How to start a Vegetable Balcony Garden

Do you want to create your own oasis on your balcony or garden then this if for you! Do you live in a rented apartment? That doesn’t mean you can’t have a beautiful functional balcony, terrace or a small patio space. The only thing you need to check is that you make sure you comply with building regulations. For instance, how much weight can your balcony take, such as the extra weight for the pot’s soil and water for the plans? You also have to make sure that you have the time, even though you can start with a low maintenance vegetable garden, it’s important you have the time to maintain a small balcony garden. Even though your balcony might be big enough, I still recommend starting small. You can always buy more plants and seeds, but this method will allow you to get a better idea of what works and what doesn’t.

First things first, start making a plan with the size of your balcony. A simple drawing will help you arrange your space according to your size and the direction of your space. Give it some thought of what is the position that your balcony, terrace or patio is and observe the direction of the sun you have throughout the day. That will help you later on to decide on the plant that you are going to use. Is your space facing south? Then is just perfect space for producing veggies and flowers. If your space is facing North, the look for plants that need less sunshine.

I know it will be tempting but if you just starting out don’t go all the way out with ready to go plants. Start with seed and see what works for you and what doesn’t. You can often find deals on seed packets at the hardware store or grocery store. Once you’ve got your seeds, you need some pots or other containers in which to plant them. It’s possible to make these yourself from materials such as old yogurt containers and egg cartons. Or, you can purchase inexpensive pots from a gardening store or you can go and splurge out to create your oasis, just make sure they’re clean! The only thing on which you should spend a lot of money is high quality potting soil as is most likely to be i sterile, that way you can avoid it causing sickness and other issues to your plants. A balcony vegetable garden with a few pots may not be prohibitively expensive, but it all depends on what you want to grow. As a result, it is preferable to take your time in order to avoid going over budget.

 Select the right plants carefully so you don’t waste your time or space on plants that aren’t going to thrive. Consider all weather elements sun, wind, heat and cold. There are many different types of vegetables that can be grown on a small balcony, terrace or patio including lettuce, spinach, kale and tomatoes and loads of herbs. Obviously, select the appropriate vegetables for the season. You may think that this isn’t enough space to grow anything, but don’t worry! You can still grow plenty of healthy food in a small area. The key is knowing how much sunlight each plant needs and making sure they get enough water every day without over watering them because otherwise they might start rotting instead of growing healthy roots. If you have a South facing space, then things are going to be easy for you! Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, carrots, and radishes, peppers, eggplants are a great choice to start with. For North facing or for a space that gets 3-4 hours of direct sunlight, mostly leafy crops are more suitable for this space such as lettuce, rocket, chard, kale, spinach, pak choi, chinese cabbage are some of them. Check out your local library for their collection of gardening books as well as online guides to learn more about what each of your plants will need to grow.  

 Hopefully, all the above will give you a starting point for your new vegetable balcony to start and will inspire you to keep going and create a beautiful space, not matter if is small or big! Just remember to have fun and enjoy spending time by yourself or with your loved ones! Join our Newsletter to be the first to know about new blog post.