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Like most people living in apartments, you may have limited outdoor space to start a garden.
Fortunately, a wide variety of vegetables well suited for a few hours of light and container gardening on a balcony exist in the market.
Consider bush varieties when growing vegetables on a balcony, such as:
- Bush tomatoes
- Bush Beans
- Peppers
- Raddish
- Carrots
- Peas
- Eggplant
- Beats
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Cucumbers
- Kale
- Squash
- Chard
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Rhubarb
This gardening guide includes 17 vegetables, such as tomatoes, beans, and peppers, for growing in a balcony setup. While these balcony vegetables vary in the nutrients they add to the kitchen, they will all thrive in containers if you provide optimum growing conditions, have suitable soil, and plant them in a large container that allows enough space for root development.
The guide comprises extensive research for the vegetables that grow on the balcony and preferences to help you get optimum yield at the end of the day.
Read on to find up to the 17 best varieties of balcony vegetables for your garden setup. These plants will give you a cheaper alternative to nutritious vegetables in the current economy occasioned by the skyrocketing food prices. Besides, these vegetables are a great addition to a healthier food choice for health-conscious individuals. Here we go!
17 Vegetables You Can Grow on A Balcony
As the season of gardening approaches, it is time to dust your gardening equipment as you prepare for a gardening season. If you have minimal space in your apartment, 17 vegetables will thrive in containers on a balcony. Most of these vegetables that can add freshness and flavor to your kitchen grow under the following conditions:
- 6 to 8 hours of sun on your balcony area
- Adequate water drainage
- The right potting soils
1. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are among the most productive plant that guarantees high produce in pots. Depending on the variety you choose for your balcony, you can get all-year-round produce with this vegetable. Use a large pot or bucket to accommodate the plant and allow proper rooting.
A large pot will also allow extra space for adding a supporting cage for your tomato plant. However, beware of tomatoes’ pests and diseases.
You can buy seedlings or start the planting process with seeds. Find a location that receives 5 to 6 hours of sunlight for your tomatoes. The plant dwarf variety of your balcony space is not enough. Your balcony garden’s most common types include Glacier, Tumble, Patio Princess, BushSteak, and Tumbler.
2. Beans
You can optimize productivity in your balcony kitchen garden by getting bean varieties such as bush beans or pole beans. These beans are suited for container gardens on a balcony that receives sunlight. Ensure that you get a one-foot-deep pot for these legumes.
If you choose to grow the climbing variety, include a trellis-like structure. You can select Bush Blue Lake, Cherokee Trail of Tears, Contender, and Mascotte Green Beans. You can expect a good harvest within a few weeks if you can ensure proper watering and drainage.
3. Peppers
If you can access pepper varieties such as Early Jalapeno, Shishito, Yellow Spice, and Jalapeno, you will get better yields from this vegetable. Peppers are among the easiest balcony vegetables you can plant in a container.
Ensure the minimum conditions, such as container size and sunlight exposure, remain favorable for your peppers. Ideal conditions include a large deep pot for perfect growth.
The best time to add fertilizer to the potting soil is when the peppers bloom until they produce fruits. Other pepper varieties that do well in balcony pots include Devil’s Tongue peppers and Bolivian Rainbow.
4. Radishes
This vegetable is among the fast-growing plants suitable for container gardening. If you have six-inch deep containers, consider planting small radish and larger varieties in 10-inch deep containers. You choose to mix both types if your balcony can accommodate large containers.
However, leave enough inter-plant spacing to ensure the plant has enough space to grow into and receive sunlight. Besides large cultivars, all the other radish varieties thrive in balcony containers. Expect to harvest radishes between 24 and 60 days, depending on your balcony’s type and prevailing conditions.
5. Carrots
The best carrots to plant in your balcony container include Little Finger and Romeo. These easy-to-grow vegetables require large containers and enough soil to accommodate long taproots.
You may choose short-root varieties with limited balcony space and small containers. Otherwise, standard variety carrots thrive more if you keep the conditions optimal. Do not overwater or dry the foliage to minimize water-logged soil and mildew incidents.
6. Peas
Choose from bush and dwarf varieties, mainly if you have limited space on your balcony. However, almost all pea varieties thrive in balcony container gardening. Depending on the cultivar, choose a container between 6 and 12 inches.
Keep the container under excellent conditions with moist soil. Peas require little maintenance, making them a perfect option for most gardeners.
