17 Tips for Growing Vegetables on a Balcony Revealed

Q: What kind of balcony is suitable for growing vegetables?

Not all balconies are suitable for growing vegetables. If you ignore the actual environment and plant carelessly, you may lose more than you gain. A balcony suitable for growing vegetables should have: ample light, good ventilation, a floor that does not leak, and good drainage.

Q: How do you grow vegetables when the balcony space at home is small?

When balcony space is limited, you must expand upward or onto the walls, and you can use hanging flower racks, hanging pots and so on as aids. But note that an overly dense growing environment easily causes problems such as poor air circulation and breeding of pests and diseases. During the growing process, a certain amount of space should be left to maintain air circulation so that the vegetables can grow well.

Q: What vegetables are generally grown on a balcony?

What vegetables to grow on a balcony depends on one hand on personal preferences and needs, and on the other hand on which vegetables suit the environmental conditions of your own balcony. Generally speaking, if space allows, most vegetables and melons can be grown on a balcony.

Fast-growing vegetables with a short cycle: baby bok choy, green garlic, sprouts, mustard greens, bok choy, leaf lettuce;

 Vegetables with a long harvest period: tomato, chili pepper, Chinese chives, coriander, cilantro, scallion, etc.;

 Space-saving vegetables: carrot, radish, lettuce, scallion, ginger, cilantro;

 Easy-to-grow vegetables: bitter melon, carrot, ginger, scallion, lettuce, baby bok choy;

 Vegetables less prone to pests: scallion, Chinese chives, sweet potato leaves, ginseng herb, aloe, spoon cabbage;

Q: Where do you buy seeds for balcony vegetable growing?

Usually the seeds or seedlings you need can be found at farm households, garden shops, flower markets, vegetable markets, agricultural markets, seed retail outlets and other places.

Q: What kind of pots are used for balcony vegetable growing?

1. Choose wide containers with good breathability, such as growing boxes, large clay pots, wooden boxes and so on. Foam boxes and plastic pots are both poor choices, as they easily lead to problems such as root rot and mildew. Also, plastic pots are not resistant to sun exposure and easily age!

2. For balcony vegetable growing, it is best to choose a growing box. The material of growing boxes has antioxidants and UV absorbers specially added, which can extend the service life of the box; in an outdoor environment it can be used for more than 8 years.

Q: What methods are there for balcony growing?

There are two planting methods: one is to raise seedlings first and then transplant, and the other is to sow directly. Some people like to buy seedlings directly to plant, which is quicker and more convenient, while others prefer to start from seed. That brings a greater sense of accomplishment.

Q: What are the temperature requirements for balcony vegetable growing?

1. South-facing windowsills and balconies.

1. With ample light, you can grow some sun-loving vegetables, such as tomato, eggplant, chili pepper, cucumber, winter melon and so on.

2. In winter the weather is cold, and even south-facing sides must take some simple cold-protection measures. The most important thing is to water enough; keeping the soil moist is the best choice for cold protection and warmth.

3. In summer you can appropriately stick some light-blocking cardboard on the balcony glass.

4. In spring and autumn there are not so many things to pay attention to, and there is no need to worry too much.

2. North-facing windowsills and balconies.

1. In winter the wind is piercingly cold, so we should grow plants with relatively good cold resistance, such as lettuce, spinach, bok choy, rapeseed and so on. You can also use a larger plastic bag to wrap the entire plant together with its container.

2. In summer, sunlight can reach north-facing places. At this time, there is no need to worry about sunlight being too strong or the temperature being too high.

3. In spring and autumn no special attention is needed, but the northwest wind in spring is also very strong, so just pay attention to wind protection.

3. East-facing and west-facing windowsills and balconies.

1. Generally there will be half a day of sunlight, suitable for growing some partial-sun vegetables, such as Chinese chives, lettuce, fennel, leaf lettuce and so on.

2. Special attention should be paid to west-facing ones, because of the fierce impact of the northwest wind in autumn and winter, so cold protection and warmth must be done well.

Q: What are the sunlight requirements for balcony vegetable growing?

