Balcony gardens are becoming more popular as the economy struggles and more people are concerned about their jobs and stretching their budget. The balcony has always been an area for relaxation in towns and cities but they are now being developed into beautiful lush gardens that will supply food. 
photo credit: jfeuchter

It’s important for the balcony garden to be well planned. Besides making the most out of the space available you have to consider the weight a garden will add and plan accordingly. For this reason many people use plastic lightweight containers and pots. Hanging baskets are also popular and make more use of available space. One other option of creating more space on your balcony for growing is adding a trellis so that plants can grow vertically.

Square Foot Gardening techniques are very popular in the balcony garden. This method makes the best use out of a square foot or garden soil. A 4-foot by 4-foot area can supply enough food for two people. This style of gardening can easily be adapted to container gardening and hanging baskets.

For growing food on a balcony it’s best to choose the small growing varieties of vegetables. Mini squash such as eight ball squash, mini patty pan, small cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes are just a few varieties of small vegetables. Lettuce grows well on the balcony and there are many edible flowers and herbs.
photo credit: niceness

One other consideration you have to think about is water. You may drizzle water on your balcony so drainage trays for containers are a must and installing a balcony indoor/outdoor carpet may be a wise decision. It will also add warmth to the balcony in the cooler months.

Balconies often have more of a microclimate being higher up and more susceptible to winds. So you may need to supply a windbreak for the plants. Trellises or screens will help with wind.

And last but not least, when planning your balcony garden make sure to leave room for garden furniture and possible a small table water fountain. You may even want a small potted tree. Your balcony may be a garden but it should still be a place to relax and enjoy.

Technorati Tags: balcony garden

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 12:10 am and is filed under balcony garden. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.