Useful Tips for Balcony Gardening in Your Flats and Apartments

Do you live in an apartment? If you do, you may not have any space for a typical garden that you would find in the backyard of a suburban home. But don’t let your tiny space stop you from realizing your dream of having fresh fruits, herbs, and vegetables. All you need to do is create a balcony garden. Unfortunately, with today’s busy lifestyle, most of us don’t have time for a large garden, as they require a lot of maintenance work, so we replace this by visiting farmer’s markets or, even worse, buying vegetables and herbs at the grocery store that have been sitting there for days.

Fruits:

You can grow your very own mini-orchard on the balcony of your apartment. There are a number of fruits that are well-suited to apartment gardening and grow beautifully outdoors in a pot or window box. For most of these, you’ll need a pot that’s at least 30″ in diameter and has holes for drainage. You’ll need at least 1 foot in depth, plus room for good drainage material, like pebbles or stones. And don’t forget something like a pan underneath to catch any water, especially if there’s another balcony below yours. Apartment gardening means being a good neighbour, as well.

Vegetables:

There are a lot of vegetable plants that will grow in containers outdoors, making them good choices for apartment gardening. Yes, you can grow veggies on your balcony! Most vegetables will need to be grown in a pot that’s at least 30″ in diameter and has holes for drainage. You’ll need at least 1 foot in depth, plus room for good drainage material, like pebbles or stones. And don’t forget to put something underneath to catch any water. Be a good neighbour as well as a good apartment gardener.

Tips for balcony gardening in your Apartments:

Start small – very small. This is especially true if you live in an apartment and don’t have much space anyway. Get one or two small pots and just grow everything in those. The first year I grew my own, I had a cherry tomato plant in one pot and some cilantro in another one; the pots sat near the window in a guest bedroom that also had a single natural light in there, too.

Focus on a very small number of different plants.

Choose a place with adequate sunlight – or get some natural light bulbs. If you have a window with room for potted plants nearby, this is the place to use. Even if you have a window, a lamp with a few natural light bulbs that do a good job of replacing sunlight.

Research your plant and buy an appropriate pot.

Use good soil. You can reuse it for years, but the first batch you should get should be good stuff. Stop by a gardening store, tell them what you’re doing, and ask for their recommendation.

Get a handful of worms. These can usually be had at a bait and tackle shop. The worms get down in the soil and do a good job of breaking down some of the organics in the soil for easier absorption by the plants.

Set a clear watering schedule. Find out how much water the plants need (again, a simple internet search will tell you what you need to know), and plan a clear watering schedule. This makes it easier to keep up with what you need to do.

For more details: Noel Villas and Apartments