Grow your own organic vegetables in your balcony

Going organic doesn’t have to equate going broke. Considering how expensive organic food can be, unless you have easy access to a good farmer’s market, that might be hard to believe! Those of us living in apartments or similar housing are often jealous of folks with a little kitchen garden out back, growing their own fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to supplement their diet. Growing your own food isn’t just satisfying, it gives you complete control over what goes into it – from the soil to the fertilizers to pretty much everything. And you’re getting garden-fresh produce while cutting down your grocery bill – what could be better?

Well, we’ve got good news. Living in a flat does NOT exclude you from growing you own vegetables! We’re here to tell you how.

What about space?

You can use literally any space you have available to grow produce in – including laterally. For example, you could grow strawberries, tomatoes, pea shoots, and all kinds of other things in hanging baskets! You could even experiment with climbers on a frame in your balcony during summer. Window boxes are amazing, as well – they let you cultivate your own herbs right outside your kitchen window, and look pretty into the bargain! We’re sure you’re beginning to see how you could grow your own food even in a tiny flat with a balcony and a couple of window sills.

Will I be able to water them enough if I’m at work all day?

People who grow their plants indoors do so in LARGE pots – because small ones dry out quickly! You could even invest in, or DIY, such a thing as a self-watering pot hooked up to a tap, or add a layer of mulch over the soil to retain moisture and reduce the amount of water your plant needs.

Will any soil do?

The quality of your produce depends on the health of the soil you use, as all your plant’s nutrition comes from the microorganisms living in it – they helpfully turn the vitamins and minerals into a plant-digestible form. You should start off on the right foot with a potting mix, which you could get at any good gardening store or nursery. To go forward, you could even create your own compost!

Pests killed my last plant

Aww, we’re sorry. But we’ll say first off – AVOID chemical pesticides and herbicides, as they don’t just kill weeds and pests but harm beneficial insects and birds as well as pets and children. You can easily make a homemade gardening spray, using kitchen ingredients – the online DIY community is your friend! You can find tons of resources at BeyondPesticides.org.

We hope we’ve opened a world of possibilities to you and helped you supplement your diet with good, easy, home-grown food just bursting with health and nutrients! You’ll find all the information you need online with some simple Googling – or you could pick up Alex Mitchell’s The Edible Garden for some great guidance as to what would work best for you.