A balcony is far too good to just plant geraniums and dry your laundry on it. Instead, fresh fruit and vegetables can be grown here in a very small space. Many types of fruit and vegetables not only taste good, they also look good - especially if you cultivate them in decorative planters. However, it must be watered regularly when it is dry: This applies in particular to thirsty plants such as strawberries or tomatoes.
A pretty vegetable garden can be created in wooden boxes on the balcony
Which containers are suitable for gardening in pots?
Basically, the following applies to pot cultures: the larger the container, the fewer problems there are with the water supply for the plants. You can choose standing vessels as large as the space (and the statics) on your balcony allows. On a small balcony, on the other hand, the space can be better used if you also attach planters to the wall and ceiling. Vertical gardening is a trend that has spawned many design ideas for wall planting. So there are frames with several levels - the so-called planting steps - to buy, on which you can accommodate the vessels to save space. There are also bags made of fleece or plastic that are attached to the wall or hanging baskets hanging from the ceiling. Cans with plants attached to a climbing frame are also original.
More original planters:
- Wooden and plastic crates (e.g. fruit or wine crates)
- Zinc tubs, baby tubs
- Shopping baskets, disused laundry baskets
- collapsible boxes
- plant bags
- Potato or jute sacks
- wicker baskets
Vegetables and fruit from the balcony garden
Most types of vegetables and fruits can be cultivated in sufficiently large tubs or planters without any problems, as long as the substrate, location and care are right. For annual herbs and vegetables, use good, peat-free potting soil. Perennial herbs and vegetables as well as tree and bush fruit, on the other hand, need a good, clayey substrate. In principle, you can grow anything - only large trees and very large vegetables such as artichokes, safflower and Jerusalem artichokes are not suitable. When it comes to fruit, it is best to use columnar fruit varieties or berry bushes.
Grow particularly well in tub culture:
- eggplants
- chilies and peppers
- tomatoes
- various herbs
- Potatoes (in jute bags)
- pole beans, bush beans
- lettuce
- cucumbers
- strawberries
- Physalis
- rhubarb
- Chard (in boxes or bags)
- Zucchini (takes up a lot of space!)
- Mushrooms (e.g. button mushrooms and oyster mushrooms)
tips
It doesn't matter which planters you use: good water drainage must always be ensured, for example by perforating the bottom. So that the water that runs off does not run onto the balcony of your neighbor living below you (and cause trouble… ), you can also put the sacks, boxes and the like in a "cover pot" - for example a watertight box. But then you should always remove standing water promptly.