There are gardening projects that are useful.
And then there are gardening projects that result in pizza.
I know which one I’m choosing.
A pizza garden is simply a collection of vegetables and herbs that you can harvest and use on homemade pizzas.
Think fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano, peppers, rocket and perhaps a little chilli if you like your pizza with some heat.
And you absolutely don’t need a huge vegetable garden to grow one.
You can create a pizza garden:
- In a raised bed
- In containers on a patio
- On a balcony
- In grow bags
- Or, on a smaller scale, on a bright windowsill
You don’t even need to grow every ingredient.
If all you’ve got is a sunny kitchen window, grow the herbs and buy the tomatoes.
Nobody is checking whether your mozzarella is homegrown.
So whether you’ve got an enormous garden or space for three pots, here are 10 of the best plants to grow for homemade pizza.
What Is a Pizza Garden?
A pizza garden is an edible garden designed around ingredients you can use to make pizza.
You might grow ingredients for:
The sauce
Tomatoes, garlic, basil and oregano.
The toppings
Peppers, onions, chillies and courgettes.
Fresh toppings
Rocket, basil and other herbs.
You can make it as ambitious as you like.
A large vegetable garden could provide almost every vegetable and herb for your pizzas.
A balcony might provide tomatoes, peppers and herbs.
And a windowsill can still give you fresh basil, oregano and thyme.
The aim isn’t necessarily to produce an entirely self-sufficient pizza.
It’s to grow ingredients that are noticeably better when they’re picked fresh.
Best Pizza Garden Plants at a Glance
| Plant | What You’ll Use It For | Containers? | Indoors? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Sauce & toppings | Excellent | Difficult long-term |
| Basil | Sauce & fresh topping | Excellent | Yes |
| Oregano | Sauce & seasoning | Excellent | Yes |
| Peppers | Toppings | Excellent | Possible |
| Chillies | Toppings & chilli oil | Excellent | Possible |
| Rocket | Fresh topping | Excellent | Possible |
| Onions | Sauce & toppings | Yes | Not ideal |
| Garlic | Sauce & toppings | Yes | Not really |
| Thyme | Sauce & seasoning | Excellent | Yes |
| Courgettes | Toppings | Yes, large pots | No |
1. Tomatoes
Best pizza garden plant
We have to start with tomatoes.
Fresh tomatoes can be used for:
- Pizza sauce
- Fresh tomato toppings
- Roasted tomatoes
- Tomato and basil pizzas
- Cherry tomato toppings
And tomatoes are surprisingly well suited to container gardening.
Growing tomatoes in pots
You don’t need a vegetable patch.
Many tomatoes can be grown in:
- Large pots
- Grow bags
- Raised planters
- Patio containers
Compact and bush varieties are particularly useful where space is limited.
Larger indeterminate varieties need more substantial support and room to grow.
Tomatoes also need lots of light.
This isn’t a crop I’d recommend attempting on a dark indoor windowsill unless you’re prepared to provide substantial supplementary lighting.
Don’t forget support
Many tomato plants need staking or another support system as they grow.
It’s much easier to add support early than to attempt emergency structural engineering once your tomato plant has collapsed under the weight of its own ambitions.
Get your supplies here:
👉 Shop tomato seeds
👉 Shop tomato grow bags
👉 Shop tomato supports
2. Basil
Best herb for a pizza garden
Tomato and basil belong together.
Fresh basil is fantastic:
- In homemade pizza sauce
- Added underneath toppings
- Torn over pizza after cooking
- Combined with fresh tomatoes
- Made into pesto for a pizza base
Basil is also an excellent option if your growing space is limited.
Can you grow basil indoors?
Yes.
Give it a bright windowsill with plenty of light.
Regular harvesting can encourage bushier growth, so don’t be afraid to actually use it.
But harvest strategically rather than repeatedly stripping individual leaves from the bottom of the plant.
Read How to Harvest Herbs Without Killing the Plant if you’re not sure where to cut.
👉 Shop basil seeds
👉 Shop live basil plants
3. Oregano
Best classic pizza herb
If there’s one smell that immediately says pizza, oregano is probably it.
Fresh oregano can be:
- Added to tomato sauce
- Chopped into toppings
- Sprinkled onto pizza
- Harvested and dried for later
And unlike tomatoes, it doesn’t need an enormous container.
Growing oregano
Oregano likes:
- Plenty of light
- Good drainage
- Not being permanently waterlogged
It’s well suited to containers and can also grow on a bright windowsill.
