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In the modern world, a person can always go to the store, where you will present all kinds of herbs and spices to his attention. However, they are often dried out or simply not fragrant enough. For true lovers of greenery, the way out of this situation is to create your own little oasis on the balcony.
If you are tired of tasteless purchased vegetables and stale greens, we suggest moving the supermarket closer, namely, to your balcony. Our article will help you choose plants and teach you how to take care of them to always have fresh vegetables on your table right from the garden.
All the plants on the balcony are planted in special pots of all shapes and sizes. The most popular are large rectangular containers, as a rule, occupying the entire window sill. Moreover, they can be equipped with automatic watering. An interesting option would be hanging planters or pots attached with hooks to the outside of the balcony.
The latter, although they save space, can attract unwanted attention from neighbors from above. Any container should have a hole for draining excess water, a drainage layer that takes up about a third of the volume, and earth. You can plant both plant seeds and ready-made seedlings.
Depending on the lighting, certain species may grow better on the balcony. We have compiled the top popular ones in the hope that you can choose something for yourself.
1. Green Onion Plant
The most popular inhabitant of balconies is the bow. It is so unpretentious that the onions germinate during normal storage. But to get lush green feathers, it is still better to plant them in the ground and water it periodically.
2. Fines Herbes
There are many varieties of this plant, divided into early, mid and late ripening. The seeds are planted in containers 18-20 centimeters deep, buried in the ground by one centimeter. All varieties are unpretentious to the soil and love light. It is better to water with warm, settled, or rainwater. You can obtain the first harvest in a month and a half by thinning the bushes. If your dill has grown to flower, the inflorescences can be used in pickles and marinades.
3. Parsley
Parsley has not only a recognizable spicy aroma but also gorgeous leaves. Care is similar to dill; in general, parsley is unpretentious and easily grows from seeds. The crop can be removed when the branches reach a height of 10-12 centimeters – then the spice will not be hard and overgrown.
4. Oregano
It is impossible to make a real pizza without oregano, or, as it is called in Russia, oregano. It is undemanding to the soil, and the seeds are sown to a depth of 0.5-1 centimeters. Oregano has fragile twigs, so you need to water it very carefully, preferably from a spray bottle. When harvesting, flowering should not be allowed, as the stems will begin to lignify.
5. Basil
Both purple and green basil varieties can be grown on the balcony. He loves light, loose soil, often a mixture of hummus with coconut fiber in a 1: 2 ratio is used for its cultivation. Basil prefers well-lit places, frequent watering, and a temperature of 20-25 degrees. This plant, like oregano, can only be consumed before flowering because, later on, it will acquire an unpleasant taste.
6. Sage
Sage is widely used in medicine, but there are many decorative ones in addition to useful varieties. It has a powerful smell, so, most likely, even one small pot will be enough for you. Sage prefers neutral or slightly alkaline soils, otherwise unpretentious. It is recommended to harvest the leaves during flowering for medical purposes, but for culinary purposes, you can neglect this rule.
7. Salad
On the balcony, you can easily grow any kind of salad, indispensable in most snacks. Square containers are best since the plant has a small root system and an abundant leafy part. This plant does not require special growing conditions; moreover, the first harvest can be done in three weeks.
8. Tomatoes
Tomatoes will require special care and attention from you, but growing them on the balcony will not have any problems if you choose the right variety right away. It is worth choosing undersized plants with a small root system and abundant fruiting or special balcony varieties.
The next step on which the future of the crop depends is a good seedling. To do this, in February-March, you should plant dry or moistened seeds in small containers with soil to a depth of 1-1.5 centimeters. Then the seedlings must be protected from cold air and watered only with warm water. Seedlings are best planted in separate pots. Adult plants are light-requiring. Watering is carried out only at the root.
9. Radish
Radish will make you freeze on the balcony as it is cold-resistant. However, seeds can germinate even at a temperature of +2 degrees. This plant requires neutral soil, regular watering, and hilling since, despite the edible tops, we are interested in the roots.
10. Cucumbers
Crispy homemade cucumbers are wonderfully refreshing in summer. For balcony conditions, shade-tolerant varieties are best suited, with small fruits and not requiring pollinators. However, planting seeds directly in pots is worth planting because the seedling sprouts are very fragile, and there is a high risk of damaging them. The peculiarity of cucumbers is that it is a climbing plant, and already at the stage of the appearance of five leaves, you must tie-up. This allows cucumbers to be used as an ornamental climbing culture, which is also very tasty. An adult plant requires daily watering and feeding once a week.
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