Just because you live in a small space without a backyard does not mean that you should give up gardening . A balcony , no matter the size , can be turned into a succulent , pleasant space of flowers and intellectual nourishment and even trees !
You ’ll have to take a few thing into consideration up front . Here ’s what you should be thinking about when designing your balcony garden :
First , what purpose do you want your balcony garden to answer ? Do you want to block off atrocious views ? Get some concealment ? Grow flush ? Grow food ? cool down the place ?
Second , what is the microclimate of the balcony ? How much Lord’s Day do you get and when ? Is it hot ? Cold ? Does it get a raft of wind ? How long is the growing season ? Answering these questions up front will help you decide what plants you are going to incorporate into the space . Be certain to take any building covenant into think … like what , if anything , are you let to establish ? What kinds of containers does the building permit and how much weighting can your balcony backup ?
Third , make indisputable you take some time before AND after you get going and check out a few fun and informative balcony gardening blogs like lifespan on the Balcony http://lifeonthebalcony.com or The Balcony Garden http://balcony-garden.blogspot.com .
Containers , Soil and Water
Container gardening is going to be your best bet for the balcony garden . Uh .. well .. your only bet . grow in container allows you to insure you soil timbre and weewee enjoyment , garden through the wintertime , have tasty cooking herbs close to the kitchen and be able to move your garden around as needed . you may use anything from ceramic or clay tummy to wood boxes , fall baskets , crocks , washtub , child bath tubs ( that ’s what I used last year ! ) or plastic bucketful . seek not to get something too heavy . There is really no limit here but you will require your container to have the power to enfeeble off excess water . Be sure to take a flavour at long box that will allow you to plant averitical gardento make the most of your distance .
Good quality territory beseem specifically for container ( probably from the gardening center ) is a must . It should enfeeble well and be lighter than regular horticulture ground . Put a layer of gravel at the bottom of the container to aid with drain .
And .. speak of water . How will you water the plants ? Will you be able to corral the tyke into a bucketful brigade from the kitchen every few days all summer ? Right . If you have a spigot on the balcony , outstanding . If not , you ’ll need to consider running a small hosepipe from the kitchen or bathroom to the balcony and , since some of these plant will need water twice a twenty-four hours during the summertime , you might consider a timed drip organization . last , take drain on the balcony floor . Will the urine drip on the neighbors below ? IS there a waste pipe ? Is it sloped ? Do n’t be put off by these questions . These are things you need to figure out – but it should n’t take longer than five min .
It should go without saying but I ’ll say it anyway … you need to choose plants appropriate to your climate and your balcony microclimate . You might also need to consider choosing plants that are one full hardiness zone cracking than you would for plants that would be placed at ground level . Be sure that the plants you choose are appropriate for the container AND the place you will put the container .
FlowersWhen it total to flowers , you could go with the usual annuals such as marigold and sunflower but you might also consider some portly perennial as these can overwinter . These you will want to set in turgid containers as this will give them a better hazard to survive year - circle ( you will want to irrigate them once or twice a month through the winter to help them hold out ) . Geraniums , salvias , daisies , pantywaist , dahlias , petunas … www.balconyflowers.com has a great list of originate notes and data sheets on a variety of flush that will become your balcony .
VegetablesWhile flowers are squeamish and all , I tend toward an edible balcony garden . Now seriously , pretty much everything you may grow in a flat coat - level garden , you may produce out on the balcony . Again , you ’re going to have to rid yourself of the idea of using even gardening soil and instead go for that lightweight alternate mix . Then , you essentially take after the same rules you would for running a vegetable garden on flat coat floor .
Be sure to give some thought to what you will grow and do n’t bother planting things you wo n’t eat – that would be a waste product of distance !
Next , select things that are appropriate for the blank . Tomatoes like a lot of sunlight . They also take a lot of dirt . So , a enceinte pot in a warm sunny plaza will work best for them . cultivated carrot on the other hand take very little space and are not awful picky about temperature . Onions are the same . Brassica oleracea botrytis , Brussels spud and Brassica oleracea italica will take larger container . Also , take into thoughtfulness the idea of conscientious objector - constitute to maximize the function of the available space . For example , consider contrive a root crop ( carrot , Raphanus sativus , white turnip ) between each plant that acquire vertically ( peas , bean , etc . ) . I ’ve done well mixing beets and chard and carrots and lettuce . I ’ve also seen peas and viney cherry tree tomato commix on a series of slanted strand . They offered some skillful shade to chilies growing below .
mark outThe Edible Balcony Gardenfor hint from an experienced balcony nurseryman .
TreesWhile my former balcony flat ( I ’ve since run into a house ) never grew much more than vegetables , towards the end , I realized that some trees and vine would have helped shape my balcony microclimate and offered me more vegetable options . Japanese plums , chokeberry , olives , dwarf fruit tree , overshadow red - leafed plums … the tree you prefer will , again , depend on your microclimate but also on what you want to achieve with your balcony .
Are you looking for more shade ? Wind auspices ? Your local nursery will be able-bodied to help you but seek out something fairly hardy that grows slow and roots shallow . Also demand yourself if you will be taking your tree diagram inside in the wintertime . A dwarf Alberta spruce can weather some pretty cold temperatures while a midget orange Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree will certainly jam its bags and fly off to Cabo sometime in October if you subsist in Denver or … Minneapolis . A few other possibilities include ruby-red osier , alpine spirea , American cranberry bush and the Amur maple ( genus Acer ginnala ) .
chequer out these helpful links :
Container GardensStarting an Indoor Container GardenThe Global Gardening ProjectVirginia Cooperative Extension’sgardening in containers
— — Jim O’Donnell gardens in the mountains of northern New Mexico . A certifiable permaculture designer and ecological restoration specialist , Jim ’s first bookNotes for the Aurora Societywas bring out in 2009 .
