Planters for the harvest season
While Baltimore might cling still to its dregs of summer, there’s no denying that fall is moving among us. There’s a little bit of bite to the air, a sharper cadence to the blue sky. Personally, while I’ve enjoyed summer’s respite, I’m ready for the turn of the seasons—the changing palette of auburns and golds, the coming holidays, the impending home stretch of baseball season (where I certainly hope to see our Orioles!). These slow and subtle shifts are easing us into the next phase of the year, where we start to cozy up in our homes a little more, and enjoy the peaceful productivity of our harvest season.
It’s about this time of year that I always find myself working on our planters—we have a set of them out front of our row house, and I consider these small displays a proud community contribution, a way to help enrich our little street. I like to get a little creative with these planters, and so today, in the spirit of fall and the harvest, I thought I’d share with you a few fun tips for making a unique sort of fall planter: one that’s fully edible!
It’s always fun to craft your planters for both form and function—edible planters can provide you with a fresh and festive look while also enriching your upcoming meals. And hey, even if these edible plants aren’t necessarily ones you might find gracing your dinner table, it’s still a neat concept to work off of. Sometimes, guardrails help exercise our creativity.
So, a few thoughts on edible fall planter options:
1. Marigolds
Marigolds are the perfect fall floral accessory. Their rich, painterly hues—goldenrod, maroon, orange, butter yellow—are suited marvelously to fall’s scenery, and they’re hearty enough to take on a little bit of fall frost. Plus, marigolds are an excellent pest-repellent, so they’ll help keep your planters sharp and unchewed. And marigolds are edible! They make a gorgeous garnish, and themselves have a unique flavor you can mix into your meals.
2. Herbs (Dill, Chive, and Parsley)
When designing planters, it’s important to consider texture in conjunction with color. And personally, I think there’s no broader spectrum of texture than that you find among your common garden herbs! The soft, feathery fronds of dill; the curls and paper-snowflake edges of parsley; the lanky stalks of chive (we have a planter shaped like a bust of a head, and chive works very nicely as some wild green hair!). Besides, what better enhancement to your cooking—a breakfast omelet, or a beef stew—than herbs fresh from your very own garden?
3. Leafy Greens (like Swiss Chard)
With its colorful stalks and broad leaves, Swiss chard makes a great addition to your fall planter set. The bright tones of the stalks—usually a beetroot red or a sunflower yellow—add a pop of fresh color, and, when sauteed, Swiss chard makes an excellent accompanying side dish for any main course. We like to cook up some fresh scallops and serve them on a bed of sauteed Swiss chard as a special meal!
Your fall planters can add a lot of character to your home. And fall is when we begin to draw inward and turn towards our interior spaces—our kitchens, our living rooms—which makes it a perfect time to pay some thoughtful attention to those spaces, treat them with intention, the way we treat our new planters.
Are you ready to shape your home to your perfect fit? Drop me a line and let’s talk! We can make your home as fresh and lovely as those new planters.
I think it’s time to enjoy some hot tea, a good book, and leave some windows open for that crisp fall breeze. Or maybe, I’ll run down to the plant store myself, and start working on my planters!