Planning a porch or balcony garden

If you can’t get out to take a walk around, you can always make the most of the space you have and create your own porch or balcony garden. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few easy tips that you can use for planting success.

Go vertical

If you don’t have much space to work with, remember that you can always go up instead of sticking to ground level. Your porch or balcony garden can include suspended plants and vertical planters. Make sure that you leave enough room between your levels of planters so that each plant has space to grow. Larger plants can be placed in larger pots on the ground with smaller, lighter plants above.

The right plants

Before you start planting, make sure that you choose the right kinds of plants. The best approach is to look for a variety of plants. Some of which should bare fruit and others flowers. Some examples include tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, leafy greens and various herbs. Great flowers to include in your balcony garden include begonias, chrysanthemums, calendula and snapdragons. Remember to take the weather conditions into account when choosing any plants.

Layout

Now you need to plan the layout of your patio or balcony garden. The amount of space that you have available will determine the layout as well as the type of plants you choose. Make sure that you do not overcrowd your space. You want all of your plants to receive enough air and sunlight. Plants tend to grow taller if they compete for sunlight.

Once your balcony garden is ready, make sure that you care for each plant appropriately. No matter the size of your garden, you should always be aware that plants can attract pests. You should invest in the appropriate pesticides or natural repellents to keep your plants happy and healthy.