Reimagining Your Balcony as a Bountiful Garden
Do you find yourself saying things like, “If only I had a big yard, then I could grow some veggies, herbs, fruit and other plants” or “If only I had a big balcony in my apartment, then I could…”
Until recently, I always felt that way about the spaces I lived in. No, I’m not saying that I now live in a mansion on a large estate - I just got creative with the tiny space I have and you can, too!
I have a very small balcony (about 3 feet by 4 feet) that gets a lot of sunlight. The space is not large enough for a comfy outdoor chair, but I wanted to make use of it. I decided to make an herb and pepper garden on the balcony, which started out as a bunch of pots on the ground. The garden felt cluttered and some of the pots were hard to reach because other plants were in the way, which is when I realized that I could maximize the space by going vertical!
Herb and pepper garden in a 3’x4’ balcony.
Smaller herbs are on top, pepper plants below the herbs. Excess water runs off the top planter and helps water the plants below it.
My cat Lucy loves sunning herself in the garden!
To fasten the herb planter to the railing, I used a set of flower box brackets like this one, and they quickly supported the planter without needing to drill anything into the railing or planter.
In the top planter, I have chives, English thyme, French thyme, oregano and parsley.
French and English Thyme
French thyme is actually a variety of English thyme with narrower leaves, a slightly different color and a bit of a sweeter taste. Both are excellent for seasoning chicken, fish, soups, and your favorite roasted veggies.
Helpful fact: English thyme is more tolerant to cold weather than French thyme!
Oregano
There are many types of oregano, varying in flavor and shape. Oregano can grow well indoors as well!
Oregano has many culinary uses and is great in tomato sauces for pasta and pizzas.
Helpful tip: Many recipes call for dried oregano, but instead, you can use 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano for every 1 teaspoon of dried oregano your recipe needs.
Parsley
Not just a garnish. Parsley is great on fish, soups, in marinades, and more.
Make Chimichurri Sauce with it!
The planter box below the herb box has a variety of pepper plants, including bell peppers and -
Fresno Chili
Certainly not the most popular pepper, but I like it because of its mildly spicy and sweet flavor. Fresno peppers are great in salsas, homemade hot sauces, they can be stuffed.
Toss a finely chopped Fresno into your scrambled eggs to step up your breakfast!
Fun Fact: The Fresnos got their name from Fresno, California, the city where the peppers were first propagated in 1952.
Thai Chili Peppers
Also known as bird’s eye peppers, are hot peppers that are great in many Asian dishes, sauces, curries, on fish, and you can even make your own Sriracha Sauce with them!
Serrano peppers, basil, mint, sage, fennel and rosemary also grow on the balcony.
Be careful with what you plant in the same container! For example, it’s best to keep mint in its own pot because it can take over a planter, invading and choking other plants.
What are your favorites herbs? If you don’t have a balcony or yard, I bet you can grow them in small containers on a windowsill in your kitchen or best sunny spot.
A bonus of planting your herb garden in pots is that you can always move the plants indoors into a sunny spot when it gets frosty out.
