Balcony garden can be turned to a place of serenity and beauty

A balcony garden is a new style of bringing a piece of green to one’s home. Balcony gardening refers to a garden arrangement that is set within a balcony. In urban area there exists a scarcity of space balcony gardening would require creative ideas.

A balcony garden can use various types of containers where trees can be planted in other words it can be called container gardening. This is an urban gardening technique, where we can plant selected plants as all types of plantation can not be carried out in the garden. One can add trellises to pots to help some plants grow vertically, which depends on the size of the balcony.

Balcony gardening supports growing small plants like vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Some of the preferred plantation carried out on a balcony are :

·         Leafy greens – Plants like spinach, lettuce, kale are suitable for plantation on the balcony. One can practice organic farming in a balcony garden, using vegetable wastes for producing fertilizer. One can use a repurposed rainwater gutter that is mounted on a wall.

·         Herbs – Some herbs are perfectly suitable for growing in a balcony garden, like basil, oregano, rosemary, which can be directly harvested from the garden and used to flavor our foods.

·         Vines –One can make use of vertical trellis or balcony railing to grow vines. Peas, pole beans, and some others like this can be grown even on a tiny balcony, natural organic fertilizers also look good.

·         Bush vegetables –These are another type of plant which grows well in pots and small containers. Tomatoes, pepper, and some types of beans grow well on the balcony and if cages are used it can give them shape, which if combined with organic farming yield healthy foods.

Some rules to follow for balcony gardening

·         Finding out the hardiness zone –Before starting out on balcony gardening, one needs to find out the hardiness zone of the region. This means one needs to find out the lowest temperature and the average annual rainfall of that place. Then one needs to find out the type of vegetables, fruits, and flowers that thrive there, and accordingly plan on the kind of plantation one would like to do in one place

·         Using traditional gardening techniques – A person planning to pursue balcony gardening should follow the usual rules of gardening, that is to ensure adequate sunlight, covering the soil of pots with mulch, can use natural organic fertilizer

One can consider creating compost for use in the balcony garden, from kitchenwastes.

·         Shifting plants – Whenever the weather changes, one should consider bringing plants consider.

·         Utilizing Space –Urban gardening requires optimum utilization of available space. To do so one can consider using hangingplanters or containers. Whatever place of plantation you choose, just make sure that the potting soil is rich in loam, and also use natural organic fertilizer.

·         The time period of sunlight in one’s balcony – Before going into planting flowers and vegetables, one should check the time span for which the balcony receives sunlight. If the sunlight is less than 6 hours,  it is considered partial shade and if less than 3 hours it is considered to be full shade. One should choose plants keeping in mind this criterion. Each type of plant’s nutrition should be individually cared for.

·         Balcony criterion for gardening – Anyone who is interested in balcony gardening may ask if a good balcony can be used for gardening. To know this one needs to talk with the builder or building manager regarding the weight limitations of the balconies before investing in any pots or gardening vessels. Ornamental or heavy pots may not be right for one’s balcony especially if it is a small one.

·         Designing the balcony microscape –Once the weight carrying capacity and sun time of the balcony is decided, next comes the time to design the balcony with a perfect mix of thrillers and spillers and fillers. The very image of a cascading vine over a balcony railing is quite intriguing. A balcony garden provides to both the gardener and the bees, as a nicely designed balcony garden can have both healthy, colorful vegetables and flower plants.

·         Soil and food –The soil on which plants are grown are the basis forthe growth of any plantation. Some plants like firm bed while some plants like it soft. Proper soil selection and arrangement of soil can save water and time in future. The soil should be fertile enough to provide nutrition to the plants grown on it, with proper drainage and air passage.

A balcony garden in an urban surroundings can become the perfect serene spot for you to spend some time and enjoy nature. One can practice organic farming techniques to yield healthy produce.