How you can start a balcony garden?

A balcony garden is the fastest and easiest way to start growing organic vegetables. You can even sell them later.

If you’re new to gardening, a balcony garden is a good place for an easy and manageable first experience. If you don’t have enough space for constructing your self-grown food empire, you can try to grow some indoors. See here how to build a cheap and easy hydroponics system.

Even if you live in an apartment and don’t have your own apartment balcony garden at all, there are ways for you to succeed with growing vegetables too! First of all, there’s no need to worry about the soil – it’s quite enough to start with a container vegetable garden (if you’re not sure if it’s something for you, see this article).

What you need to start a balcony garden?

To start your modern balcony garden design, you basically need four things: a container, seeds, water and sunlight. You can even start growing organic vegetables without soil if you don’t have any or not enough. Just use Rockwool cube.

What plants can be grown in a apartment balcony garden?

It’s a good idea to study up on the veggies you like before you decide to start with your own  home terrace garden or balcony garden design. Overall, I’d say that the balcony is the best place for growing vegetables. It’s easy to keep an eye on the plants and water them, and you don’t have to worry about a lack of sunlight in the wintertime. I’ve listed below some of the easiest and fastest-growing vegetables for balcony gardening:

Cucumbers:

Cucumbers are the easiest to grow in a balcony garden. They can be grown in a container and are usually harvested within two weeks. Too much sunlight can cause a growth spurt and cause a short time of cucumber ripening, so make sure that the container is at least 30 cm deep and the plants have enough space to grow.

Lettuce:

If you like salads and looking for a fast-growing vegetable for your balcony, go for Lettuce. It grows quite fast, and you can harvest the leaves as soon as they’re fully grown.

Lettuce is also quite easy to grow, and you can plant it right after you have planted your cucumbers. Lettuce can be grown in a container or on the ground. The container method is faster and easier.

Tomatoes:

Tomatoes are easy to grow. They need a lot of sunlight and a lot of water. Harvest them as soon as they start to flower. These plants grow best in the warm, sunny balcony and produce juicy tomatoes for you in less than a year. It would be best to keep in mind that it takes at least a few months for tomatoes to ripen, so make sure that you plant them in the spring or summertime.

Beans:

They grow well in any weather, but you can plant them in the summer when the weather is warm and sunny. It’s also important to make sure that you plant them at least 30 cm deep and they have enough space to grow.

Broccoli:

This is one of the fastest-growing vegetables, and it can be grown in any season. You can also plant it in the ground, producing broccoli within one year. Ensure that the balcony garden plants are well-watered and don’t get too much sunlight.

Eggplant :

Eggplant is a very easy plant to grow; it only needs 6 hours of sunlight a day. It’s easy to harvest and store and can be grown all year long.

Pepper:

Peppers can be grown on a balcony in the summertime, but it’s a bit more difficult to harvest them. They require full sun and are best grown in a warm climate.

How much space is required for your modern balcony garden?

Undeniably, it would help if you had a bit of space. A balcony garden needs at least 50 square meters (the same as 1.5 x 1.5 m). The area you need is just enough to place your containers on. If you don’t have that much space, try to build a raised garden or a small balcony garden. If you’re lucky enough to have a bigger balcony, you can start growing more plants.

You need space for the garden because it’s very important to provide a proper growing environment. A container garden doesn’t require much space, but it doesn’t grow as much as a garden in the ground.

Best Small Balcony Garden Ideas for City Flats

Particularly in an urban lifestyle, a balcony is a vital space in one’s residence. Although balconies are frequently affordable for city residents to have gardens. A balcony garden, if created effectively, has the potential to become the most interesting area of an apartment. Below are some of the most stylish small balcony garden ideas for your flat that look gorgeous and give you a wonderful place to relax!

1. Decorate with plants

Give your balcony a good amount of plants. grow both blooming and non-flowering types. Planters should be hung on the ceilings of your balcony garden, filled with beautiful greenery. Your modest balcony garden ideas’ beauty will be heightened by the greenery. Include spices in your balcony garden to give the area a lovely scent in addition to a luscious, green appearance.

2. Place a swinging seat somewhere

On the balcony roof, opt to add an overhanging, and along with it, a lovely swinging bench. You could use balcony area to sit, unwind, or lie owing to the swing seat outside. You’ll need few comfy cushions, a cup of tea, and the ideal atmosphere to immerse yourself in a few fantastic novels.

3. Furnishing that takes up less room

Select compact furnishings to save space. One of the smartest small balcony garden ideas to maximise the area you have is to include space-saving furniture. Despite occupying much room, comparatively tiny, trendy timber furnishings can enhance the look of your balcony garden.

 4. Pick a cool colour scheme for your balcony garden ideas

Design your balcony garden area with calming and pleasant colours. Cool colour schemes will make people feel tranquil and leisurely. Keep in mind the colour you choose highlights the area’s vegetation.

5. Consider of it as your living area

India’s modest balcony garden designs provide space for implementing your lounge room decor concepts there. Consider the area outside your balcony as an expansion of your living area, and arrange it to be just right for lounging and serving as a sitting room. Add some elaborate carpets, a chic couch set, and glass lamps, and you have a distinctive balcony garden.

