Balcony Gardening

If you live in a flat or an apartment where space is limited, try gardening on your balcony. Believe it or not, balcony spaces can be utilized for planting crops, ornamentals, and herbs. Though space may seem limited, a balcony garden can be very productive and aesthetically pleasing with proper management.

So, how do you start a balcony garden?

Size Up Your Space

In small space gardening, one important step is to consider how much space you have got. Since you have a limited area, you have to carefully plan how you would utilize your balcony. Remember to consider not only the horizontal space but also the vertical such as walls and windows. You can use them to hang potted plants as well.

Find the Sun

Light is of the utmost importance in gardening and plants differ in their light requirements. Some require direct light, others prefer indirect light while there are some that thrive even in low light conditions. It’s important that you find the direction of light relative to your location so you would know how much exposure your plants will have.

South or southwest-facing terraces are ideal for sun-loving plants because they require bright light. East to west-facing balconies gives medium-light exposure such as partial, filtered, or indirect sunlight. On the other hand, north-facing windows are ideal for plants that require a low light level.

Choose Your Plants

Now that you have an idea of the area of your space and the orientation of the light source, the next thing to do is decide on which plants to grow. Do you plan to grow vegetables? Or you want to convert your balcony to an ornamental garden? Perhaps, you want to do both!

In choosing plants, consider their growing habit, life cycle, light requirements, and the growing condition that they need to thrive. Do some research before you purchase any seeds. This will save you time, effort, and money. We do not want to invest in plants that will not thrive because the environment isn’t suitable.

For your seed needs, check out LGC’s collection.

Prepare the Garden

At this point, the planning stage is over and execution is your next step. Prepare all the materials that you need such as the potting mix, the containers, the tools, and the seeds. Start installing the necessary fixtures to support the plant containers.

Prepare the growing media and fill the containers. This is also the best time to start your seeds especially those that will need transplanting. Arrange the garden in a strategic way. Make sure you have enough space to move around while watering.

It’s best to place a saucer below the pots of your plants to catch any excess water. The last thing we want to happen is to mess with our neighbouring tenants due to dripping water from our balcony garden.

Caring for your Balcony Garden

Now, this is where the real hard work begins. Make sure to set aside enough time checking on your plants, watering them, and making sure they receive enough light. Even though you have a small space to maintain, you need to make extra effort in taking care of your plants so that they will be healthy and productive.

Fertilize your plants based on what they need. LGC offers a variety of choices of plant food and fertilizers. Employ pest management practices when necessary. Prune and trim plants when needed.

So, start your balcony garden now. Enjoy!