On the balcony, you can create a contemporary garden with plants that have a wild appearance. However, there is nothing more charming than decorating the terrace with a beautiful flowering vegetable garden.
Once it receives at least 5 to 6 hours of sunlight, it can easily accommodate this small garden rich in fragrances and flavors. Before providing you with useful information on the subject, let’s first discover the interest in creating a vegetable garden on your balcony.
Essential to remember: growing your own vegetable garden on a balcony is, in my opinion, one of the most rewarding experiences for a city dweller. Beyond the aesthetic aspect, it is a true reconnection with the rhythm of the seasons that takes place on just a few square meters. I find there is nothing more satisfying than cooking a cherry tomato that ripened just a meter from your kitchen: the flavor is incomparable and the pride of the harvest brings immediate well-being. It is an approach that transforms a simple passage area into a living and calming ecosystem.
Why create a vegetable garden on your balcony?
If you are looking for better decor ideas to arrange a beautiful terrace, do not hesitate to create a vegetable garden.
This does not require a spacious plot. You can very well do it on a balcony. Generally, the latter is designed to support up to 350 kg per m², which is perfect for growing a vegetable garden.
| Advantage of a balcony vegetable garden | Description and concrete benefits |
|---|---|
| Food autonomy | Allows you to grow your own vegetables, herbs, and small fruits, even in the city. |
| Gain in freshness and taste | The harvests are consumed immediately, ensuring freshness and flavor. |
| Optimization of a small space | Transforms an unused balcony into a productive and decorative area. |
| Relaxing and educational activity | Soothing gardening, ideal for relaxing or introducing children to nature. |
| Waste reduction | Less packaging, possibility of composting with a worm composter. |
| Natural decoration | Plants bring greenery, color, and life to the urban environment. |
It should be noted that gardening is an excellent way to reduce everyday stress. The activity is great for health, as it is considered a form of physical exercise in its own right.
Another major advantage is that it allows you to eat better. The vegetable garden provides you with good supplements of fresh vegetables and fruits. You will thus have the opportunity to enjoy your own organic harvests.
But that’s not all, this garden is pleasant to look at. With the different colors and flavors, it sublimely enhances your outdoor space. Every morning, remember to enjoy the fresh air on the balcony before starting the day. The vegetable garden purifies the atmosphere.
I remember my beginnings with a simple radish planter on my south-facing balcony. I had underestimated how quickly the soil dries out in a pot: one evening, I found my plants completely wilted. This small disappointment was a real awakening about my water management and the importance of daily observation. By learning to listen to the needs of my plants, I ended up transforming this small space into a productive jungle that now provides me with enough herbs for the whole year.
What kind of vegetable garden on a balcony?
In most cases, tomatoes are among the ideal plants for a balcony. Whether it is cherry tomatoes, trailing tomatoes or dwarf tomatoes, they grow very well outdoors.
This plant requires no specific maintenance. You just have to water it regularly and it promises you a good harvest.
If you like vegetables, the balcony can accommodate a variety of different vegetable plants. Cucumbers can be grown in large, wide, and deep pots. As for carrots, they go very well with lettuces and beans.
For those who choose peppers, they require abundant and regular watering during dry periods. Zucchinis, on the other hand, require fertilizer every 15 days.
Herbs are also very popular when it comes to balcony vegetable gardens. Basil, mint, coriander, chives or thyme, they provide an abundant harvest once well maintained.
Similarly, many small fruits can be planted on the balcony or terrace. Strawberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, and raspberries are suitable for pot cultivation.
Some species like myrtle, elderberry, rowan, and strawberry tree are not suitable for vegetable gardens. At full size, they can measure up to 2 or even 3 meters long.
Comparative table of potted crops
| Plant type | Difficulty | Required sunlight | Ideal pot volume |
| Herbs | Very easy | Partial shade to sun | 2 to 5 Liters |
| Cherry tomatoes | Medium | Full sun | 15 to 20 Liters |
| Radishes | Easy | Moderate sun | 10 cm deep |
| Lettuces / Mesclun | Easy | Partial shade | 10 to 15 cm deep |
How to create a small vegetable garden on your balcony?
- Favorable conditions: To succeed in planting, you must gather the favorable conditions for a balcony vegetable garden. First, know that plants survive and grow only if the space is well exposed.
- Ideal orientation: The best exposure is particularly south, southwest, and southeast. Some plants like spinach and lettuce can manage with 4 hours of sun. This is not the case for tomatoes, as they are very demanding.
- Quality of soil: If you want good crops, you must also use good soil. Find a fertilizer rich in nutrients, otherwise, you will need to add supplements at regular intervals.
- Choice of containers: Also, choose the appropriate container. It is important to provide space for the plants. Use only pots that have drainage holes to facilitate water evacuation.
- Plant maintenance: As for plant maintenance, some require more watering than others. You must respect their needs which are not necessarily the same.
When to make a balcony vegetable garden?
Growing depends more specifically on the type of fruits and vegetables. If you plan to plant tomatoes, specialists recommend the month of May. As for radishes, you can sow them in April and May then in August and September.
If you are considering creating a vegetable garden in autumn, try with strawberries. This season is ideal for their planting. It is the same for some herbs like thyme.
Why create a soilless vegetable garden?
A soilless vegetable garden differs from other crops because the roots of the vegetables must be in an environment detached from the soil. This technique remains easy to set up.
Even better, it is not only ecological but also economical. There is no need to work the soil or weed like planting in a garden in open ground. The soilless vegetable garden requires no hard work, but promises unparalleled gardening pleasure.
FAQ: Why create a small vegetable garden on your balcony?
Of course, this project is feasible because a vegetable garden does not require a spacious place on the balcony. The important thing is to find better sun exposure and you’re all set.
Even if the condominium regulations impose no requirements on the subject, it is still necessary to have the condominium’s approval.
Herbs like basil, mint, or chives are perfect to start with. Radishes and lettuces are also very rewarding because they grow quickly and do not require deep containers.
