City dwellers also want to taste their own grown "real" vegetables in the summer. If there is no summer cottage, but there is a balcony, then it is quite possible to plant a mini-garden on it. Not only a spacious loggia is suitable, but also a small balcony on which all kinds of vegetables, herbs and even berries will grow! In this article you will find ideas for a vegetable garden on the balcony, we will help you to apply the right place and choose varieties of vegetables for a successful harvest.
Vertical beds
This way of placing plants is not only successful, but also beautiful. An ordinary whatnot is suitable for beds; it can be purchased at any hardware store. In this case, the whatnot can be metal or consist of plastic trays. This option is very convenient for growing herbs (parsley, dill, onions, lettuce, and so on), radishes, strawberries and flowers. A vertical balcony bed will not take up much space, but will allow you to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs. It will also become a real decoration of the balcony.
Capacities of the bookcase must be covered with burlap and only afterfill it with soil suitable for growing a particular plant.
The soil will need to be well watered, make holes in it with a pencil, into which to plant the seeds. Next, the containers are covered with cellophane, which must be removed when the first shoots appear.
Hanging baskets
Another great way to save space, decorate your balcony and grow greens, flowers and even carrots! Hanging baskets can be bought at a hardware store or you can make your own from ordinary baskets, for this you will need:
- three baskets of different sizes;
- strong rope;
- thick cellophane;
- scissors.
First of all, you need to lay cellophane on the bottom of the baskets to protect the floor from dirty water when watering.
The biggest basket should be at the bottom and the smallest one at the top. Using scissors, a stick, or other object, spread the topmost bars of the large basket so that you can thread the rope through them. Bring the rope on both sides to the very end and tie knots at the bottom to fix the basket well.
In the middle basket, thread the rope through the bottom, leave the required distance between it and the largest one, tie knots so that the basket does not slip down. Draw the rope to the top and make knots again. Attach the third, smallest basket in the same way. You will get three hanging containers, fastened with one rope.
Flowers, herbs and ampelous tomatoes will look great in hanging baskets. This is an easy way to create coziness on the balcony,surprise your neighbors and please your own eyes!
Benefits and varieties of ampelous tomatoes
Ampel tomatoes are suitable for growing not only on the balcony, but also at home - on the windowsill. Baskets can decorate the walls of the apartment and enjoy juicy tomatoes all year round. Of course, in size, taste and yield, they are inferior to ordinary garden tomatoes, but if there is no summer cottage, then this method of growing is ideal! In addition, other benefits can be noted:
- tomatoes are little susceptible to a variety of diseases, because they grow in constantly ventilated soil;
- planting can be done earlier than ordinary tomatoes, and this is an earlier harvest;
- varieties of ampelous tomatoes are picky in care, unlike ordinary ones.
The following varieties of ampelous tomatoes are recommended for balcony gardening:
- Citizen F1 is a medium-sized tomato, weighing about 35 grams. Endowed with excellent taste and beautiful appearance. It can be used both for preservation and for fresh consumption. The optimal capacity for growing is at least 4 liters in volume.
- Cascade F1 Red and Yellow. Differences only in colors - red and yellow varieties. Fruits grow on average up to 50 grams, juicy, fragrant and very tasty. I liked the variety for its unpretentiousness - it does not require pinching, it is only necessary to remove dead leaves. The cascade is suitable for making fresh salads and preserving.
- Red abundance F1 - the variety fell in love with an early harvest. Ripening occurs on the 50th day after germination. The fruits are small - 20-30 grams each, but there are a lot of them with proper care (fertilization, pinching).
- Talisman is an ideal variety for a vegetable garden on a balcony. It tolerates cold and cloudy days well, fruits up to 80 grams. Tomatoes are sweet and sour, juicy, suitable for both preservation and fresh delicacies.
Growing tomatoes in hanging baskets
Ideal for a city dweller - cultivation of ampelous tomatoes on the balcony. Growing is practically no different from gardening. It is also necessary to plant seedlings, and then transplant them to a permanent place - in baskets.
The advantage of the garden on the balcony is that already in early May, with the onset of the first warm days, tomatoes can be taken out into the air, and when temperatures change, they can be brought home.
Capacities will need from 5 to 10 liters, but they will not take up much space, as they will be located on the walls.
For filling, you need fertile soil, which can be created from a mixture of peat, humus and soddy soil. Add wood ash and potassium sulfate.
Once every two weeks, along with watering, apply top dressing, tomatoes need the following:
- phosphate fertilizers;
- mineral supplements;
- nitrogen (urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate).
Feeding needs to be alternated, you can’t overdo it with nitrogen, as the excess will causethe formation of a huge green mass, which will affect the yield.
Ampelous tomatoes do not tolerate starvation, they should be consistently watered and fertilized.
How to grow ordinary tomatoes on the balcony?
