In the interior design of an urban apartment, plants occupy far from the last place. When it comes to arranging a balcony, with the onset of warm sunny days, many citizens simply get the idea to get a whole garden. Particularly relevant is the issue if the owners of the apartment do not have their own land. Let's find out what can be grown on the balcony for different seasons.
Looking for consensus
Families usually have a dilemma. If women are ready to give almost all the balcony space to the decorative flowering plants, then men think more about “daily bread” and by all means advocate planting greens and vegetables on the balcony. How to be in such a delicate situation? There is only one way out: to seek a compromise and competently divide a tiny space.
A head and skilled male hands will come to the rescue in this situation, who will make hinged structures for ampelous flowers, thereby unloading the space for greens and vegetables inside the balcony itself. With the skillful use of multi-tiered coasters and hanging drawers, you will be surprised to find that you can grow flowers and vegetables on the balcony at the same time. By the way, disassembled old furniture will fit the construction of boxes for planting material, and leaky buckets and pans will gain a second life as trays for plants.
Flower balcony garden
Now let's talk about specific cultures. And we begin, of course, with flowers. After all, it is they who each spring make the inexhaustible human imagination look for more and more new combinations, to compose new compositions. Plants such as petunia have established themselves well as decoration of the outer space of the balcony; they delight the eye with plentiful flowering from May to autumn. However, the seeds should be sown in February, besides, petunia emerges quite hard, and also reluctantly undergoes transplants. Seedlings of summer dahlias, verbena, lobelia, godetia, alissum well take root in balcony boxes.
If we want bright blooming spots to please us throughout the entire warm period, it is advisable to sow some unpretentious crops with seeds, and immediately to a permanent place. This will be the so-called second wave of sowing. Let it fall in June, but as a seed we will consider nasturtium, morning glory, phacelia.
What can be grown on the balcony: two-year-old flowers
Very good options for a balcony garden are daisies and a viola (popularly called pansies). These two-year-olds can not be sown in a box, but can be taken ready-made bushes in the spring from the garden. Plants feel good in a confined space, in addition, at the end of flowering, they throw seeds into the ground. If the land in the box is not changed, then next season you can wait for seedlings to self-seeding.
Herbs and herbs
An important role in the question of what can be grown on the balcony is played by the location and natural light. So, if you are the owner of a balcony door to the south, you can safely grow any spicy herbs. Otherwise, there is a simple rule for selecting material for fit. So, the height of an adult plant should not exceed half a meter - it is in this case that the seedlings will feel quite at ease in the compressed space. Ideal for planting on the balcony are herbs and spices, reaching a height of not more than 30 cm. To exemplary "balcony" residents can be considered thyme, sage, oregano, lemon balm. Perennial spicy herbs can be formed, like trees, cutting the tops at any desired height. In this case, the spices will fill up the whole space after 3-4 years.
If the balcony is located in partial shade, then parsley, dill, coriander, rosemary and sage are ideal for growing.
Glazed Balcony Conditions
The answer to the question of what can be grown on the balcony in the summer, partially we gave. In addition, we considered some features of the location. Now it is time to talk about the conditions of the glazed balcony. Even growing unpretentious greens and spicy herbs, it is always important to remember that plants need oxygen for favorable development. That is why the window leaves on the balcony must be opened as often as possible. Another unpleasant factor for the life of crops can be burning direct sunlight. To save crops from the heat will help darkening the glass using improvised means (paper, home-made curtains). There is also an option in which crops during the hours of the hottest sun can be cleaned on the floor.
Dwarf vegetables
There is great news for all vegetable lovers. It turns out that you can grow bell peppers and eggplant on the balcony, because the breeders have bred dwarf varieties of these wonderful vegetables. Cherry tomatoes and dwarf hot peppers also take root well in extreme urban conditions . Let's not forget about the onion feather on the greens. Now it remains to solve the problem with the placement, make basic care and wait for the harvest.
Placement in trays
Vegetables when planted in a box can be combined with herbs. The main thing is to remember that spices have the ability to grow excessively. Therefore, the distance between the seedlings should be at least at least 20 centimeters. It is also no secret that you can grow not only flowers, but also vegetables in pots on the balcony. Only pots of large diameter will fit only under vegetable seedlings, because the better the root system develops in a plant , the more fruit it will bring. Even with this method of planting, plants will require increased watering and top dressing. Optimal containers for planting vegetables on the balcony are medium-sized buckets (5-10 l).
We form a bed in a peat bag
If space and conditions allow, directly on the floor of the balcony (sometimes use special stands or an old table), you can arrange a peat bed. To do this, go to the store and buy a large bag of peat. We will not unpack the bag, put it in a layer on the floor or on the countertop and make small square cuts under the seedlings around the perimeter. So that the moisture does not stagnate during watering, we also first make small holes in the bottom of the bag. Now we know that you can grow vegetables on the balcony in the summer, right on the makeshift bed. It remains only to provide the appropriate pallets under the tank and regularly moisten peat. The east and west sides of the window arrangement are most acceptable for a good crop. Sunlight is enough for plants, and it is not at all scorching.
What can be grown on the balcony: early vegetables
How have we still not mentioned radishes, lettuce and arugula? But the small size and speed of ripening of early vegetables in themselves speak in favor of a good adaptation to the conditions on the balcony. Some urban vegetable growers manage to harvest more than one crop per summer. As containers usually use nursery boxes or medium-sized pots.
Variety of options
Seed plants such as onions, garlic, beans and peas are also not against living in a balcony. Few people know that you can grow berry bushes on the balcony. So, strawberries take root well to unusual conditions. Many experimenters try to grow cucumbers on window sills. In this case, you can safely transfer cucumber seedlings to the balcony. This is especially true for hybrid and salad varieties.
What can be stored and grown in winter?
And you did not know that you can grow fragrant marjoram on the balcony in winter? After all, it freezes only only in open air. Try planting it in the summer, do not clean it in the winter, and delicate fragrant shoots will delight you with cold evenings. You can also leave basil for the winter, but only until this wonderful annual plant has a life cycle.
Some tips
- To harvest in the conditions of a glazed balcony in the winter, you need to pick off a basil, salad or greens not with a whole bush, but a leaf.
- Feeding is necessary only in a moist substrate, otherwise the roots of the plants may burn.
- For the growth of vegetables, peat soil or a special one, designed for each particular species, is best suited.
- In containers for landing, a good drainage layer is required.
- If a plant on the balcony was struck by pests, it is better to get rid of it, and not to introduce chemicals. Natural repellent elements for parasites are marigolds and fragrant basil planted next to the vegetable crop.