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Limited outdoor space doesn’t mean you have to give up on growing your own vegetables. Many crops thrive in compact areas and can deliver impressive yields, making them ideal for balconies, patios, and small urban gardens.
Here’s a look at some of the best vegetables to grow on your balcony for a fresh and productive harvest.
Kale
Kale is the perfect winter crop for your balcony vegetable garden – this leafy green thrives in cooler temperatures. It will produce a continuous supply of delicious leaves from fall to spring. Kale can withstand frost, hail, snow, and icy winds, making it one of the most robust balcony crops you can grow.
Related: 18 Best Companion Plants for Kale to Boost Your Harvest
Thyme
Thyme is a fantastic herb to grow on a balcony, much like rosemary. No balcony garden should be without a selection of fragrant herbs, which add flavor to your dishes and repel biting insects and attract helpful pollinators.
Thyme, in particular, is effective at repelling mosquitoes, thanks to the oil released from its crushed leaves. When planting herbs in containers, it’s beneficial to group herbs that have similar soil and water needs.
How to Dry Fresh Thyme – 5 Methods
Basil
Like rosemary, basil is a versatile herb for cooking and is also effective at repelling mosquitoes. Place this mosquito-repelling plant near the balcony, patio, deck, or any other outdoor space where you spend the most time. Basil makes an excellent addition to many cuisines.
Tomatoes
Tomato plants will thrive on a sunny balcony, yielding regular harvests of delicious, sun-kissed fruits throughout the summer. Choose tomato varieties that suit the space you have available – cherry tomatoes are ideal for hanging baskets, bush tomatoes are suitable for containers, and taller indeterminate varieties are best suited for grow bags.
Make sure to use good-quality organic compost to provide all the nutrients your tomato plants need for vigorous growth and fruit development.
Lettuce
Did you know that some lettuce varieties can be grown all year round? That’s right – with some clever use of container gardening on your balcony, you may never need to buy another tasteless, wilted
The best way to maintain a continuous supply of
Swiss Chard
The rainbow-like effect of different types of Swiss chard is guaranteed to add a splash of color to your balcony!
Like lettuce,
Chili
Chili peppers are heat-loving plants and often do better on a sunny balcony than in cooler yards or gardens. Plant chilies in nutrient-rich compost and feed them regularly with organic fertilizer during the summer months.
Chili plants are normally grown as annuals, but can be overwintered on a sunny balcony if protected from frost.
Mini Cucumbers
Mini cucumbers are great fun to grow on a balcony. They produce perfect snack-sized crisp, fresh, and delicious fruits. Mini cucumber plants can be trained to grow vertically up a trellis or against a sunny wall or railing.
Remember to pick cucumbers as soon as they are large enough, as they quickly become oversized and inedible.
Peas
Peas are the ideal crop to fill the ‘hungry gap’ in your balcony garden – the lull that occurs in spring when the winter crops end their life cycle, and we’re waiting for summer veg to start producing.
Pick pea pods as soon as they are ready and your plants will go on producing a good yield for several weeks.
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are a summer crop that will relish the extra heat of a sheltered sunny balcony. These plants are heavy feeders, so use a high-quality growing medium that provides ample nutrients.
Bell pepper plants can be slow to reach maturity, so they may need to be started indoors a few weeks before the last expected frost date.
Radishes
No vegetable crop grows faster than
Eggplant
Eggplants simply love the heat – the more, the better! So, if you’ve got a sunny corner of your balcony, try growing a few eggplants in small containers or pots.
South- or west-facing balconies are the best option, as they stay warm through the night. Eggplants grow very slowly and should be started indoors in early spring.
Carrots
Carrots can be sown quite densely in containers, making them a good crop for limited space. Once the seeds have germinated, thin them out to the recommended spacing –
Carrots grown on balconies are rarely bothered by
Rosemary
No balcony garden is complete without an array of fragrant herbs like Rosemary. Not only do herbs add flavor to your food, but many also repel biting insects and attract beneficial pollinators.
When growing herbs in containers, it is a good idea to group specific herb types that share similar preferences in terms of soil type and water requirements.
Green Onions
Green onions are a great place to start if you want to grow one completely foolproof vegetable crop. Green onions are grown from bulbs (also known as sets) planted in good-quality compost about 3” apart.
Water these bulbs regularly, and within a few months, you’ll be rewarded with a crop of deliciously crisp green onions, perfect for summer salads, pickles, and sandwiches.
Beets
Beets are as easy to grow as
When the largest beet is ready to harvest, it can be gently twisted from the ground, leaving space for the remainder to grow.
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