6. Candlelight or wall sconces

Install sconce lighting to embellish the wall. They have a classic appearance and give the area a retro or nostalgic feel. These lighting fixtures aim the illumination upward and outward. This type of luminaires is quite old and was once used in conjunction with oil lamps and candles. A cluster of chic candles can also be used to simultaneously light up and adorn the area.

How to arrange plants in the garden?

When you have a balcony garden, you have to arrange your plants in a certain way.

• You should ensure that you have enough space for them.
• The other most important thing you have to consider is that you plant your vegetables and herbs in the sun. It’s also important that they don’t get too much direct sunlight. If you’re growing vegetables in a container, you can use a light pot. It will help give your plants a little bit of sunlight, and it will also protect them from being burned by the sun.
• Plants should be spaced around 2-3 cm from each other. This way, the roots of the plants won’t get too much space, and they’ll grow faster. If you plant them closer to each other, the roots will start to grow into each other, and they’ll start to rot.
• If you plant them in a container, make sure that the pot is 30 cm deep.

What kind of containers do we require in balcony garden?

Containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes – from window boxes that hang on your windows to big pots. If you’re planning on making a large balcony garden, use plastic or ceramic planters. They are lightweight and easy to move around if necessary.

You can make your own window box by simply attaching wooden slats across the top of a wooden frame.  The slats should be wide enough to hold the soil in. Then, put several inches of soil at the bottom of the wooden frame and hang it on your window!

If you have a small balcony or even just a balcony railing, you can use pots, baskets or other similar containers. Make sure they have good drainage holes so water won’t accumulate there and rot the roots of your veggies. If you have a railing, you can attach wooden planks to it and then put containers on top.

Balcony garden ideas for containers and plants that will grow well on balconies

If you decide to span several containers on your balcony railing, use larger pots and plant vegetables that produce fruit (like tomatoes and peppers), as they need more room.

For window boxes and small planters: Herbs (parsley, cilantro or basil) – annuals; Lettuce –  annual; Spinach –  annual; Tomatoes –  perennials.

For rail containers: Cucumbers, Eggplants and Peppers are perennial veggies that produce flowers or fruit on long vines. You can use trellis to help your plants grow straight up. Better if the trellis is near a wall so you can attach the vines to it. For same reasons you can use peas too. They are very fast growing annuals, so if you start them early in the spring they will be ready before hot summer begins.

For standard pots: Potatoes are very popular balcony veggies because they don’t need much space and grow even in poor soil; Onions – very hardy and can be harvested as needed. You can plant them once a year and they will come back every time; Herbs – basil, parsley, oregano – annuals.

How to take care of your balcony garden plants?

Water your plants every day and fertilize them once a week. You can do this very easily by mixing liquid or powder plant food into the water you use to water your plants. Good soil is another thing that is important for healthy veggies. If you don’t have enough organic nutrients in the soil, add compost, worm castings or other organic matter.

Growing Season

The most important thing to remember about growing veggies is that some of them are annuals (plants that die at the end of one growing season), while others are perennials (plants that live more than one year). As a rule, annual veggies grow much faster and can give you food in less than half a year. Perennial veggies take even up to two years to start bearing good fruit or flower buds.

How to make a balcony garden design looks more beautiful?

As I have said, you can grow plants in any container. But if you want to make your balcony garden design more attractive, you should consider using a pot with a lid. It is one of the great balcony garden ideas that you can try out. You can also add some balcony garden accessories such as hanging baskets, planters and birdbaths. If you don’t have enough space for a balcony garden, you can still create a small patio garden. You can add some decorations like green walls, flowers, a table and chairs, vines, or you can make your own decorations. You can use flower pots or pots made of stone, glass or metal or you can use old flower pots and use metal cans or a wooden box.

The only problem is that you have to remember to water the plants regularly, and the more decorations you add, the more you have to water. So it’s better to make your decorations and use containers with lids.

Maintenance tips for keeping your plants healthy and thriving all summer long

Water your plants every day and fertilize them once a week.  Make sure to put some mulch over the soil – it will keep moisture in, prevent weeds and make weeding easier; If you’re using balconies with railings, consider build balcony vertical garden design or planting vertically (on walls or fences); You can use fabric pots as they allow water to flow through; Use organic plant food; If you notice some insects eating your plants, try to spray them with natural pesticide. You can make one by mixing garlic (which is very safe for humans) with water and soap (dish detergent). 

Conclusion

Of course this list looks like a long one, but if you have small balcony or even just a small planter box outside, you can grow lots of your favorite veggies!

About Us

Located in Panchkula with a major focus on Chandigarh & Mohali, Air-Grow is a leading Vertical Living Green Walls provider in India. Air-Grow was founded based on the explosive growth of green technology. We have been installing Artificial Grass Landscapes, Vertical Gardens, Living Walls, Green Walls and Hydroponics at homes and commercial facilities since 1997.

interior designer in Ludhiana

Our products are excellent solutions for hard-to-grow areas, small yards & those looking for inventive and appealing landscaping designs ideas. We offer custom Balcony garden and terrace garden designs, project management, budgeting & cost estimating services, scheduling, oversight & installation of these landscapes. We also support clients with long-term direction of their landscapes to insure their lasting beauty.