Fall in Illinois brings crisp air and golden leaves, making it the perfect time to create stunning planters that double as mini food gardens. With our state’s cooler autumn temperatures and decent rainfall, many edible plants actually thrive better than during our hot summers.
Creating a planter that’s both beautiful and useful lets you enjoy fresh harvests well into the season while adding seasonal charm to your porch or patio.
1. Kale And Ornamental Peppers Combo
The frilly edges of kale create a stunning backdrop for bright ornamental peppers. These peppers aren’t just decorative – they’re perfectly edible, though some varieties pack serious heat!
In Illinois’ fall conditions, both plants maintain their vigor even as temperatures dip. The contrast between deep green kale and the peppers’ rainbow colors (often ripening from purple to orange to red) creates a visual feast.
Plant them in a terracotta pot for extra warmth as nights cool down. The earthy container enhances the autumn feel while providing good drainage.
2. Rainbow Swiss Chard Border
Nothing brightens a fall planter like the neon stems of rainbow Swiss chard. The jewel-toned stalks practically glow against autumn’s muted palette, while providing nutritious greens for your table.
Place these beauties around the perimeter of a large container where their dramatic stems can cascade slightly over the edges. As Illinois nights grow cooler, the colors actually intensify, making them even more spectacular.
Harvest outer leaves regularly while leaving the center intact. This encourages continued growth and ensures your planter stays attractive throughout the season.
3. Herb Spiral With Trailing Nasturtiums
Create a spiral of herbs in a large container with thyme, sage, and oregano arranged by height. Their varying textures offer visual interest while providing fresh flavors for fall cooking.
Around the edges, plant trailing nasturtiums whose round leaves and bright orange or yellow flowers are entirely edible. They add a peppery kick to salads and make gorgeous garnishes for fall entertaining.
This combination thrives in Illinois’ fluctuating autumn temperatures. The herbs become more flavorful with cooler weather, while nasturtiums continue blooming until the first hard frost.
4. Lettuce Mix With Violas
Fall in Illinois provides ideal growing conditions for cool-season lettuces. Mix several varieties – oak leaf, romaine, and red leaf – for a tapestry of textures and colors that’s both beautiful and delicious.
Nestle edible violas among the lettuce plants. These charming little flowers with their sweet faces not only add unexpected color but are also completely edible, making your fall salads Instagram-worthy.
Harvest outer lettuce leaves regularly, allowing the centers to continue growing. This “cut and come again” method ensures continuous harvests while maintaining the planter’s fullness and beauty.
5. Sage And Cabbage Tower
Stack graduated pots to create a dramatic tower showcasing purple sage and ornamental cabbages. The sage’s velvety leaves and subtle purple hue complement the cabbage’s bold colors perfectly.
Both plants handle Illinois’ unpredictable fall weather with ease. Even early frosts won’t faze them – in fact, light frost makes ornamental cabbages more vibrant and intensifies sage’s flavor.
Use the fresh sage in Thanksgiving recipes while enjoying the architectural interest of the cabbages. This combination provides months of beauty, often lasting well into December in our zone.
6. Parsley And Pansy Window Box
Line a window box with alternating clumps of curly parsley and flat-leaf parsley for a lush, textural base. Their deep green foliage provides the perfect backdrop for cool-weather pansies in autumn hues.
The combination thrives during Illinois’ mild fall days and cool nights. Pansies aren’t just pretty faces – their delicate blooms have a mild, sweet flavor perfect for decorating desserts or adding to fall salads.
Mount the box where you can easily snip fresh parsley for cooking. The plants will remain productive even after light frosts, providing both beauty and flavor well into the season.
7. Miniature Root Vegetable Display
Transform a wooden half-barrel into a showcase for quick-growing baby root vegetables. Radishes, baby carrots, and miniature beets develop quickly in our cool fall temperatures and create an attractive display of varying foliage.
Arrange them with tallest foliage in the center, creating a fountain effect. For added whimsy, place plant markers made from painted stones or wooden spoons, making the planter both decorative and educational.
Harvest as needed by gently pulling a few vegetables at a time. Illinois’ fall provides perfect growing conditions, often yielding sweeter root vegetables than summer plantings due to cooler temperatures.
8. Rosemary Christmas Tree Centerpiece
Start fall with a conical rosemary plant as the dramatic focal point of your container. These architectural herbs, pruned into Christmas tree shapes, provide months of fresh flavor while creating a stunning vertical element.
Surround the base with low-growing thyme that spills slightly over the container edges. Both herbs withstand Illinois’ fluctuating fall temperatures beautifully and release wonderful fragrance when brushed against.
As holiday season approaches, your rosemary “tree” can be decorated with tiny ornaments or lights. This planter transitions perfectly from fall to winter, providing fresh herbs for Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas roasts.
9. Strawberry And Mint Hanging Basket
Fall-bearing strawberries make unexpected and charming hanging displays for Illinois porches. Their runners cascade beautifully over basket edges, and many varieties produce a second crop in early fall.
Intersperse with trailing mint varieties like chocolate mint or apple mint. The contrast between strawberry’s rounded leaves and mint’s pointed foliage creates visual interest, while both provide flavorful harvests.
Hang the basket where you can easily reach it for harvesting. The combination makes perfect additions to fall beverages – fresh strawberries and mint leaves in hot tea or apple cider are autumn luxuries straight from your garden.
10. Compact Broccoli With Calendula Accents
Small-headed broccoli varieties bred for containers create architectural interest with their bluish-green leaves and compact growth. They thrive in Illinois’ cooler fall temperatures, often producing better than in our hot summers.
Surround broccoli plants with cheerful calendula (pot marigold), whose edible orange and yellow petals brighten fall planters. These flowers handle light frost with ease, continuing to bloom when many others have faded.
Harvest broccoli side shoots regularly after the main head is cut. Calendula petals can be sprinkled on soups or salads, adding color and a mild, peppery flavor to fall meals.