Easy Tips To Start Balcony Garden | Ideas and Benefits

Balcony Garden

Everyone has one favorite spot at home. Do you also have one? For me, it’s always the balcony garden of my house. After a long tiring day, coffee in our favorite spot of the house is so relaxing. Have you ever heard of the Chinese proverb, “If you want to be happy for a lifetime, be a gardener”. I always admired people with a garden in their homes and wished to experience the same pleasure of nurturing saplings into beautiful plants. The joy of seeing the blooming flowers is extremely overwhelming. If you also wish to have a balcony garden go through the post below. I have mentioned below some balcony design ideas, balcony makeovers and some plants which can be nurtured in small available space.

A lot of people think that to have a balcony garden, you need a sprawling yard. Due to urbanisation and lack of space, the new generation of people mostly live in apartments and do not always have that luxury of having a backyard. Many apartments have limited spaces, which makes even indoor decoration a challenge. So having a yard in metropolitan cities is a distant dream for many homeowners. If you live in an apartment and wish to have a garden, you can easily transform your balcony.

You just need some balcony garden decor ideas, some saplings, pots and a little space.

Check On How Much Space You Have

The first step to creating a balcony garden is to have space. Check out how much space you have in setting up a balcony. Also, you have to be sure that your balcony will be able to hold the weight of the clay pots, earth, and water.

Weather Conditions And The Direction

Once you check on the space, check in which direction the house balcony is, whether it gets the optimum sunlight. Plant the saplings according to the weather conditions of the place you live in. Make sure your balcony gets enough sunlight and place the pots accordingly. North-facing balconies are a little tougher because they just won’t get a ton of sun. You’ll need to look for plants that thrive in partial or full shade. They exist, so keep them in mind when selecting what to grow in your balcony garden.

Get Some Knowledge On Plants And Gardening

Before setting up a balcony garden, get some knowledge of the plants. Maybe you can take up an online knowledge, or you may read some books. Don’t plant the saplings in the enthusiasm of setting up a balcony garden and make the plant die, without adequate knowledge.

Be Mindful in Buying the Containers

There are a lot of variety of planters available in the market. Buy the planters according to your requirement. Make sure the containers you plan to use are compatible with the growth habits of your plants. Make sure they have adequate drainage as well. Terra cotta pots also require more frequent watering than plastic or fiberglass.

Use The Proper Soil

Use potting soil, which is also called container mix. It is very much aerated, sterile, lightweight and made of organic materials and some minerals essential for plant growth. These kinds of soils are very light. Avoid dry soil with moss, pea gravel or shredded cedar. Cover the soil with mulch.

Tea compost Dressing

Compost tea is great for apartment residents. For people who can’t make compost, use tea compost water, instead of watering your plants. These help in absorbing the nutrients well from the soil and hence the healthy plants and the better growth of the plants.

Be Slow in Watering

As soon as the garden is set up, don’t rush to pour the water. Make sure the water is all drained to the bottom of the container. Excessive watering will only spoil the quality of the plants. That is why gaining some knowledge of plants is important.

Mix and Match

Mix and Match the plants. Be smart enough to place the samplings. Plants with larger leaves require more sunlight. These plants can be planted beside the sapling that requires shade. Plant some saplings of flowers in one corner, organic herbs can be grown along with the flowers for the sweet aroma.

Use The Railings and Ceilings

You can transform the look of your balcony, by setting up a balcony garden. If your balcony has less space, use railings of your balcony to hang the beautiful planters. You can use ceramic pots, clay pots, plastic pots or self-made wooden planters to set up colourful flowering plants and creepers. Planters can be suspended from the ceiling of your balcony too. Wicker baskets and terracotta pots can look beautiful when hung from sturdy hooks and metal rods. But be careful and double-check on the ceilings and the railings.

These are some of the balcony garden ideas that will transform your balcony from drab to fab. Now let us see some of the ways to plant the saplings and place them on the balcony. Below are some of the balcony garden designs that can be adopted at the house with small balconies.

Use Trellis

Use Trellis to allow the plants to grow up along the wall of your balcony. You could do a larger container (maybe 18 – 24″ across). You could grow something like cucumbers or squash. As the plants mature, train them to grow up the trellis by weaving the vines through the trellis or support. The plants will be inclined to grow toward the sun, so they will need a little convincing. Just keep gently nudging them up and toward the trellis and they will follow your lead. Once they spread along the wall of the balcony, the balcony wall looks amazing. This is one of the easiest balcony garden design ideas.

Bags

If you have a little space for a planter or two, consider a container or even a planter grow bag that’s about 12″-18″ wide. This grow bag will be cute and perfect for herbs, strawberries, or other small plants. Both are easy to fill with a bag or two of soil and some fertilizer. The grow bags can be moved anywhere if you need space in the balcony for anything else. Once the weather gets cold, the plants need to be kept indoors.

Railing planters are easy to manage. They won’t take up much space. Herbs and small flowers are great for railing planters. Mix up some herbs and some flowers and give it a try. These are some of the easiest balcony garden designs ideas. Try these ideas and transform your balcony into an interesting spot at your house.

Now that we have spoken much about the balcony garden ideas and design, let me tell you some of the low maintenance plants, flowers and herbs that can be grown on the balcony.

• Aloe Vera – Aloe Vera is one of the traditional herbs that was grown in every household. Aloe Vera requires very little maintenance. If you do not have this herb in your home already, then I suggest that you get one asap.
• Herbs -These are a great choice for beginners.
• Cucumbers – Cucumbers can be easily grown on a sunny balcony.
• Philodendron Birkin – It just needs some bright, indirect light. If your balcony has some shade, I suggest perching it, therefore it has a good balance of sunshine and coolness.
• Sago Palm – This beautiful plant brings a tropical feel to your house. It prefers indirect light, loves humid conditions, and doesn’t need to be watered regularly.
• Snake Plant – The snake plant is a low-maintenance succulent plant that thrives on neglect pretty well.
• Devils Ivy – We don’t know how this plant came to be known as a ‘money plant’, but the saying goes that if you have this plant in your home, there will never be any financial crisis. Surely an attractive plant, it does need to be kept away from direct sunlight on your balcony to keep the heart-shaped leaves from getting scratched
• Spider Plant – With its leaves flaunting a devil-may-care attitude, this plant can add a wild untamed look to any balcony
• Basil-Every Indian has a basil plant on the balcony. Place it along with other plants that need some sunlight, water it sparingly and you have the kind of herbs available for free. The Indian variety of basil or tulsi is widely known and used for its medicinal benefits and boosting immunity. One of the best plants for a balcony.
• Desert Rose
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chillies
• Coriander and mint leaves
• Roses and hibiscus

These are some of the plants that can be grown in the balcony. Balcony gardening requires less maintenance. Just trim the plants once a week and water them when required. Use organic fertilizers and kitchen scrape.

So whether you’re a beginner getting into the plant parent world or you’re someone who just wants to add to their green family, follow these tips and build an amazing balcony garden.

Check out vastu plants for home that are sure to bring you wealth, happiness and prosperity this 2022

FAQ’s

1. What are the common herbs grown in the Indian household?

Tulsi, coriander, mint leaves, ginger, and garlic

2. Which flowering plants can be grown in the balcony garden?

Rose, hibiscus, lily, marigold

3. Which is the most common plant grown in almost all houses?

Money plant is a commonly found plant in the Indian household