Urban Garden

Balcony Gardening

Balcony gardening begins with containers. Here are some things to look for when choosing the right container.

Drainage: Make sure there are drainage holes in the container, or that it is made of a material that you can drill or poke holes into. Without good drainage, your plant will die from "root rot." Make sure that your containers have room underneath them to allow for excess water to pour out through the bottom!

Porosity: In order to give your plants plenty of air, try whenever possible to keep the bottom of containers off of the ground. If you live in a humid area or get lots of rain, you should consider containers that are made of porous material such as wood, clay, paper, or a breathable plastic.

Breakability: Breakable is usually bad. Use your judgment. Be careful of clay pots freezing and/or cracking.

Looks: For small balconies use smaller containers and avoid plants with overly large leaves. Intense colors make a space look smaller- pale, "cool" colors make a space look larger.

Insulation: In northern cities, a container that holds heat will prolong the life of your plants in the fall, let you plant earlier in the spring, and give you a better shot at working over the winter with items like bulbs and conifers.

Weight: Is it too heavy for your balcony or roof? Will it be too heavy to move?

Shallow vs. Deep:

If you want to move things around often to change your design, you don't want to have to deal with really deep heavy pots. Also, very shallow pots are susceptible to drying out. Pick a pot for the plant.