That makes it one of the easiest ingredients to include in a tiny pizza garden.
👉 Shop oregano seeds or live plants
4. Sweet Peppers
Best colourful pizza topping
Peppers are fantastic if you have a sunny patio or balcony.
Fresh peppers can be:
- Sliced onto pizzas
- Roasted first
- Combined with onions
- Added to tomato sauces
They also look lovely while they’re growing, particularly as the fruits begin changing colour.
Growing peppers in containers
Peppers generally perform well in pots, provided they have:
- Enough root space
- Plenty of light
- Warmth
- Consistent watering
They’re much more demanding of light than your average windowsill herb.
If you’ve got a sunny outdoor space, brilliant.
If your only growing location is a dark kitchen shelf, stick with oregano.
👉 Shop sweet pepper seeds
5. Chillies
Best for spicy pizza
If chilli belongs on your pizza, it belongs in your pizza garden.
Chillies are particularly useful because a relatively small plant can provide plenty of fruit.
Use fresh chillies:
- Sliced onto pizzas
- Chopped into sauce
- Roasted
- Added to homemade chilli oil
- Dried for later
Can chillies grow in pots?
Absolutely.
They’re excellent container plants and can even grow indoors if you can provide sufficient warmth and light.
A sunny windowsill or bright patio is ideal.
👉 Shop chilli seeds
6. Rocket
Best fresh pizza topping
Rocket — or arugula if you’re in the US — is one of the easiest ways to make a homemade pizza look considerably fancier.
Bake your pizza.
Add fresh rocket afterwards.
Pretend you’re in a tiny Italian restaurant rather than standing in your kitchen wearing pyjama bottoms.
Rocket has a peppery flavour and works particularly well with:
- Tomatoes
- Parmesan
- Mozzarella
- Prosciutto
- Mushrooms
- Balsamic flavours
Growing rocket
Rocket is relatively fast growing and doesn’t need enormous containers.
You can grow it in:
- Window boxes
- Raised beds
- Shallow planters
- Pots
And because you’re harvesting the leaves rather than waiting months for fruit to ripen, it can give you relatively quick results.
👉 Shop rocket/arugula seeds
7. Onions
Best versatile pizza crop
Onions appear in both sauces and toppings, making them an obvious pizza-garden crop.
You can grow:
- Bulb onions
- Spring onions
- Red onions
Spring onions are particularly useful where space is limited because they don’t need the same growing room as large mature bulbs.
Growing onions in containers
Onions can be grown in containers, provided they have sufficient depth and space.
If you’re working with a tiny balcony, though, I’d prioritise more productive crops such as tomatoes, herbs and rocket.
You can always buy an onion.
This garden is meant to be fun, not a test of agricultural self-sufficiency.
👉 Shop onion seeds or sets
8. Garlic
Best pizza sauce essential
Garlic isn’t exactly an optional ingredient in my kitchen.
It can be used:
- In tomato sauce
- Roasted as a topping
- Mixed into garlic oil
- Combined with herbs
- On white pizzas
And yes, you can grow garlic in containers.
Growing garlic in pots
Garlic generally needs a longer growing period than quick crops such as rocket.
You’ll need a container deep enough for the roots and enough spacing between individual cloves.
It’s therefore probably not the first crop I’d choose for a tiny balcony pizza garden.
But if you’ve got the room, it’s a satisfying addition.
And don’t plant random supermarket garlic expecting guaranteed success. Garlic sold specifically for planting is the more reliable option.
👉 Shop garlic for planting
9. Thyme
Best extra herb for pizza sauce
Thyme doesn’t scream pizza quite as loudly as basil and oregano, but it’s incredibly useful.
It works beautifully in:
- Tomato sauces
- Mushroom pizzas
- Roasted vegetable toppings
- Garlic oil
- White pizzas
It’s also a compact herb that works well in containers.
Growing thyme
Like oregano, thyme prefers good drainage and plenty of light.
Avoid keeping the potting mix permanently soggy.
If you’ve only got room for a handful of small pots, thyme earns its place because you can use it for far more than pizza.
👉 Shop thyme seeds or plants
10. Courgettes
Best for a bigger pizza garden
Courgette — zucchini in the US — is delicious sliced thinly onto pizza.
Try it with:
- Goat’s cheese
- Mozzarella
- Basil
- Chilli
- Lemon
- Herbs
But courgette plants are not subtle.