You can plant more than one pea in a six-foot container by maintaining enough spacing between the seeds. Varieties such as Snowbird, Peas-in-a-Pot, and Little SnapPea Crunch will produce more peas for a balcony garden.
7. Eggplant
Although this vegetable has several health benefits, it requires more space than other vegetables to produce optimally. You will need up to a five-gallon pot to grow this large vegetable in a pot on your balcony.
However, you plant eggplant if you have enough space in a location that receives between 6 and 8 hours of sunlight daily. Consider fertilizing and supporting your eggplants, mainly when they are producing fruit.
Also include stakes and cages to help varieties such as Gretel, Bambino, and Hansel with heavy eggplant fruits.
8. Beets
These vegetables are among the easiest crops to plant in a balcony container because they require little maintenance and space. Varieties such as Early Wonder, Bull’s Blood, and Detroit Dark Red are fast-growing beets that require large balcony pots. You can plant beets by getting composite-rich well-draining soils and eight to ten-inch containers.
9. Lettuce
Planting this fast-growing vegetable in your balcony garden can have multiple harvests. Lettuce requires a six-inch deep container and four-inch spacing to thrive. If you can get a full planter on your balcony, fill it with well-draining soils and plant your lettuce. Remember to water your vegetable frequently because it thrives in moist conditions.
10. Spinach
Spinach is another balcony vegetable with numerous health benefits. It can grow in an 8-inch container, making it a perfect choice for a balcony container. You can produce more than one spinach in a container by maintaining a four-inch spacing. Choose a spot that experiences partial shade for your spinach container. It will prevent the vegetable will wilting. You can move your spinach container indoors during winter to avoid the effects of too much outdoor heat.
11. Cucumbers
You can plant your cucumbers vertically on the balcony to optimize the space. If you choose to grow your cucumber from seeds, remember to buy a large container for your balcony garden. You can let the vegetable grow up your balcony railings to prevent the cucumbers from overweighing the vine.
12. Kale
Kale is the most planted pot vegetable that takes minimal balcony space. This advantage makes it a perfect option for your balcony kitchen. Choose an ideal location where the vegetable receives direct and indirect sunlight daily—a few hours of explicit sunlight guarantee that your kale plants do not get too dry.
You can grow approximately five kale plants in a 20-inch pot. Otherwise, use small pots for easy vegetable movement to the sun and indoors during summer.
13. Squash
If you love squash, include it in the list of easy-to-plant vegetables for your balcony garden. This plant is best suited for those planting in a container or garden. You will produce more than winter squash varieties if you can get summer squash. Choose from zucchini or crookneck yellow squash for maximum yields in proper conditions.
However, if you choose to plant squash from fresh seeds in your balcony garden, you may encounter problems like squash bugs and powdery mildew. Ensure that you take this precaution when planting squash because this problem can gravitate toward other types of squash.
14. Chard
Chard is another winter-resistant vegetable that grows on the balcony by adapting to a container. It is an easy-to-grow option to kale for gardeners in warm climates. Chard has a better tolerance to heat and can grow in winter without withering.
Plant your chad in smaller-sized pots for easy movement around your balcony. You can have more plants in one plant, but you must maintain a 6-inches space between them as possible.
15. Potatoes
Potatoes require at least a five-gallon container with enough well-drained soil. If you can get a pest-resistant variety, you can get a supply of potatoes throughout the year. Many people do not know that potatoes can thrive in pots. Ensure your planting bucket or container remains portable to move your vegetable away from direct sunlight.
16. Onions
With adequate space, onions can yield enough to replenish your kitchen all year round. You will need a five-inch deep container to grow onions in your balcony garden. This depth and 1-inch spacing guarantee that your onions have enough space to grow. Remember to harvest your onions when they start to fall over.
17. Rhubarb
Most people do not know that this vegetable can grow in a container. Rhubarb does well in a balcony environment that receives approximately 6 hours of sunlight daily. This vegetable requires little maintenance, making it an excellent choice for a balcony plant.
You can harvest its greenish, red, and pink stalks with rhubarb throughout the years. If you have a large pot, fill it with well-draining soil before planting your rhubarb deep in the pool.
On The Bottom Line
Consider using your balcony if you hope to have fresh vegetables year-round but little gardening space. The above 17 vegetables do well in planted in a container on your patio.
You can grow citrusy plants to help you keep away pests and stray cats away from your balcony garden. Maintain optimal planting conditions to have abundant vegetables throughout the year!