How to Make a Balcony Garden (A Simple Setup Guide)

You don’t need a yard to grow food and flowers. A balcony the size of a parking space can hold tomatoes, herbs and a few pots of color, if you set it up right.

Most balcony gardens fail for boring reasons: too little sun, pots that are too small, or soil that dries out by noon. Here’s how I’d avoid all three from day one.

Start With Your Building Rules

Before you buy anything, check your lease or HOA rules. Many buildings limit railing planters, hanging baskets or anything that could fall.

It also tells you whether you can drill into walls, which changes what kind of vertical planters you can use.

Count Your Hours of Sun

Sun decides what you can grow. Check your balcony at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. on a clear day and note when it gets direct light.

South- and west-facing balconies usually get 6 or more hours, enough for tomatoes and peppers. East-facing ones get gentler morning sun, great for herbs and greens.

North-facing balconies get little direct sun. Stick to shade lovers like ferns, begonias and impatiens.

Choose Containers That Fit the Space

Railing planters use space you would otherwise waste. I’d pick ones that hang on the inside of the railing, so nothing can drop onto the street.

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Every pot needs a drainage hole. Bigger pots hold water longer, so choose the largest ones your space and weight limit allow.

Use Real Potting Mix

Garden soil packs down in pots and drains poorly. A light, compost-rich potting mix keeps roots healthy and adds much less weight.

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Make Watering Easy

Pots on a sunny balcony can dry out in a single July afternoon. Check them every morning in summer.

If you travel or forget, a small solar drip kit waters every pot for you. It’s one of the most useful upgrades for a balcony.

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Put saucers or trays under every pot. Your downstairs neighbors will thank you.

Weight and Wind

Wet soil is heavy. Keep the biggest pots against the wall or near supports, and spread weight out instead of grouping everything in one corner.

Above the third floor or so, wind dries plants and knocks over tall ones. Use wide, heavy-based pots for anything tall, and stake tomatoes early.

What to Plant First

Start small with 4 or 5 pots you can keep up with. I’d begin with herbs you actually cook with, one cherry tomato and something for color.

For ideas, see my guides to a balcony herb garden and growing vegetables on a balcony.

Short on floor space? Vertical garden ideas let you grow up the walls instead.

Keeping It Going Through the Season

• Feed container plants every 2 to 3 weeks, since watering washes nutrients out.
• Turn pots every week or two so plants grow evenly toward the light.
• Pinch herbs often to keep them bushy.
• Clear dead leaves and check under leaves for pests every few days.

Balcony Garden Questions