Having a garden on your balcony is not as complicated as you might think and is an ideal way to get into urban homesteading. You can spend huge amounts of money on it or you can do it on a very tight budget (and I know which one I prefer). Making good choices with which plants and which containers you use it can become quite low maintenance.

But a lot depends on your space available and the light and exposure. You will need to remember that a balcony really is totally different from being on the ground and you should really take into account all the different areas looking at shade and wind exposure.

But there is one thing I cannot stress enough. If you are just getting started then please please do so slowly. It is important if the gardening in your mind is the same as in reality. And filling up your balcony to the brim and then finding out that you do not like it is a big waste of time, effort and money. And if you do feel the green thumb growing you can always buy more plants. Its also useful to get a feel for what works in your instance.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before you start your balcony garden.

SIZE:

And do not be discouraged if you only have something the size of a closet. There really is no minimum space required to grow something and become productive. A lot of people look at the floor and not beyond but tend to forget that the walls can also be used and a vertical option is something that will allow you to unleash your creativity.

SUN

Try and find out how much sun your balcony gets and where the shadow spots are. This is very important because not all plants like direct sun all of the time while others absolutely need it to flourish. So you should be very aware if other buildings obstruct your sun or not. But its not only good to know what the sun does every day but also try to get a feel for what it does through the seasons.

HEAT

If you really have a closed in space it can get unbearably hot in summer. Think of the times when you had to get out of the heat because it was just to hot. Not all plants like this either so make sure to keep that in mind when planning what to grow. google will be a very good friend here but you could also check on the homesteading forum on Chainbb

COLD

The first thing to do is check the plan hardiness map this is a website that allows you to check which plants will thrive in your area and this is important if you are planning to have a year round balcony garden. In winter there are also things you can do to protect the plants like covering them up or placing them closer to the windows and walls.

WIND

You really need to choose plants that fit the environment you put them in and you can also use rows of plants to where the outside ones are more wind resistant then the inside ones.
Otherwise just put the delicate ones on the floor but do not forget to water the ones in the wind because they will dry up that much faster.

TIME

I am not talking about the time it takes to grow things here, I am talking about the time you have to spend tending to your garden. Just planting stuff and watching it grow will just get your plants killed. Reading up a bit on what care what plant needs will allow you a lot more joy and produce but rest assured that you will kill some plants anyway.

EDIBLES

I am a huge fan of growing edibles and that is why I got into this in the first place. I really love having some fresh herbs to use for cooking and those got me started but then came some strawberries and next year we will be adding tomatoes and peppers. Nothing is more satisfying and tasty then adding your own produce to your dish. While you need full sun for most vegetables herbs are a lot less demanding and easier to grow.

BUDGET

I have invested in water saving pots for the balcony but this is not a necessity. You can re-use a lot of things for growing and plants are not that picky as to where they put down their roots. Its the humans that want it to look pretty. The only thing you do need to spend a bit on is good quality potting soil.

Are there rules about gardening on your balcony?

Check with your building management or super to check if having a balcony garden is allowed. Once you are used to having that fresh basil on your homegrown tomatoes it might be hard to let go...

here are some extra tips to help you along the way

• Invest a bit in quality organic potting soil and augment it with compost.
• If your terrace is sturdy enough to support the weight, cover the floor with filter fabric and a shallow layer of gravel so plants can self-sow and naturalize (mint does really well like that)
• Study how sunlight moves across the space over the course of a day and cluster your containers–sun lovers vs. woodland plants–in areas where they will thrive.
• Most pots will dry out fast in summer and you will need to water every day (during high summer or a heat wave try to water twice a day.)
• Make your peace with visiting birds (even if they leave extra presents behind) and be happy you’ve created a small wildlife habitat in the city.
• Planting flowers might attract bees and butterflies. (which is lovely to see)
• Herbs are the easiest edibles to grow in containers. (I advise everyone to have at least some herbs, they smell and taste amazing)
• Vines and fast-growing climbers are good for a small spaces because they will grow vertically quite quickly.
• if you have a roof over your balcony you can add hanging baskets (thanks to @cecicastor for the tip)

If you grow your own things on your balcony and you think I have left something out then feel free to comment, I am really eager to learn from all of you

If you think you have a lot more to bring to the homesteading topic then add your posts and comments in the homesteading forum on Chainbb

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this is a post in the series of :

• https://chainbb.com/homesteading/@felander/how-to-13-steps-to-becoming-an-urban-homesteader
• https://chainbb.com/homesteading/@felander/how-to-reduce-household-waste-the-urban-homesteading-series