They can become large.
Can you grow courgettes in pots?
Yes, but use a substantial container.
This isn’t a crop I’d recommend if your entire pizza garden occupies one tiny windowsill.
For a sunny patio, though, one courgette plant can be extremely productive.
Potentially too productive.
There is a point every summer when people who grow courgettes begin trying to secretly leave them on their neighbours’ doorsteps.
👉 Shop courgette/zucchini seeds
How to Grow a Pizza Garden in Pots
You absolutely don’t need a traditional vegetable patch.
In fact, a pizza garden is particularly well suited to container growing.
If you’ve got a sunny patio, I’d start with:
One large tomato pot
Choose a container-friendly tomato.
One pepper or chilli pot
Pick whichever you’re more likely to eat.
One pot of basil
Keep harvesting it regularly.
One pot of oregano
Compact and useful.
One container of rocket
For quick leafy harvests.
That’s already a genuinely productive pizza garden.
👉 Shop vegetable growing containers
👉 Shop outdoor herb pots
How to Grow a Pizza Garden on a Balcony
A balcony pizza garden needs slightly more careful planning because space matters.
Don’t try to squeeze every crop onto it.
I’d prioritise:
Tomatoes + basil + oregano + rocket
If there’s enough space, add a chilli or pepper plant.
Use vertical space wherever possible.
Tomato supports allow plants to grow upwards rather than sprawling across precious balcony floor space.
Window boxes are also brilliant for:
- Rocket
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
That leaves your larger containers for fruiting crops.
The Four-Pot Balcony Pizza Garden
If you only have room for four pots, grow:
Pot 1: Cherry tomatoes
Your main crop.
Pot 2: Basil
For sauce and fresh toppings.
Pot 3: Oregano and thyme
Two compact herbs.
Pot 4: Rocket
For fresh leaves.
That’s enough to provide several genuinely useful pizza ingredients without turning your balcony into a commercial farm.
How to Grow a Pizza Garden Indoors
No outdoor space?
You can still grow part of your pizza.
Focus on the herbs.
A bright windowsill can potentially support:
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
You could also experiment with rocket if you have sufficient light.
Tomatoes and peppers are possible indoors, but fruiting crops need significantly more light than most people realise.
If your home doesn’t provide enough natural light, a grow light can help.
Read The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Grow Lights for Houseplants if you’re considering creating a more substantial indoor edible garden.
The Three-Pot Windowsill Pizza Garden
Keep it simple.
Grow:
Basil
Your most useful fresh pizza herb.
Oregano
For that classic pizza flavour.
Thyme
For sauces and vegetable toppings.
Buy the tomatoes.
Buy the onions.
Buy the mozzarella.
You still grew part of dinner.
That counts.
Can You Grow Tomatoes Indoors for Pizza?
Yes, but they’re considerably more demanding than herbs.
Tomatoes need:
- Strong light
- Adequate root space
- Support
- Water
- Nutrients
- Pollination
A bright conservatory or dedicated grow-light setup can work.
An ordinary dark kitchen windowsill probably won’t.
If you’re completely new to growing edible plants indoors, I’d start with herbs and work upwards.
What Is the Easiest Pizza Garden for Beginners?
I’d grow just five things:
- Basil
- Oregano
- Rocket
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chillies
That gives you:
- Sauce ingredients
- Herbs
- Fresh toppings
- A leafy topping
- Spice
And everything can be grown in containers.
You can add more ambitious crops once you’ve successfully kept those alive.
What Do You Need to Start a Pizza Garden?
Not much.
You’ll need:
- Seeds or young plants
- Pots or growing containers
- Suitable potting mix
- Water
- Enough light
- Supports for plants such as tomatoes
- Fertiliser suitable for edible plants where required
👉 Shop vegetable seed starter collections
👉 Shop vegetable growing pots
👉 Shop tomato supports
👉 Shop plant labels
Pizza Garden Starter Kits
This is also a lovely project to do with children or give as a gift.
You can buy pizza-garden seed collections containing several of the classic crops together, or build your own.
I’d include:
- Tomato seeds
- Basil seeds
- Oregano seeds
- Pepper seeds
- Rocket seeds
Add a few small starter pots and labels and you’ve got an easy grow-your-own gift.
👉 Shop pizza garden seed kits
A Pizza Garden for Children
This is a particularly good first edible gardening project for children because there’s a very obvious connection between:
planting the seed → growing the plant → harvesting something → eating pizza.
