Contrary to what you may think, you don’t have to have a lot of space and special conditions to enjoy vegetables from your own garden. You can have a home vegetable garden on your balcony.
If you want to grow vegetables on your balcony, make sure that there is enough light. The best place for this is a balcony facing south. You’ll need large pots or wooden boxes, a set of gardening tools (spades, rakes, secateurs etc.), fertile vegetable gardening soil, ladders and plant supports.
On a balcony you can only grow vegetables which do not require much space to grow properly and which do not have an extensive root system. We have to give up, among other things, cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, parsley, beets, potatoes, asparagus or spinach. However, there are still many plants which we can successfully grow on the balcony.
Depending on the variety of bell pepper you can grow in a pot on the balcony or in the apartment. This vegetable does not like sharp temperature drops, it is thermophilic and needs a lot of sun, so during the cold days we move the pots with the seedlings inside. Peppers should be watered regularly, but in moderation. We grow it in fertile soil, which can be fertilized with, for example, biohumus from earthworms.
Tomatoes are grown in very fertile soil, we do not water them after the leaves, because they can develop fungal diseases. Dwarf varieties can be grown in pots, while tall ones that require tying to stakes should be planted in larger boxes. Remember that tomatoes also grow in width. Water them every day, on hot days even twice a day. During frosts the plants should be hidden indoors.
Cucumbers like sunny places, but during their cultivation be careful that the strong sun does not burn their leaves. Draughts or changes of location are harmful for their growth. For cultivation it is best to choose pots with a capacity of 10 l or 20 l because cucumbers need as long as possible to keep moisture in the ground. The seedlings should be watered frequently and regularly, even several times a day. The cucumber stems should be attached to supports so that they can climb up freely.
Because radishes are root vegetables, they need a lot of soil. The best solution is to grow them in balcony boxes. Radishes are not particularly demanding plants, but they need fertile, permeable soil. Water the seedlings in moderation, you can mulch the substrate, but you don’t have to fertilize it.
Sweet peas are another vegetable that loves plenty of sun. The pot in which we plant this plant should have a capacity of at least 10 l. Importantly, peas can be planted in any soil. After its harvest in this place it is worth growing, for example, peppers.
Peas are characterized by a beautiful vine, which, together with flowers, is a decoration of the home garden.
The cultivation of dill is very easy. We can sow it in any soil and we only need to take care of regular watering. Just remember that dill is not favored by high temperatures, that’s why it should be grown in the shade of other vegetables.
main photo: pixabay.com/PublicDomainArchive
