How to design a balcony garden

Our balcony is one of our favorite spaces in the house, a place to sit and enjoy the fresh air and grow our beautiful urban garden. In this post, how to design a balcony garden, we will share how to create an enjoyable and productive space to relax.

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Creating a beautiful yet productive balcony brings so many benefits, from an afternoon sitting outside enjoying the weather in summer to eating homegrown and organic food. So how do we design a balcony garden? There are many things to consider when you are creating a balcony garden.

Before designing your balcony garden, make sure to check the regulations on your building. This will give you a guideline for what is allowed and any restrictions so that you can plan accordingly.

Space

The first thing we need to measure is the space we want to work. Measuring and planning let you create your space without overspending. Things that I take into consideration are the following:

• Furniture
• Vertical structures
• Decoration
• Planters
• Storage

One important thing to consider is buying lightweight furniture, structures, soil, and planters. There is usually a limit on weight to add to balconies.

After we have all measurements, then we start shaping our garden. Begin drawing the space and adding all the big pieces that take up most of the area (planters, chairs, etc.)

Remember not to overcrowd your balcony with plants. Too many plants in a small space don’t work well as they will start to fight for the amount of natural light to grow. And you also want to enjoy your balcony. Start small the first year, after that, you can decide if you would like to add more planters.

Furniture, structures, and planters

Creating a relaxing ambiance on your balcony is important. You can add a couple of small chairs, outdoor pillows, and a table. Also, an outdoor’s rug, wind chime, or decorative birdhouse will add a beautiful touch.

For gardening in a small space, vertical structures allow us to grow more plants. Note that if you are adding a shelving unit or greenhouse, they have a height limit.

The top shelf can be used for flowers or taller plants, and the lower rack for green vegetables and herbs. Also, the last shelf can be used to store any extra potting mix and containers we need for our garden.

Taller plants, like tomatoes or peas, required bigger containers. Ensure that every planter contains a base so the water doesn’t overflow when watering. We don’t want to bother our neighbors or damage the floor.

There are a variety of planters in the market; read more of the ones we have tried in my post on how to grow vegetables in containers. We use plastic containers for two main reasons: one is a light structure, so it is not adding extra weight to the balcony, and two, we transfer our containers from indoors to outdoor frequently depending on the weather. We reused them every year by washing them thoroughly before each use.

Which plants and seeds do I buy?

After you have all the measures and know how many planters you can fit, you can start planning what to grow.

When deciding which plant or seeds to buy, it is better to answer the following:

• Is my balcony facing north, south, east/west? So you can buy the kind of seeds or plant based on the amount of direct sunlight they require to grow healthy.
• Would I like to grow vegetables? If you would like to plant vegetables, start with the easy-to-grow crops that grow well in containers.
• Which plants will grow well for the kind of weather we have? Before buying any seeds or plants, look for information about the best crops to plant in your area.

Diversity is the key, even if you are planning a balcony garden. Because we are far from nature, we need to bring nature home. Having pollinator plants will help bring bees to pollinate vegetable plants like tomatoes.

Also, it brings beauty and flower aroma to our garden. Here is our lavender plant from last year. I keep it indoors during winter and bring it outside in spring.

Because we start our seeds indoors in late winter, we need to know in advance the number of seeds to plant that will fit on our balcony. Designing your balcony garden in advance will save time and money. I have a complete indoor seed starting guide that you can refer to.

If you are growing from seeds, try to buy an organic variety from a good source.

Easy to grow vegetables in containers are herbs (basil, rosemary, mint, sage, parsley, and cilantro, among others); lettuce, kale, arugula, mixed greens, green onion, and garlic.

I hope these tips on how to design a balcony garden have been helpful. You may also like “How to grow vegetables in containers.”