Top Edibles for Apartment Gardens
Meet some of the best edibles—veggies and herbs—that thrive in the tight confines of apartment gardens.
Dealing with limited space for growing? Don't worry: there are plenty of edible varieties that will deliver even when your growing space is cramped. Below are some of our favorites.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds
'Atlas' Carrot
Round Parisian market style carrots are the perfect size for pots. Roots are ready to harvest when they reach 1 inch across. Tops grow to 6 inches. Take care to avoid drought stress, which causes the round roots to elongate.

Burpee
'Kale Blend'
Get your flavonoid-packed greens fresh from the windowsill with this hearty kale mix. The blend contains the classic varieties frilly ‘Winterbor,’ reddish-pink ‘Redbor,’ and blue ‘Dwarf Curled Vates.’ Heirloom ‘Lacinato’ kale, also known as Tuscan or dinosaur kale, completes the mix.

Ball Horticultural Company
'Little Napoli' Tomato
Want a Roma for containers that yields enough ‘maters for salsa or sauce? Little Napoli is the plant for you. This beauty flourishes in pots and yields fruit in flushes, easily producing enough meaty fruits for a batch of your favorite concoction. Plants have strong disease resistance.

All-America Selections
'Rivoli' Radish
Watermelon-red skins clothe crisp white flesh on ‘Rivoli’ radish. This crunchy root ripens in 30 days, growing happily in containers. Perfect harvest size is 1.5 inches, but you can pull roots smaller or larger. Don’t forget to pick the leaves and eat thinnings. Radish leaves deliver a zesty bite.

Johnny's Selected Seeds
Mexican Mint Marigold
This beauty goes by many names: Texas tarragon, yerba anise and false tarragon. The leaves deliver an anise-like flavor that can sub for French tarragon in dishes. Gold blooms appear late in the season and linger into fall. Petals are edible and make a nice addition to autumn salads and desserts. Harvest leaves as needed, or pick many at once and air dry for long-term storage.

Burpee
'Pagoda' Pea
Plan to stake this prolific pea, which grows 26 to 30 inches tall. Branches form right angles with the main stem, making picking a snap. Each branch bears two to three pods, so heavy harvests are standard. ‘Pagoda’ adapts well to growing in pots.

Ball Horticultural Company
'Dolce Fresca' Basil
Plants are bushy and lush, topping out at 2 feet and yielding large leaves packed with rich basil flavor. Flowers form late in the growing season, so you shouldn’t have to spend the summer pinching buds on stems. With regular harvest, expect to pick one-half cup of leaves per week. 'Dolce Fresca' basil is a 2015 All-America Selections winner.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Spicy Micro Greens
Micro greens adapt readily to apartment gardens, growing happily in containers. Greens are shallow rooted, so your pots don’t have to be deep. This spicy micro green mix features a blend of red and green mustards that deliver a gently pungent bite. Look for mild micro green mixes, too, if the spicy blend doesn’t suit your palate.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds
'Antaris' Parsley
This flavorful herb has double and triple curled leaves and a rich traditional parsley flavor. Grow from seed in pots indoors or on an outside patio or balcony. Germination takes two to four weeks.

Burpee
'Sweet Savour' Sweet Pepper
Pick a peck of peppers for pickling, roasting or eating out of hand with this sweet pepper. Fruits ripen in a blaze of hues, including orange, yellow, red and purple. Peppers resemble hot peppers, but offer a sweet bite. Plants thrive in containers and yield readily. When the harvest is heaviest, pick some peppers to dry and create strings or ristras.

Johnny’s Selected Seeds
'Lemon Star' Marigold
This pretty bloomer tops out at 12 to 18 inches, a just-right size for growing in containers. Petals of the bicolor blooms are edible and make a nice addition to salads, sandwiches and rice or egg dishes. Leaves have a citrusy flavor that’s tasty on sandwiches, fish or salads. Remove spent flowers to keep the blossoms coming.

Burpee
Lettuce 'All Season Romaine Mix'
Keep your salad bowl at the ready when you grow this romaine lettuce blend. It includes varieties to ensure you’ll have a season-long harvest—and colorful salads. Varieties include green ‘Craquerelle Du Midi,’ green spotted red ‘Forellenschluss (also known as ‘Speckled Trout Back’),’ bright green ‘Little Gem,’ deep red ‘Rosalita’ and medium red ‘Rouge d’Hiver.’

Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Lemon Thyme
Wonderful lemon aromas arise from the glossy leaves of this pretty thyme. It grows well in small pots and is a great choice for an apartment garden. Use the leaves or whole stems to flavor fish, veggies, salads or beverages.