"Thriller, Filler, Spiller" Planting Method: But Make it Edible!

The tall central epazote herb will grow tall enough to tower over these Roma tomatoes

If you’ve never heard of the "Thriller, Filler, Spiller" method, this is most often used in reference to container gardening, by using this method we incorporate 3 plants of differing growth habits to create an overall visual effect of a full and lush, even overflowing appearance in a filled pot.

Your ‘thriller’ is an upright plant, taller than the rest, sometimes an ornamental grass. The ‘Filler’ is the bushy midsize plant that fills-in the space. The ‘Spiller’ is a low growing or trailing plant that reaches or hangs over the side of the pot, spilling over. All together the dynamic is such that none of the 3 elements overshadow the other, rather they enhance one another for a stellar finished look. Not only that, but it also mimics the biodiversity seen in nature.

Examples: 1. Sunflower, bush beans and trailing nasturtium. 2. Indeterminate tomato, marigolds and low-growing oregano. 3. Corn, Pole beans and winter squash, the 3 sisters!

It also mimics ancient gardening practices such as the ‘Three Sisters’ method, for more info on that read my blog here. It’s not only pretty, but the mix ensures the soil is well covered, making for less water evaporation and therefore less watering for you!

I personally love planting my garden in patches and patterns and often steer away from tidy rows. In my main veggie bed, I’m using the method like this: in the center of the bed are my 2 big indeterminate tomato plants that need large stakes, a cherry tomato and a heirloom slicer. Surrounding them are the smaller veggies, short determinate Roma and San Marzano tomatoes, some peppers like jalapeno and serrano and red and orange marigolds. At the edges of the bed I’ve tucked in sweet alyssum, nasturtium (just seeded) and a few herbs, including borage, which blooms edible flowers.

Below you’ll find plants that you can mix and match for your own garden! Get creative!:

Thrillers: This will be your tall or vine plants: indeterminate tomatoes, corn, sunflowers, peas, pole beans, cucumber, anything that will grow tall and upright or will be trained upright like vines on a trellis or stake.

Fillers: This will be the bushy midsize veggies and flowers: peppers, marigolds, rudbeckia, determinate tomatoes, bush beans, zucchini, crookneck squash, swish chard, rhubarb.

Spillers: This will be trailing or low growing flowers and herbs: sweet alyssum, nasturtium, leafy greens, watermelon, pumpkin or any other vining gourd or winter squash. Herbs, especially low-growing herbs like golden oregano.