Potager
While you may or may not be able to use an actual windowbox, the concept is still there—one or two long, narrow planters brimming with herbs, leafy greens, flowers, and compact veggies.
Bulky veggies anchor the center, while herbs and trailing plants soften the edges of the box.
This layout works especially well for balconies, porch railings, and sunny kitchen windows, bringing the garden right at arm’s reach without taking up extra floor space.
Try to get the deepest windowbox or planter you can, and make sure to use compact (dwarf or mini) vegetable plants.
Container options:
- Veradek Block Series: Rectangular planter that comes in black, gray, or white and a variety of sizes.
- Mayne Fairfield Window Box: Multiple colors, classic design, and self-watering
2. The Double Dot-Dash-Dot
A formal nod to traditional French potagers, this design is best suited for long, narrow patios or side yards.
Identical planters and pots flank the borders of the patio or walkway.
In each long rectangular planter (the dash), a tall feature plant like a cherry tomato with an obelisk dominates the center. Around it, smaller vegetables and herbs create a lush underplanting.
Matching pots (the dots) on either end of the rectangular planters tie the whole scene together.
The symmetry of this container garden design creates a sense of order and elegance, while the tall plants draw the eye upward and add vertical interest.
Repeated elements of matching pots and planters combined with matching plants make the garden feel cohesive.
Container options:
- Crescent Garden Planter Pot: Classic rolled rim in a variety of terracotta colors
- DIY Cartel Corten Steel Rectangular Planter Box: A bit more rustic, but the patina is a classic
3. The Mobile Garden
This layout is ideal for small, multipurpose patios where flexibility is essential. You may need to roll plants out of the way, or maybe you just enjoy rearranging with the seasons (or the sunshine!).
Putting pots on plant caddies or drip trays with wheels will make it a cinch to follow the light or clear the space for entertaining.
Choose a sturdy trellis for the larger pots and underplant the taller plants with low-growing or trailing flowers such as sweet alyssum, or nasturtium.
Fill the smaller pots with scented herbs and flowers to add fragrance to your space.
I like the tiered plant heights in this arrangement for adding lots of visual interest and maximizing growing space in each container.
Use containers in any color or style you like for this layout. Steer clear of heavy containers and look for plastic or fiberglass instead that will be easy to move.
I like this one from Crescent Gardens that I also linked above.
4. The Immersive Garden
Think of this like a living room outdoors. Your garden forms the walls of the room.
Large and small pots surround a seating area and fill the “room” with foliage, flowers, and delicious scents.
Trellises and obelisks create green privacy walls, while shady pockets beneath the tall plants shelter tender greens and herbs.
You can add pots of colorful flowers on the sides to attract pollinators and provide color.
Enclosing a space with plants creates intimacy and immerses you in the garden. Smart vertical planting offers privacy and productivity, while fragrant herbs and flowers engage the senses.
I’d love to relax in this container garden with a cup of ice cold lemonade, wouldn’t you?
Container Options:
- Yundu Concrete Planter set: Distressed concrete plant pots
- Safavieh Kane Collection set: Terracotta color crafted in cement and ficonstone
5. The Potted Pathway
For those dreaming of an estate in a formal French style, but are stuck in a tiny home or apartment, this garden layout was made for you.
A curated collection of pots line a path or entryway. The largest pots have obelisks for tall plants and climbers, like pole beans or cucumbers.
Smaller containers overflow with sweet-smelling herbs and elegant flowers.
The symmetry and repetition in this layout creates a sense of order and elegance, much like a traditional French potager, but in a scaled-down, more achievable form.
This is such an inviting space and can be made as grand or formal as you want it to be. I’d suggest finding ornate, matching pots and fancy trellises for this one.
Container Options:
- Sunnydaze Arabella Plant Pot: An affordable alternative to heavy stone or concrete planters, and has pretty scrollwork on the sides
- Arbora Cannes Urn: Comes in black, gray and cream
Tips to Make Your Container Garden a Success
- Select the biggest containers you can. Pots should be at least 10 inches deep; 12×12 inch pots or larger are ideal for vegetables.
- Fill containers with quality potting soil. Most mixes have peat or coco coir as their primary ingredient, plus perlite or vermiculite to lighten the mix, and added fertilizer to feed plants as they grow.
- Make sure each container has a drainage hole. Water needs to escape the pots or the plants will drown.
- Water pots daily in really hot weather. The bigger the plant, the bigger it’s root system, and the more thirsty it will be!
- About a month into the growing season, begin fertilizing containers weekly or bi-weekly with a balanced liquid feed. Switch to a bloom booster (higher potassium) when plants start flowering to support flower and fruit production.
- Rotate pots for even sun exposure.
- Replace tired plants with fresh ones to keep the display looking its best.
- Check for pests like aphids and treat early. Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew, neem oil spray, or BT are good pesticides to use on vegetable plants.
Grow Beautifully and Bountifully in Your Container Garden
With just a few well-chosen pots, a mix of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and a thoughtful layout, you can have a French-inspired container potager garden that’s as pretty as it is productive.
Start small and enjoy the process.
It won’t be long before you’ll have a space that you love being in, and that brings in delicious harvests for your table.
Download the free Container Potager Garden layout PDF below. It includes all these layouts plus one extra, as well as lists of suggested plants for each layout and other bonuses.