Garden on the balcony Ideas and tips for creating

Home-grown vegetables, fragrant herbs and a comfortable place in the middle of the countryside: who doesn’t dream of having their own vegetable garden? In some cases, however, the property does not offer enough space, so tenants can alternatively spend the hot summer days on the balcony. If you recognize yourself in this, you should think about a garden on the balcony. You can also create a green oasis there where you can grow fruits and vegetables or enjoy free time surrounded by flowers. In this article you will find great balcony garden ideas that will help you garden even in a small space.

Creating a balcony garden: Consider the features of your balcony

Before you rush out to buy pots and potting soil, we need to slow you down for a moment. Because if you want to create a balcony garden, you should definitely take into account the condition of your balcony. This includes load capacity and size, as well as lighting conditions during the day.

Load capacity of the balcony

Each balcony has a limited carrying capacity. Since raised beds, pots and soil weigh a lot, you should definitely determine what your balcony can handle, ideally before putting your balcony garden ideas into practice. On average a balcony can withstand a load of 300 to 400 kg per square meter. Start from the minimum to be safe and calculate the approximate weight of all plant pots, including potting soil and all garden furniture to determine the approximate carrying capacity. This ensures that your garden floats safely above the ground.

Balcony dimensions

Of course, the size of your balcony also plays an important role when creating a balcony garden. If you only have a few square meters available, you have to decide: do you want to use the entire area for the garden or set up an area where you can sit, for example, to drink coffee outdoors in the afternoon. Especially if you want to place raised beds or boxes, it is useful to carefully measure out all the necessary elements. This way you can optimally adapt your balcony garden ideas to the existing surface.

Lighting conditions

Sunny, shaded or partially shaded. If you have houseplants in your home, you are probably familiar with these terms. Each plant needs different lighting conditions. You should therefore determine how your balcony is oriented and how many hours of direct sun it receives during the day. Depending on whether the weather is sunny or shady, you need to choose the right plants. Vegetables that thrive in shade include spinach, kohlrabi, chard and radishes. Tomatoes and courgettes, however, like most fruits, require sufficient sun to grow and ripen.

Balcony garden ideas: how to turn your balcony into a paradise garden

Once you have collected all the important elements that make up your balcony, you can create a garden according to your tastes. Get inspired by the following balcony garden ideas and create your own green oasis.

Anything can be a plant pot

Let your creativity run wild. Whether it’s a watering can, a plywood box, a jam jar or a coffee cup, flowers can be planted wherever there is enough soil. Alternative containers loosen up the look of your balcony garden and give it an individual look. However, be sure to choose waterproof containers to prevent irrigation water from seeping in – a layer of cling film can help effectively seal the holes from the inside.

Annual or perennial plants?

The lifespan of a plant usually depends on its species. While most crops, such as fruits and vegetables, last only a year, many flowers, perennials, and shrubs last longer. But be careful: Perennial does not automatically mean resistant. When temperatures are below freezing, wrap the pots in fleece to protect the plant from frost or overwinter the plants indoors.

A mixture of annual and perennial plants is recommended. This way only a few plants need to be replaced or reseeded.

Herbal bed on the balcony

Do you like cooking? With a herb bed on the balcony you always have a selection of culinary herbs at hand to give a boost of freshness to your favorite dishes. The herbs are sown in no time and grow into small plants within six weeks. To always have fresh herbs available, it is advisable to reseed them approximately every two weeks. Single pots with potting soil are ideal for this purpose, but you can also grow herbs in your raised bed or mix them with vegetable plants. Some vegetables even benefit from the properties of aromatic herbs, such as strawberries and cucumbers thanks to borage, which attracts pollinating insects, while basil protects vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers from mold.

Furniture and decorations should not be missing

What would a garden be without a cozy corner to sit in? If you have enough space on the balcony for a table and chairs, you should use it. A box can also be useful to store all your garden tools – such as garden shovels, scissors, ropes and batteries – and always have them at hand. Some pillows and a blanket really add coziness to the balcony garden. Even fairy lights that can be stretched over the balcony railing create a beautiful atmosphere. Alternatively, you can use candles or lanterns as lighting. Here it is better to follow your own tastes and preferences. After all, you should feel really comfortable on your garden balcony.

Balcony Garden Ideas: It’s best to plan ahead

Whatever type of balcony garden you choose, it is always worth creating a precise project from the beginning. Gather all the information about the condition of your balcony, measure it carefully and make a list of your wishes and ideas for the balcony garden. This way you can design the balcony of your dreams and create it step by step, without finding yourself with a surplus of pots or having to replace too large raised beds.

Don’t just plan the setup, but also create an overview of your plants so you can plant fruit and vegetables in good time and sow herbs and flowers in the appropriate months.

For further reading

A balcony garden looks great, but don’t have enough space? Then a vertical garden could be right for you. Because it is built high up and thus brings fresh greenery even into narrow spaces. In our blog post “Above: a vertical garden for balconies and terraces” you can find out more about the particular shape of the garden.