Useful tips on how to organize a garden on the balcony
How nice it is to pick a fresh tomato from your garden or cut a few twigs of fragrant spicy herbs from green bushes! But, unfortunately, not all city dwellers have summer cottages at their disposal. Therefore, many create a mini-vegetable garden on the balcony or loggia. How to organize everything correctly and thoughtfully? The helpful tips in this article will help you with this.
What is the best way to grow in a balcony garden?
We list the most popular plants, which are quite unpretentious and will surely bring crops on the balcony.
- Green onions. The easiest way to get fresh "feathers" is to put ordinary onions in a humid environment. But so that the growth of green arrows is not so short-lived, plant the smallest of them in pots with soil.
- Greens. Perhaps any of the herbs can be successfully grown on a loggia or balcony. In addition, some of them, for example, basil, have a special specific aroma that will repel pests. For these purposes, you can also plant marigold flowers.
- Radish. You can eat crispy spring root crops quite early if sowing was carried out already in March. If the temperature on the balcony drops significantly, cover the seedlings with plastic wrap. It is important not to forget to remove it in comfortable warm weather to avoid scalding plant leaves.
- Cucumbers. This plant, due to its ability to curl, can serve not only as a source of fresh vegetables, but also as an original wicker decoration of a mini-vegetable garden on the balcony.
- Tomatoes. Correctly observing the technology, you can easily harvest a good harvest, pampering your loved ones with organic vegetables.
What are the most practical plant varieties to grow in a balcony garden?
How to use a balcony garden for growing greenery
The herbs do not need to be planted individually. Skillfully selecting varieties, you can create excellent compositions that will be an excellent decoration for the balcony. In addition, many of the green shrubs grow successfully even in partial shade, on the balconies of the western and eastern sides. Among them, the most popular are parsley, basil, dill, thyme, oregano, sage.
With a glazed loggia on hot days, provide good ventilation by opening the windows so that the greenery does not "bake". By the way, even after the end of the summer season, you can provide your family with fresh herbs by "relocating" pots with cut root crops, such as parsley or marjoram, to the windowsill. A second crop in the cold season will be provided. And with the onset of spring, you can put the mini-beds back on the street.
How to deal with garden pests on the balcony?
It is not recommended to use any chemical spraying agents.
When attacking seedlings and adult plants of aphids or various butterflies, try spraying them with tobacco decoction. And don't forget about the right neighborhood of cultures.Indeed, many strong-smelling herbs can repel pests.
How and when to feed the garden on the balcony
When planting "one crop" plants such as onions, radishes, lettuce, there is no need to fertilize the soil with nutrient solutions. But for crops that bear fruit for a long time (peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers), this cannot be done without it. Even with a large pot and using special soil mixtures (peat substrates, etc.) for planting, the plant needs additional nutrition. Fertilize approximately once every 1.5-2 weeks with solutions of complex fertilizers after general watering in the form of small portions so as not to burn the roots.
Start with simple crops, and you will understand that having a garden on your balcony is simple, useful, extraordinarily beautiful and interesting!