CubicFootGardening
Introduction
Tending a garden offers a tranquil setting to alleviate everyday tension and functions as a protective barrier to enhance psychological health. Owing to our ever-growing population and crowded cities, we frequently lose touch with nature. Having a garden gives us comfort and serves as a bridge to connect us to the natural world.
The choices for garden design grow more limited for city dwellers because of space constraints. The only place that apartment dwellers and those with balconies may have a garden is on their balcony or terrace.
A balcony’s small size has its own set of difficulties, such as the inability to choose certain plants depending on the plants’ orientation, amount of sunshine, and time of year. Though someone with thorough study can overcome
Prepare your space.
Although where your garden is located is important, it is one of those things that is beyond your control. The kinds of plants that can be grown depend on the location.
East-facing Balcony: For plants that like shade, an east-facing balcony is advised if one can select the spot. Since it will give off plenty of indirect light after noon and direct sunshine for six to seven hours. Additionally, it helps shield plants from the intense heat of the afternoon sun.
West-facing Balcony: Your options for plants are restricted if your balcony faces west. Selecting robust, drought-resistant, and heat-tolerant plant cultivars is a smart move.
Create a balcony garden design.
When it comes to design, you should use your creativity and see what suits you in the given place. Later on, you may include your concepts with other features like comfort and usefulness.
The newest design in space conservation that doesn’t compromise planting area is the vertical garden. The systems include potted plants that are positioned in rows and columns on vertical racks.
For the finest growth patterns and lush appearance, they often arrange plants that like shade at the bottom and those that prefer light at the top.
The most widely used approach to garden design typically includes creepers, hanging plants, potted plants, etc. To differentiate your garden area, add ornamental pots and paint a distinct color.
Four Ideas for Growing on a Balcony
You have fewer options than those who have access to land if you live in an apartment in the city, but you can still grow some things. The finest techniques for planting a garden on a balcony or in another limited place are outlined in these suggestions.
Determine your zone of hardiness. The average yearly winter temperature and low temperature in your area are displayed on a map showing hardiness zones. Using average annual minimum temperature, the USDA maintains an online hardiness map searchable by zip code that splits the US into 13 zones.
Determine your hardiness zone and become acquainted with the fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs that grow well there before you begin your garden.
Adhere to standard planting guidelines. Gardens with balconies need the same maintenance as regular gardens. Make sure your plants receive adequate direct sunshine, think about adding mulch to the soil in your pots, and give them frequent waterings. For kitchen scraps, you could even build a little compost container.
Throughout the winter, move your garden indoors. Bring your plants inside when the weather changes, unless you live in a place like Los Angeles or another city with a mild environment all year round.
Employ window boxes and hanging plants. Space-saving techniques are key to urban gardening, and hanging baskets and planters are particularly effective in this regard. You may even think about starting a garden on your windowsill. Use premium potting soil that is rich in loam in whichever container you decide on.
Select Plants That Will Grow Well In Your Sunlight
People frequently exaggerate the number of hours that an area receives direct sunlight. This is especially true on a balcony as barriers or buildings might block the sun from entering specific areas of the room. You must determine precisely how many hours of direct sunlight each location you choose to grow things in receives.
You will need to either purchase a gardening instrument called a solar calculator or carefully time it out with a watch to do this. Additionally, you should time it toward the beginning of your growth season, as the sun’s path affects how your results change from winter to summer.
Think of a Garden of Succulents
Succulents are typically fairly low-maintenance plants that come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and variations. They’re a fantastic option for a balcony that experiences strong summertime sun. The majority of succulents cultivated in containers are quite resistant to drought and wind-related drying out.
Their leaf sizes range from huge to small, and their habits can be either erect or trailing, offering countless design options.
Some succulents blossom in the spring or even the winter, such as sedums, and others flower in the late summer and fall. Make sure the succulents you choose are suitable for the growth zone in which they will be planted.
Have a Strategy to Handle Wind
While some plants squirm in the wind, others will perish by curling up. It all comes down to selecting plants that go well with your surroundings or, to some extent, altering your area to increase the variety of plants you may have.
Planting bigger, wind-tolerant plants in front of the more delicate ones can help create windbreaks that shield the more delicate plants. For further protection, you may place wind-sensitive plants in low containers close to the ground.
Apart from placing them strategically, there are other ways to shield plants from wind. One useful tool for establishing a wind barrier is a set of movable or adjustable screens, like bamboo blinds.
Selecting Annuals vs Perennial Plants
You will need to decide if you want to have sensitive perennials that can be carried inside for the winter or plants that can live year-round on your balcony, depending on your particular circumstances. To find out if your balcony plant is winter hardy, start by determining your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone.
Purchasing plants that can withstand the winter months might be a wise decision, as moving potted plants and plants to and from a balcony can be challenging, and many people like looking out of their balconies throughout the year.
