Gardening Ideas for balcony

High rise buildings, garbage dumps, and traffic on roads, could be tiring beyond imagination. You may yearn for open spaces and some greeneries, but city dwellers have bleak possibilities to get them.

A simple remedy, which may seem to be a luxury to an apartment dweller, is to have a balcony garden. As written by Jessica Dawe, “Balcony gardening offers the promise of fresh produce and a fragrant oasis in the sky” With limited space and demanding schedules, wondering how is this possible?

Here are some planting tools you can use to decor your balcony with the greeneries.

a) Pots and Planters

The common pot materials are terracotta and ceramic. The material is durable but heavy. Plastic containers are alternate materials as they are light in weight and available in many attractive colors and shapes. While buying pots, remember that they might have to be replaced periodically to maintain the aesthetics of the balcony.

If you are a nature lover and want to know about container gardening, here you go.

b) Railing or Hanging Basket

These make an excellent choice for tiny balconies as they can be hung over a railing or window. They are usually small in size and are suited for a smaller variety of plants. The only caution to keep in mind is to secure them safely to the railing or ceiling by brackets/ straps to prevent any accidents.

c) Recycled Household Objects

While creating a balcony garden, you can be creative and transform household objects into quirky containers. Old tins/cans, jars, jugs, cups, tubs or any other vessel can be converted into a container by making drainage holes in them.

d) Trellis Planter/ Hanging Gutter Gardens

Trellis is a framework of light wooden or metal bars to hang pots or give support to plant. Hanging gutter as the name suggests are made of rain gutters or hollowed bamboos suited for succulents or herbs.

Precautions and Challenges of a Balcony Garden

01. Drying of plants may happen in the beginning or from time to time. Do not get discouraged and find out the reason for this- under watering/overwatering, too much or too little sun; there are such other factors that can be easily resolved.

02. Pruning and grooming will have to be done regularly for keeping plants healthy. Removing dead leaves and cutting off the extra branches to ensure proper growth. Changing pots, if plants start to grow out, adding manure or fertilizers from time to time and removing weeds are some of the care required for any plant.

03. Proper drainage through the drainage hole avoids water logging in pots, and balcony floors should be ensured before planting. You can put saucers/tray under pots to prevent water leaking everywhere and for keeping the balcony dry and clean.

04. Secure hanging pots and other containers safely to prevent damage during a storm or avoid any accidents.

05. You might be fine with butterflies and birds visiting, but not with mosquitoes, bees or lizards which may quickly make a home amongst plants. Invest in some repellent if the problem aggravates.

06. Select child-friendly and pet-friendly plants as some common plants may be poisonous if the leaves are mouthed by mistakes.