Lovers of ordinary tomatoes who want to grow crops on the balcony are advised to pay attention to varieties specially designed for such conditions. On the loggia, it will not be possible to get the desired crop from ordinary tomato varieties that are used for planting in greenhouses and open ground. The thing is:
- Regular cultivars are often tall and need special shaping to ensure no harvest.
- Tomato plants for vegetable gardens have a developed root system, they need a lot of space, and small-capacity plastic trays just won't do.
There are many varieties of tomatoes that are ideal for balcony growing.
Varieties of tomatoes for the balcony
If you want to get a crop of tomatoes from the balcony, then pay attention to important details in the choice of seed. Growing tomatoes on the balcony is quite possible, just don't buy tall species. Also discard those where the fruits are large (up to a kilogram or more). There are many dwarf varieties of tomatoes, among which the most popular can be considered:
- Tiny Tim is an early ripe tomato, loved for its friendly ripening. The bush bears fruit for only 14-17 days, but it is abundantly showered with tomatoes. First inflorescencesappear during the formation of the fifth and sixth true leaf. When inflorescences form on the main shoot, all development will go to the stepson. In place of flowers there will be 5-7 tomatoes, weighing up to 20 grams. They are bright red when ripe, sweet, juicy.
- Angelica is a very early variety, the first fruits will please the gardener already on the 80th day after the appearance of the first sprout. The formation of inflorescences begins with the appearance of 7-8 true leaves. In place of flowers, from 8 to 10 bright red tomatoes grow. The weight of tomatoes is from 40 to 70 grams, they are egg-shaped, ideal not only for summer salads, but also for preservation.
- Pearl. The undersized bush reaches a length of only 40 centimeters. The fruits are small, only 10-20 grams each, but very plentiful. One inflorescence produces up to 7 tomatoes, which are whitish at first, and when fully ripe, acquire a rich raspberry color with a pearly sheen. The fruits are sweet, juicy, ideal for making fresh salads and juice. The variety is unpretentious, it perfectly tolerates not only heat and cold, but also the lack of top dressing.
- Butterfly is a tall variety, but adapted for balcony growing. The bush grows up to 1.5 meters, so it needs to be tied up. The fruits abundantly cover the bush - 30-50 pieces on each inflorescence. The weight of tomatoes is small, on average 25-30 grams. When ripe, the tomatoes are raspberry, very sweet and juicy.
- Ballerina - another tall balcony variety, bushes reach 1.8 meters. The fruits are larger than in the previous variety - up to 50 grams, but less plentiful, only 5-8 pieceson inflorescence. Taste like Butterfly, same color.
- Romantic - a variety of red tomatoes with a brownish-yellow tint. The bush is at least 1.5 meters in height, each inflorescence produces 8-10 tomatoes, the average weight of which is 50 grams. The taste is sweet and sour, the pulp is sugary, crumbly.
- Also in the garden on the balcony, all kinds of cherry tomatoes are welcome - red, yellow, pink and black. This variety is excellent because it is suitable for both balcony and greenhouse cultivation. If a bush grows up to 2 meters in a greenhouse, then it will be up to a meter in a pot. Productivity is always pleasing, cherry branches are showered with tomatoes for a long time, like grapes.
Growing tomatoes on the balcony
Dwarf varieties can be grown at least all year round - on the windowsill, but still choose the summer season, when the bushes will receive maximum real sunlight, breathe fresh, not stale room air.
It is worth planting seeds for seedlings from February to March. In May-June, you can transplant into plastic trays (with good drainage) or wooden boxes (only treated for rot and parasites). Depending on the variety, the seedlings dive.
There are no difficulties in growing, tie up if necessary, water stably and feed at least once every two weeks. Remove excess green mass so that it does not shade the fruits and does not take away most of the substances useful for growth.
Can I grow cucumbers on my balcony?
If everything is more or less clear with tomatoes, and in the apartmentplanting them is not difficult, then what about cucumbers? Growing cucumbers in plastic bottles is a new trend for urban gardeners! Thus, the bushes will receive the required greenhouse effect, and for this they will thank you with abundant fruiting!
What will it take?
- Plastic bottles from 2 liters (two-liter bottles will hold one bush, and those over 5 liters - several plants).
- Foil.
- Vegetable Soil available at the store.
- Seeds.
How to plant cucumbers in a bottle?
It is necessary to cut off a third of the upper part from the bottle so that it holds, that is, leaving a part uncut. After planting, you will need to close the "bed" to create a greenhouse effect. If the top is cut off completely, it will slide off, allowing access to unwanted cold air.
We wrap the bottles outside with foil, it will cover the planting roots from harmful ultraviolet light.
Fill the bottles with soil so that there is a distance of two fingers from the cut edges.
Soak the seeds in water, those that float can be thrown away - they are empty and will not germinate. The rest should be wrapped in a paper towel or gauze, disinfected in a manganese solution and put away for 12 hours on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
As soon as the seeds hatch, they are planted in bottles, watered abundantly, covered and placed in a well-lit place.
