I’ve grown many herbs and veggies on my balcony over the years, but have never really planned it out in any great detail before. So how do I decide what to grow on my balcony garden? I usually take a trip to the farmer’s market in the spring for inspiration and buy a few basic starter herbs such as thyme, mint, and rosemary. I've also grown various chili peppers, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries. This variety ends up being useful enough for my cooking needs. This year, however, I’m determined to see what else is possible with some extra planning and effort.
How much sun will you need?
I actually have two balconies in my apartment—one facing north and the other facing south. Most of our gardening takes place on the north-facing balcony. It gets ample sun in the morning and is not too shaded by any neighboring buildings. Luckily, it gets enough shelter in the afternoon when summer temperatures get warm. These conditions are great for pretty much anything I would ever want to grow.
The south-facing balcony gets full afternoon sun which can be too much during hot NYC summers. For this reason, I've avoided growing anything on that side, but I may move tomatoes and pepper plants this year to see if it thrives better with more sun.
Choosing plant varieties by cuisine types
When planning my garden, I’m really focused on choosing a good variety of herbs that I’ll find most useful in the kitchen. In the past I’ve grown rosemary, thyme, sage, chives, mint and basil. These herbs are all fairly easy to grow and useful in much of my cooking. I also try to grow Kkaennip, or Korean perilla leaf. It’s a family favorite for Korean BBQ dinners, but it can be hard to find in stores. And I can’t forget about chili peppers! Most people prefer to grow Jalapeños, but this year I'm leaning towards Thai Bird's Eye Chilis as I do a lot of Thai cooking.
This year, I want to grow some other herbs and greens that can be hard to find in stores. I love to cook Indian food at home, so I’m planning on growing fenugreek greens which will be new for me. I’d also love to try growing my own curry leaf tree as I use curry leaves often. I'll need to do a little research on where to locate one. Finally, I’m also going to plant some Thai basil which I’ve grown with success last year.
Simply put, the way I decide what to grow on my balcony garden is by thinking of it as my own specialty produce purveyor. This ensures I have access to high-quality herbs and vegetables that might be difficult to procure elsewhere.
Space considerations for your balcony garden
My last step before actually planting is to evaluate the balcony to see how much room I have. I’ve got enough space for at least 6-8 large pots on the floor, plus planters that hang on the railing. It's important to note that weight load should be a consideration and plastic pots will be lighter weight than concrete or ceramic. I'd also like to have a dedicated planter or two for some mixed salad greens. Keeping in mind what crops can be grown together in the same container, this gives me plenty of room on my balcony garden to grow pretty much everything listed above.
This year, I'm curious about adding a free-standing vertical planter to our balcony. It's a great way to maximize gardening in a small space and perfect for city balconies. I plan on saving the large planters for vegetables and growing herbs and lettuce in a vertical planter since the roots can grow well in shallow pots.
What about growing flowers?
A few containers of pansies, geraniums, and nasturtiums will add some color to our garden. Nasturtiums also have the added benefit of being edible. We've added them to salads and have also made nasturtium butter. I don't have much use for lavender in my cooking (although one of my most popular cookies in my business was the honey lavender shortbread!) but we do usually plant lavender every year. I'm also curious to research other varieties of edible flowers.
Certain flowers may even act as natural pest control, adding an additional benefit to nearby containers of vegetables and herbs. For example, marigolds have been known to help repel insects such as nematodes and aphids. Even if flowers have no other function other than their beauty, they can greatly enhance the visual appeal of your balcony by adding different colors and textures to your garden.
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