Balcony Gardening: Step by Step Guide to setup the Garden

Introduction

Gardening provides a relaxing environment to relieve daily stress and acts as a buffer zone to improve mental wellbeing. Due to the ever-increasing population and dense urban cities, our innate connection with nature usually gets lost. Having a garden acts as a bridge to bring us closer to nature and provides comfort.

For a city dweller, the choices for the type of garden becomes limited due to constraint of space. For people living in apartments and residents with balconies, they are limited to having a garden in their balcony or terrace.

Due to the limited space of a balcony, it comes with its own challenges like the limitation of the choice of plants due to direction, sunlight and season. Although a well-researched person can overcome this and when done correctly you could reap the benefits of any other garden.

Get your place ready

Location of your garden is crucial yet this is one of those aspects which is out of one’s control. Location dictates the type of plants one can have.

East-facing Balcony: If one has the freedom to choose the location an east-facing balcony is recommended for shade-loving plants. As it will provide ample direct sunlight for a period of 6-7 hours and indirect light after 12 PM. It can also protect plants which are sensitive to the scorching heat of the afternoon sunlight.

West-facing Balcony: If you are stuck with a west-facing balcony your choice of plants becomes limited. It is wise to choose hardy drought-proof and heat-tolerant varieties of plants.

Maximize the space

• Narrow and long garden plant pots are advisable for tall and lanky plants as these help in saving space. Choosing the pot based on the growth rate and density of plant is the best form of space saving one can achieve.
• Multiwall pocket planters are the best way to save space without limiting your planting space. This also adds a lush green look due to it being planted proximately to each other in contrast to the dispersed look of potted plants
• Hanging planters from the ceiling is another form of efficient space management. You can visit TrustBasket Garden Store online to find your choice of balcony hanging pots.

Design garden for balconies

When it comes to design, you should let your imagination flow and observe what works for you based on the space available. You can later integrate your ideas with other elements like functionality and comfort. 

1. Vertical gardens are the latest trend when it comes to saving space without sacrificing the planting space. The systems incorporate potted plants placed on vertical racks arranged in the form of rows and columns. They usually place shade-loving plants at the bottom and light-loving plants at the top for the best growth patterns and lush look.
2.  The most popular method of garden design usually involves potted plants, hanging plants, creepers, etc. Adding decorative pots and painting your garden section in a different tone to separate and highlight the area are some of the ideas widely used.
3. One could always get design inspirations from social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram.
4. Facebook groups are another source for meeting fellow gardeners to exchange ideas, tips and share experiences.

Planters and pots

1. There are different types of planters that are easily available from online e-stores that sell them these days with doorstep delivery. The planters and pots are usually made of clay, cement and plastic. There are also ceramic pots in myriad colours and designs that bring in an element of interest to your garden. These planters are available in various sizes and shapes. The ones you choose should depend upon the type and need of the plants you are going to grow in it.
2.  Cement pots are more durable and they are recommended for big plants that are heavily root intensive.
3.  The trend right now is to grow pots in traditionally crafted clay pots. These pots come in various designs.
4. The most important aspect when it comes to any planters is the drain. Look for holes at the bottom of the pots which are meant to let out excess water and prevent waterlogging.
5. Space also dictates and limits the options of pots. The shape of the garden plant pots can limit or expand the options of plants you can have in your balcony garden.

Soils for planting

• A well-draining soil is the go-to for healthy plant growth. Water stagnation due to poor soil can prevent oxygen exchange between soil and air. A well-draining soil allows water to percolate through it easily.
• A good potting mix for a well-draining soil can be made using a mixture of any of the following materials like coco fiber, perlite, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, compost or sand with your regular soil.

Preparing seeding

• Growing plants from seeds depend on temperature and humidity. Each type of seeds whether herbs, flowers or vegetables have their unique germination period and temperature requirements that need to be met.
• When it comes to vegetables, seeding them based on the season is the right approach as external temperatures largely dictate its growth and harvest. Doing the research on the type of vegetable that you’re going to grow saves you time and effort.
• The exception is perineal vegetables which can be planted at any time of the year. They are usually hardy.
• The type of plant dictates the planting space and supporting structures. Plants like beans and tomatoes etc., require trellises.

Watering

The watering schedule depends on the season. During the rainy and winter season water requirement for your garden will be very low. During this period watering once or twice a week would suffice. While in hot conditions your plants would require daily watering. And the intensity and depth of your watering depend on the type of plant and its requirement. If it is a water-hungry plant, like iris and sedges, they will require heavy watering compared to drought-tolerant plants like cactus or succulents

Maintenance

• Removing dead and dying leaves.
• Providing mulch to reduce evaporation and maintain soil humidity
• Pruning branches to shape your plant to your liking and to prevent it from shading plants out of sunlight.
• Providing organic or inorganic fertilizers when the deficiency is observed in your plants
• Regular checking of the drainage of the planters and making it clog proof.

At TrustBasket, we offer a wide range of balcony railing planters, wall-mount planters, balcony hanging pots, and space-saving outdoor plant pots that are perfect to create greenery in your home. With a large selection of pots in different shapes, sizes, and designs, you can easily beautify the balconies in your home, studio, or office. To explore our range of colorful plant pots, visit https://www.trustbasket.com/