Having a balcony garden is an excellent way to add value to your property. With so many varieties of plants that can be grown on balconies, you’ll be sure to find a perfect container for your home. Wooden containers are generally best suited as balcony garden pots, as not only do they look attractive aesthetically but also are much more durable and do not crack or break down over time like the plastic, clay, ceramic or terracotta containers. Metal and glass containers are more suitable for indoor balcony garden pots however, due to their weight and fragility they may not be the ideal choice for balconies. A balcony is typically wider than the floor area in your house, so using a container that takes up a lot of room just won’t be practical.
A container gardening system is a great solution for balcony gardeners. These are basically a box made of interlocking connective bricks or strong earth with a mesh bottom. The plants and soil are held in place by the frame of the earthbox and gravity. This type of gardening system allows the user to grow almost any plant from grass to shrubs to herbs and ornamentals.
One of the easiest and most versatile types of balcony garden pots is the trellis planter. A trellis is typically a four-foot high framework with slats that run lengthwise and parallel to the four corners of the planter. There are many different styles of trellises ranging from those that are very simple, straight with one or two tiers, to those with multiple tiers, a flowering arch, decorative finials or other features such as a pergola or lattice.
You can make your own balcony garden pots by making a hole in the ground in which to put the pots. This method requires more thought than placing the pots directly in the ground but it’s a very rewarding, hands-on activity. If you don’t want to go through the effort of digging a hole, you can buy pots that already have a hole in the bottom. In this case, you will want to select pots that are large enough to hold your desired number of plants but small enough to be easily contained in the hole you’ve made. Other creative ideas include adding gravel to the bottom of the pots to keep the soil moist while also allowing air circulation around the plants.
If you’re looking for pots with a stronger hold than those that are available in most garden supply stores, you might want to try using pots filled with compost. Unlike soil, compost doesn’t wash away easily, and it provides nutrients to your plants that soil alone cannot. Compost also maintains a healthy balance of both nitrogen and pH levels in the soil for better plant nutrition. There are different ways to make use of compost, such as making your own compost pile or using it in a soil-filled compost bin, but either way is better than leaving the nutrient-rich waste of plants to settle in the compost pile.
It may be tempting to just leave your plants in the soil-filled pot and let them get whatever sunshine they can. However, this is not a good idea, especially if you live in a high-incidence area where intense sunlight is common. In addition, soil tends to retain moisture, which can make the leaves of your flowers look droopy. If left in the absence of sunlight, leafy plants will begin to turn brown sooner.
It is recommended that you place your containers on trays, not pots, so that the water does not pool out of the container onto the plants below. The same goes for excess water seeping into the soil. On a sunny day, the water may appear puddle-worthy, but in the evening, it may leak out onto the leaves and stems. This is also a problem if leaves or branches touching the sides of the container. This is why you should use caps on all of your containers, or better yet, purchase a raised, level platform on which to stack pots.
It is important that your plants have somewhere to escape the elements as well. If you are growing tropical plants, ensure they have a pot that hangs freely from the balcony railing. If you are growing Mediterranean or deciduous trees, a pot hung from a tree branch or post will do the trick. These will also give your plants something to hang on to during bad weather.