Starting a balcony vegetable garden is a great way to practice sustainable living, reduce food waste, save money, and generate food security in an urban environment. While many people think growing vegetables requires a large backyard, the truth is that it’s very possible to grow vegetables in a space as small as an apartment balcony. However, depending on your situation, I wouldn’t say it always comes easy. Many balcony gardeners struggle with limited growing space, excessive shade caused by neighboring structures, and few options for irrigation. If this sounds like you, don’t despair—these challenges can all be overcome with some creative problem-solving! Believe me, the sense of accomplishment that comes with growing your own organic food will be worth the extra effort. Here are my top tips for how to start a balcony vegetable garden.
Mind Your Balcony’s Weight Limit
Firstly, it’s important to know how much weight your balcony can support before you fill it with dozens of plants. Wet dirt combined with plants and pots can be surprisingly heavy, especially if your pots are made of ceramic, terra cotta, or concrete. It’s better to take precautions instead of causing costly structural damage to your balcony. If you rent, ask your landlord about any weight restrictions you need to follow. If your balcony can’t support much weight, limit yourself to a few vegetables or herbs in lightweight, plastic containers.
Maximize Natural Light (or Try Lighting Solutions)
While some balconies are blessed with full sun exposure, most tend to be in a low-light situation due to buildings, trees, or awnings that block the sun. First, spend a weekend mapping out the light exposure of your growing space. Be sure to record the type of light each area receives (i.e. direct, dappled, indirect light) and during which periods. Then choose plants that work with your lighting conditions and place them in the correct areas. Most lettuces, leafy greens, and herbs will grow with only 3 hours of direct light, whereas tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squashes, and berries will need at least 6 hours or more.
If you don’t mind purchasing lighting solutions, you can supplement shadier areas in your balcony vegetable garden with energy-saving LED hanging grow lights or floor lamps with full-spectrum LED light bulbs. If you go this route, make sure to use automatic timers so that your lights turn on and off even when you’re not home. I’ve even seen some balcony gardeners hang up mirrors to redirect more light onto their plants. Just make sure they won’t accidentally burn your plants—or anything else!
Reduce Hand Watering with Automatic Irrigation
Balcony gardeners often run into issues with irrigation since container plants dry out faster than in-ground plants and many balconies don’t have a water source. Always help your balcony vegetable garden retain moisture by top-dressing with mulch and incorporating organic matter such as compost. To reduce hand watering, I recommend purchasing Bluemat watering stakes, which allow you to connect multiple potted plants with drip tubing to a single watering tank of your choice. I’ve found that these stakes work best when paired with a 5-gallon drum covered by a lid (to reduce evaporation). If your plants are spread far apart from each other, individual terra cotta plant watering spikes can also be used with any long-necked bottle to keep your plants hydrated on a slow drip, although these need to be refilled more frequently.
Use Containers (Preferably with Wheels)
Container gardening is my preferred choice when growing a balcony vegetable garden. Firstly, it’s the most affordable option, since anything can be made into a vegetable container as long as it’s non-toxic and well-draining. Secondly, it boasts some of the most attractive selections, with decorative containers coming in all sorts of shapes, colors, and styles. Lastly, it offers portability, since pots sitting on plant caddies and raised beds with wheels can be easily moved when you want to clean your balcony or change its look. If you’re hoping to take your plants with you when you move, containers on wheels can truly make the difference between a delightful or back-breaking experience.
Choose Dwarf & Container-Friendly Plant Varieties
In general, don’t grow any plant on a balcony that you won’t be able to remove when it’s fully mature. Perennial fruit trees aren’t a great idea unless they’re dwarf varieties that can fit back out through your front door. And even then, since trees are heavy, I would only recommend growing one if you have an elevator in your residence or the means to carry it down multiple flights of stairs. For berry shrubs, dwarf and container-friendly varieties will work better than their full-size counterparts. When choosing taller plants like tomatoes, select determinate or container varieties instead of indeterminate varieties (which can grow up to 6 feet tall). Likewise, when considering beans, opt for bush beans instead of pole beans.
Utilize Vertical Planters & Balcony Rails
Since space is a premium on a balcony, vertical growing is crucial to avoid clutter without diminishing yield. If you want to grow a huge variety of vegetables, try out the Greenstalk Vertical Planter, which is self-watering, holds up to 30 plants, and only takes up 2 square feet of space. Another option is to use a vertical raised bed that allows you to stack planter boxes while ensuring they all get the same amount of light. If you prefer using pots, a tiered plant cart with wheels may be the best option for easy maintenance. Self-watering hanging baskets and rail planters can also save precious space as long as you ensure they don’t dry out from increased wind and heat exposure (a common issue for balconies on tall buildings).
Conclusion
While balcony gardening often has its challenges, all of these can be overcome through applying creative solutions. Avoid the frustrations and pitfalls that plague most balcony vegetable gardens by knowing your balcony’s weight limit, trying different lighting solutions, setting up automatic irrigation, using containers with wheels, sticking to dwarf varieties, and growing with vertical planters. Trust me, all the effort will be worth it when you take that first bite of home-grown, pesticide-free, organic produce!