That’s a lot more tangible than growing something purely because an adult insists gardening is character-building.
Choose relatively quick or visually interesting crops.
I’d use:
- Basil
- Rocket
- Cherry tomatoes
- Peppers
Let children label their pots and help harvest ingredients when they’re ready.
Then make pizzas together using whatever actually survived.
If the harvest consists of three basil leaves and one slightly questionable tomato?
That’s still a pizza garden.
What Can You Grow for Pizza Sauce?
If homemade pizza sauce is your main goal, concentrate on:
Tomatoes
The base.
Garlic
For flavour.
Basil
Fresh sweetness and fragrance.
Oregano
Classic pizza flavour.
Thyme
Optional but lovely.
You don’t need to grow all five.
Even making tomato sauce with your own fresh basil feels considerably more satisfying than opening a jar.
What Can You Grow for Pizza Toppings?
This is where you can customise the garden around the pizzas you actually eat.
Try:
- Tomatoes
- Sweet peppers
- Chillies
- Courgettes
- Onions
- Rocket
- Basil
If you hate peppers, don’t grow peppers simply because they’re on a pizza-garden list.
Growing your own food is considerably more useful when you actually like eating it.
Can You Grow Mushrooms for Pizza?
Yes — but mushrooms aren’t plants and growing them is an entirely different process from maintaining a vegetable or herb garden.
Home mushroom kits are available and could be a fun addition if mushroom pizza is your thing.
👉 Shop edible mushroom growing kits
I wouldn’t make mushrooms part of the core ten because we’re building a pizza garden, but they’re a very natural bonus.
Can You Grow Everything You Need for Pizza?
Unless you’ve got a wheat field, dairy cow and olive grove, probably not.
And that’s okay.
The aim of a pizza garden isn’t total pizza self-sufficiency.
It’s growing some of the ingredients that benefit most from being harvested fresh.
Homegrown basil?
Worth it.
Fresh cherry tomatoes?
Absolutely.
Trying to produce your own mozzarella in a one-bedroom flat because Pinterest told you to?
We have wandered away from gardening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pizza garden?
A pizza garden is a collection of herbs and vegetables grown specifically for use in homemade pizza. Common pizza garden plants include tomatoes, basil, oregano, peppers and rocket.
What plants should I put in a pizza garden?
Start with tomatoes, basil, oregano, rocket and peppers or chillies. You can then add onions, garlic, thyme and courgettes if you have more space.
Can you grow a pizza garden in pots?
Yes. Tomatoes, peppers, chillies, basil, oregano, thyme and rocket can all be grown in containers, making pizza gardens particularly suitable for patios and balconies.
Can you grow a pizza garden indoors?
You can grow a smaller pizza garden indoors. Basil, oregano and thyme are good candidates for a bright windowsill. Fruiting crops such as tomatoes generally need considerably stronger light and more space.
What is the easiest pizza plant to grow?
Herbs such as basil and oregano are among the easiest places to start. Rocket is also relatively fast growing.
What can children grow for pizza?
Basil, rocket, cherry tomatoes and peppers can make a fun children’s pizza garden because they create an obvious connection between growing food and eating it.
Can you grow tomatoes for pizza in containers?
Yes. Choose a suitably sized container and provide plenty of light, appropriate watering and support where required. Compact tomato varieties are particularly useful for small spaces.
Can you grow pizza ingredients on a balcony?
Absolutely. Tomatoes, herbs, chillies, peppers and rocket are all good candidates for a sunny balcony.
Final Thoughts
A pizza garden doesn’t need to be enormous.
And you certainly don’t need to grow every ingredient that goes onto your pizza.
Start with the things that are easy to grow and genuinely better fresh.
For a garden or patio, try:
Tomatoes + basil + oregano + peppers + rocket.
For a small balcony:
Cherry tomatoes + basil + oregano + rocket.
For a windowsill:
Basil + oregano + thyme.
Then expand if you enjoy it.
Before long, pizza night becomes an excuse to wander outside with a pair of herb snips and see what’s ready to harvest.
And even if all you’ve managed to produce is a handful of basil?
Put it on top.
You grew part of the pizza.
I’m counting it.
Continue Reading
- What Do You Need to Grow Herbs Indoors?
- How to Harvest Herbs Without Killing the Plant
- Best Plants to Grow for Baking
- 12 Best Plants to Grow for a Cocktail Garden
- Vegetables You Can Grow From Scraps
- The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Grow Lights