1. Different vegetables have different sunlight needs. Most vegetables like sunlight, but it cannot be ruled out that some do not like sunlight.

2. Overall, leafy vegetables and melon-fruit types have very large sunlight needs, and these vegetables should be exposed to as much sunlight as possible.

3. Some vegetables, such as ginger, do not like direct sunlight, and should just be placed for a while when the sunlight is slanted.

Q: What are the watering requirements for balcony vegetable growing?

1. A balcony is a closed environment, and excess water in the soil is hard to dissipate, which can cause vegetables to become diseased or to "grow leggy."

2. Therefore, the biggest taboo in balcony vegetable growing is watering heavily at the seedling stage. Not only will it not promote growth, but it will cause slow growth of the vegetables or root rot and plant death.

3. In balcony vegetable growing at the seedling stage, you must water less and water lightly.

Q: What are the fertilizer requirements for balcony vegetable growing?

1. Soilless cultivation.

1. The key is the application of nutrient solution. The principle of applying nutrient solution is to apply on sunny days and not on cloudy or rainy days; apply less in the early growth stage and more during the fruiting stage.

2. Generally, completely replace the nutrient solution once about every 20 days.

2. Soil cultivation.

1. Materials such as rice-washing water, fruit peels and kitchen scraps are composted into organic fertilizer needed by vegetables, so that what we eat is a healthy, pollution-free food.

2. There are various special organic fertilizers on the agricultural market, and you can choose a suitable organic fertilizer according to the vegetable type.

3. Soil cultivation can also use nutrient solution.

Q: What are the soil requirements for balcony vegetable growing?

The soil requirement is that the soil texture should be loose and soft with good breathability, such as garden soil, leaf mold and so on. Loose, soft soil with good breathability will let balcony vegetables root deeply and promote their vigorous growth.

Q: What are the ventilation requirements for balcony vegetable growing?

1. Poor ventilation can lead to many pests and diseases, such as rotting at the plant roots and aphids. Especially in summer, high temperature without ventilation is a hotbed for various diseases.

2. During the growing process, we should rotate the positions of these plants at regular intervals, so that all the vegetables can get enough fresh air without being hit by strong winds.

3. The higher the floor, the greater the impact of wind on the plants on windowsills and balconies. When ventilation is satisfied, you can use windbreak boards to prevent some leafy vegetables from being harmed by wind.

Q: What should you do if pests and diseases appear in balcony vegetable growing?

1. Growing vegetables at home is all about being green and organic, so you absolutely must not casually apply pesticides. In fact, spraying some garlic water or tobacco-soaked water on the plants gives off a pungent odor that pests also dislike.

2. Do not grow only one kind of vegetable in one container for a long time, otherwise soil degradation and increased disease are likely to occur.

Q: What should you do if balcony vegetable growing makes the home messy?

Home vegetable growing generally uses pot cultivation. You can place a shallow tray under each pot, or put the pots uniformly on a tiered rack, mainly to prevent water and soil from flowing directly onto the floor when watering and increasing the difficulty of cleaning.

Q: What should you do if balcony vegetable plants grow leggy and thin?

The main causes of seedling "legginess" are: too much humidity, too high density, and insufficient light. To solve "legginess," you should also address these three aspects: stop watering the seedlings, reduce seedling density, and increase light for the seedlings. However, this process is also relatively slow, so control must begin when planting.

Q: What should you do if balcony vegetable growing attracts small insects?

When planting, choose some strongly scented plants, such as basil, cilantro, chili pepper or scallion and other spices, so that the annoying problem of mosquito and insect breeding will not occur.

Q: What should you pay attention to when building a trellis on a home balcony?

1. First, you must first judge the characteristics of the crop and the size of the trellis needed, and use one that can stand as a support in the pot individually;

2. If there must be a wall trellis for crops to climb, choose a position against the wall with ample sunlight, and use the existing hardware to fix the trellis

3. To increase the sturdiness of the trellis, you can make good use of durable ropes such as hemp rope and fishing net line to pull out a square-grid trellis and secure the lower supports, which also helps the vegetable branches and leaves spread and attach conveniently.

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