What are the best vegetables to grow in pots on my balcony?
The most commonly grown container vegetables include lettuce and other leafy greens, radishes, green onions, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and, if you have a trellis, pole beans, pole peas and cucumbers. Really you can try most vegetables as long as they aren't too bulky. Cabbage will produce a single head in the same amount of space that it takes a tomato plant to produce dozens of fruit. When you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into container gardening, cabbage just isn't worth it.
As a general rule, the larger the container you choose for your vegetables, the better. Your container needs to be large enough to support your vegetables when they are full grown and they always take up more space than you think they will. For instance, a full grown tomato plant requires a container that is at least 25 cm in height and width and preferably larger. Anything less and you're setting yourself up for trouble down the road.
When you're growing vegetables on a balcony, you also need to keep in mind that balconies have weight restrictions, so heavy planters made of concrete or wood should be passed over in favour of containers made of a lightweight material such as plastic. Whatever container you choose, it should have ample drainage holes in the bottom. (Remember to place a dish under your container to catch any excess water since downstairs neighbours tend to be less than thrilled by water inundating them from above.)
Your growing medium also plays an important role in your success. Straight potting soil of the variety you grow your geraniums and petunias in will need to be fortified with compost, leaf mould or garden soil.
There are two reasons for this.
First, potting soil tends to contain little or no nutrients and vegetables are hearty eaters, so the medium they are planted in needs to be chock full of nutrients. You will also need to fertilize your vegetables on a regular basis to keep up with their nutrient requirements as they put on growth and form fruit. Tomatoes, in particular, have huge appetites.
Second, if you’re growing larger vegetables, they tend to get top-heavy and a denser growing medium will help anchor the plants in the pot and the pot to the balcony. Otherwise a strong breeze could end up making a mess of your gardening adventure.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
Originally published in the Creston Valley Advance on April 1, 2010.
