Green Thumbs Unite: A Beginners Guide To Growing Your Own Seed on a balcony
Even in small spaces like a balcony, you can still cultivate your own fresh produce. You can grow your fruit and vegetables all year round and enjoy healthy eating. Here are some helpful tips for successful seed starting.
What Can Your Balcony Garden Grow?
Cultivating herbs can be a straightforward process, and vining plants are ideal when selecting plants requiring minimal area. These plants are some of the best options to consider when attempting to grow something on a balcony:
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Zucchini
- Summer squash
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Mint
- Rosemary
- Cilantro
- Lavender
- Parsley
- Basil
- Tarragon
- Radishes
- Spring onions
Consider positioning your herbs on the sunniest part of your balcony for full or partial sunlight (at least four hours). Alternatively, you could keep them indoors near a window and save your balcony for plants requiring larger pots and more space.
By contrast, leafy vegetables and root vegetables are well-suited for areas of low light.
Before You Get Started
Before beginning to grow your plants, determine whether it is beneficial to start them indoors and then relocate them to the balcony.
Figure Out the Amount of Sun Your Balcony Gets
When your balcony has access to six or more hours of sunlight (known as the full sun), you are fortunate to be able to grow a variety of plants. From three to six hours, the sun can be considered partial and if it’s between one and a half to four hours, it’s categorized as partial shade. Anything less than three hours is full shade.
When your balcony has access to six or more hours of sunlight (known as the full sun), you are fortunate to be able to grow a variety of plants. From three to six hours, the sun can be considered partial and if it’s between one and a half to four hours, it’s categorized as partial shade. Anything less than three hours is full shade.
If the sun is not beaming down directly and instead is going through leaves or any other obstruction, it is considered filtered light. You can also use the SunCalc device to accurately identify how much light your balcony receives each day.
When deciding which plants to include in your garden, seed packets can provide valuable guidance by indicating the amount of sunlight they need to flourish, as well as their preferred climate. This information can be especially important to those seeking a new home with the right environment for their favorite plants.
Determine How Much Time You Have
Before deciding on the plants for your garden, think about the watering and fertilizing demands of the crops you are looking to grow, as well as any necessary pruning needs. Consider how these commitments fit with the amount of time you want to dedicate to your garden.
As an example, if your balcony is exposed to a lot of sunshine, you may need to water your plants more than once a day. To avoid getting overwhelmed by the upkeep of your garden, it’s best to start with a small number of plants, as this will help you determine how much time and energy you want to spend on your garden before making a significant investment.
What’s the Climate Like?
When selecting plants for your balcony, consider the climate differences in comparison to ground level. Do the elements affect your balcony differently than those at ground level? Does the wind gust stronger or does the shade last longer? Hotter or colder? The Burpee’s Growing Zone Location map is an excellent resource for finding hardier plants that can endure any added climate conditions on your balcony.
Ask If You’re Authorised to Have a Garden
Prior to initiating your balcony garden, take a few moments to double-check the regulations with the management office or landlord at your residence. This is to ensure you won’t be heartbroken to learn you must tear it all down once you’ve completed setup due to against-the-rules gardening.
What You Need, Other Than the Seeds
- It is important to choose a pot that provides adequate room for root development based on the plant’s size.
- Materials for vines to climb
- Hanging baskets or troughs can be an optional but effective way of utilizing space since they do not take up floor area.
- Gloves are the perfect solution for keeping your hands free of dirt and avoiding any unsightly scratches.
- Trowel for digging
- For greater efficiency, select a watering can size appropriate to the number of plants and the amount of water they require.
- Soil
- Organic gardening fertilizer
The Layout of the Garden
When designing your garden, several factors come into play: the placement of the sunniest spots, the amount of balcony furniture, the room needed for social gatherings, and the organization of containers to enable the watering process. An additional suggestion is to order your plants with the tallest near a wall in the back and the smaller in the front for practical watering and a pleasing aesthetic.
Planting Your Fruits and Veggies
- It is more manageable to place your pots before filling them with soil, as they will be significantly lighter and simpler to shift.
- Incorporate organic potting soil into your soil, stirring in a portion of organic fertilizer.
- It is important to ensure that you are planting your seeds or seedlings to the specified depth, as advised.
- If required, more soil can be placed around the roots of the newly-planted seedlings.
- As the plants sprout, pour just enough water to moisten the soil without flooding it. Take care to ensure the leaves-ensure the leaves remain untouched by the water.
How to grow vegetables on a balcony, patio, or windowsill
No matter where you live, chances are you have seen towering buildings with countless apartment boxes dotting the landscape. If you’re lucky enough to have a balcony, however, the available outdoor space is usually limited to around 3 meters in length and
1 meter in width, not to mention the often challenging light conditions. The most important thing to remember when seasonal gardening on a balcony is that winds tend to be especially strong. As a result, plants may become overly dried out, hindering their overall productivity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has ignited the passion for gardening among many individuals, but some do not possess a yard large enough to pursue the hobby. Despite this, individuals need not forego their ambition of balcony gardening this spring and summer.
Most fruit vegetables grow proficiently in containers on patios, porches, balconies, and windowsills gardening. According to Brooke Edmunds, Oregon State University Extension Service horticulturist, however, crops that require large space, like corn, may not be practical. Alternatives include lettuce, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, carrots, beans, squash, radishes strawberries, kale, chard, and spinach, with some dwarf and miniature varieties such as Thumbelina carrots.
Moreover, hanging baskets can be employed for vine crops, while they may be grown vertically in large pots, secured to trellises, stakes, or railings. While different crops have varying degrees of tolerance for light, root and leaf crops such as beets, turnips, lettuce, cabbage, and mustard greens may be grown with a slight shade, whereas those fruits require at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. The greater the amount of sunlight, the better the crop will grow.
It is important to have sufficient drainage no matter what type of pot you are using for your container vegetable urban garden, cautions Edmunds. Drill drainage holes that are approximately half an inch from the bottom of the container and make sure the soil is able to allow the water to run off.
To improve the draining capabilities, you can place the pot on a higher surface by using bricks or boards, off of the patio or pot saucer. Starting from seed or transplanting are both good ways to begin your vegetable garden.
You should use packaged potting soil or composted soil from your local garden center to provide the best quality for your container. Avoid using topsoil and planting mix as they can be too dense and prevent water from running off. Once your seeds are planted, gently water the soil to ensure that they don’t get washed away.
To ensure the optimal growth of container-grown vegetables, regular fertilization is necessary. An all-purpose fertilizer soluble in water is most effective; it should be applied at half-strength every three to four days. Alternatively, a dry fertilizer can be spread on top of the soil every three weeks.
Additionally, compost, animal manure, blood meal, rock phosphate, and greensand are all effective growing organic vegetable fertilizer options. Adequate hydration is essential, as the soil in containers can quickly dry out, especially in direct sunlight. Water daily when the soil feels dry, being sure not to leave standing water or let the soil become soggy. Once spring and early summer crops are harvested, late summer and fall vegetables can be planted in their place