Next, stable watering is required - cucumbers love a lot of water - and heat. Avoid drafts, they are detrimental tolanding. It is convenient to harvest from bottles - open the cropped top and remove cucumbers from the branches!
Choose self-pollinating varieties, as bees will rarely fly to the balcony, and such guests are unlikely to please you!
Bulgarian pepper on the balcony
Growing peppers on the balcony is not troublesome, it is no more difficult to do than growing tomatoes. Suitable for planting as an ordinary flower pot (at least 10 x 10 cm in size), and a large plastic container. Peppers should not be planted too closely, bushes love freedom, and if they are limited in it, they will not be able to get a good harvest.
Seeds need to be germinated to immediately remove the empty ones. To do this, we place the seed in wet gauze, put it near the battery for three days. At the same time, do not forget about the seeds, it is necessary to maintain the moisture of the gauze, steadily spraying it with warm water.
Within three days the seeds will germinate, those that did not want to do this should just be thrown away.
Plant peppers to a depth of no more than 1.2 centimeters. The soil is suitable for purchased for peppers and tomatoes, or you can make it yourself by mixing humus, soddy soil and peat in equal parts.
In order not to damage the roots in the future, immediately insert sticks into the ground when planting, to which you will later tie the bushes.
Balcony Pepper Care
Peppers - the "people" are thermophilic and moisture-loving. Water every three days by sprinkling from a watering can until the flowering period. After that, continue watering in the samequantity, but bring water already under the root.
Peppers will bear fruit normally only with regular feeding:
- once a week with watering - ammonium nitrate (in spring);
- water once every two weeks in summer with phosphorus, potash and nitrogen fertilizers, alternating between them;
- apply mineral fertilizer once a month.
Growing carrots on the balcony
The advantages of this method are the minimum number of weeds that attack carrots in summer cottages. This causes difficulties when weeding, since weed grass quickly clogs the entire space, and among it it is difficult to find only hatched carrot leaves. There is no such abundance of weeds on the balcony in the container, which greatly facilitates the lot of the gardener!
For growing in containers, dwarf carrots such as Chantane and Thumbelina are mostly suitable. Both varieties are sweet, juicy.
You need to plant seeds in late April - early May. For carrots to sprout faster, the soil must be kept moist, but not allowed to overflow.
Once the sprouts reach 2.5 centimeters in length, the planting will need to be thinned out by removing weaker shoots or transplanting them into other containers.
At the end of July or beginning of August, you can enjoy carrots grown on the balcony!
Growing strawberries in pots
Contrary to popular belief, growing strawberries on your balcony is a snap!You just need to choose a place that will be illuminated by the sun for at least 6 hours a day.
It is recommended to use polypropylene containers for growing strawberries on the balcony, which will not allow contamination and rotting of the fruit, which is very convenient if the child picks the berries and immediately puts them in his mouth! Also, the method is convenient when preparing jam - you do not need to carefully select good berries and wash them off the ground for a long time.
But the simplest containers will do - flower pots, hanging baskets and plastic containers.
Take care of drainage - make small holes in the bottom of the container.
The ideal soil for growing strawberries will be neutralized peat, mixed in equal parts with biohumus. The color of such earth is a little "rusty", but it should be so.
Plant seedlings so that all the buds are on the surface, and the roots are completely covered with earth.
Keep the soil always moist, but do not overfill (moisture must not go into the pan). Do not let the soil dry out completely - strawberries do not tolerate drought.
If the loggia is warm, glazed, then seedlings can be planted in the fall. If the balcony is glazed, but cold, then plant only at the beginning of the first warm spring days.
Potatoes on the balcony
We will not cover the floor of the balcony with earth to create a garden bed! We suggest that city dwellers consider growing potatoes in boxes, which does not take up much space, butthe harvest is enough to feast on fresh potatoes or provide yourself with this tuber for the whole autumn, and maybe even longer!
The deeper the box is, the more harvest you will get. Potatoes form tubers along the entire length of the root trunk if it is completely underground. In the old days, in this way they achieved a larger harvest by planting potatoes in pits, which were gradually filled with soil. We offer growing potatoes in boxes, which, like pits, we will gradually fill.
Growing technology:
- Take a box more than a meter deep. Put bricks on the bottom, and boards on top, leaving gaps between them.
- Fill in the earth so that you can bury a potato in it. Add manure or compost.
- Visually divide the container into five floors, put marks. When the potato bush grows to the second mark from the bottom - put more boards, sprinkle with earth.
- Keep building until flowering. And so that it does not start early, shade the bush from the sun.
- As soon as the flowers appear, add some earth, water with compost.
Irrigation is necessary for stable potatoes, they need to start from planting. Bushes are not afraid of drying out of the soil until flowering begins.
As soon as it's time to harvest, as indicated by drooping and yellowing tops, disassemble the container and collect the tubers.
A balcony garden allows you to grow just about anything! It is worth being smart and using the space correctly. With a great desire, you will be able to harvestnot much less than the owners of small summer cottages!
