c/balcony-gardeners

My entire herb box tried to fly away in a storm last week

I was on my third floor balcony in Chicago when a sudden wind gust hit. It picked up my long plastic planter full of basil and thyme, dumping half the soil over the railing onto the sidewalk below. I had to run out in the rain, drag the soggy mess inside, and spend an hour cleaning up. Has anyone found a good way to weigh down lightweight planters without drilling holes?

I read that a single tomato plant can need up to 4 gallons of water a week in a pot. That seems like a lot for a balcony setup.

I was looking at a gardening guide from the county extension office online last night, and it said that for container growing, a full sized tomato plant might need that much, especially when it's fruiting in the heat. My balcony only gets about 6 hours of direct sun, and I've been watering my two plants maybe a gallon each per week. Now I'm worried I'm under watering them, but giving them that much seems like it would just run right out the bottom of my 5 gallon fabric pots. Has anyone actually measured their water for pots this size? Is the guide overstating it for smaller spaces?

My sister said my balcony looked like a plant jail

She pointed at my neat rows of identical plastic pots and asked if the plants ever got to socialize. It made me rethink my whole 'efficiency over everything' setup. Anyone else moved away from strict rows for a more mixed, friendly look?

My sister said my balcony looked like a plant jail

She visited last month, took one look at my neat rows of identical plastic pots, and said, 'This feels like a plant prison, Liv.' I was so focused on being tidy that I forgot about fun! I went out and bought a cheap hanging shoe organizer for $12 and planted herbs in the pockets. Now my mint and thyme are spilling out all over the place, and it looks way more alive. Has anyone else tried something weird like that to add some personality?

A quick warning about those cheap plastic pots from the big box store

I bought four of those thin black plastic pots for my balcony herbs last spring. After just one winter in Chicago, all of them had deep cracks and were crumbling apart. The freeze-thaw cycles from October to March basically shattered them. I lost a rosemary plant when its pot split right down the side during a cold snap. Has anyone found a brand of plastic pots that can actually handle real winter weather?

My mom told me to stop trying to grow a full vegetable garden on my 4x6 balcony

She said 'you're fighting for inches, just grow what you love.' I was so mad, but then I ripped out half my sad tomatoes and put in more herbs and flowers. How do you guys decide what's worth the space?

Shoutout to my neighbor for showing me the dollar store seed trick

I used to buy all my seeds from the garden center, about $4 a pack. She gave me a pack of basil she got for a dollar, and it sprouted faster than my fancy ones. Anyone else try those cheap seeds with good results?

My balcony basil was getting wrecked by bugs and I got desperate

I noticed tiny holes in every leaf about two weeks ago. I didn't want to use any harsh sprays up here on the 12th floor. So, I mixed a tablespoon of dish soap with a liter of water in a spray bottle, just as a last-ditch effort. I sprayed the plants down every evening for four days straight. It actually WORKED, the bugs are totally gone and the new growth looks perfect. Has anyone else used this soap trick on herbs you plan to eat?

Unpopular opinion: I chose a single big pot of tomatoes over a bunch of small herb containers this spring.

After 3 seasons of crowded little pots, I went with one 20-inch container for a single 'Sun Gold' cherry tomato plant, and the yield has been crazy compared to my old setup, but now I miss having fresh basil right there.

I thought those little plastic watering spikes were a total gimmick until my vacation in July

My neighbor in 3C showed me his pepper setup last Tuesday

He has a south-facing balcony and grows everything in those cheap 5-gallon buckets from the hardware store. He drilled holes in the bottom himself. He told me, 'The trick is to water them at 7 AM, before the sun gets too hot.' I've been doing it his way for a week now and my plants look way less droopy. Anyone else have a strict watering schedule that actually works?

Vent: My neighbor in apartment 4B said my tomatoes were 'sad'

She pointed out I was using a 6-inch deep pot for a beefsteak variety, which was way too small. I switched to a 15-gallon fabric grow bag this season, and the difference is huge. Anyone else have a plant that totally turned around after a bigger pot?

My entire herb tower gave out last Tuesday and sent basil everywhere

The plastic joints on my three year old GreenStalk vertical planter just snapped in a heavy wind, and all five tiers came down. I had to scoop up about two pounds of soil and salvage what I could of my Genovese basil starts. Has anyone found a metal vertical planter that can actually handle a gusty 7th floor balcony?

Saw a balcony in Chicago with a full vegetable setup in just 5 square feet

I was walking in Lincoln Park last week and saw a third floor balcony packed with tomatoes, peppers, and herbs in stacked crates. The owner told me they get about 6 hours of direct sun and that's enough. But my own spot only gets 3 hours in the morning. Is that really enough light for vegetables, or should I stick to leafy greens? What's the minimum sun you've made work?

My neighbor said her basil was 'just for looks' and it hit me...

I was watering my pots yesterday and heard the lady next door tell her friend she only grows herbs for decoration. I realized I'd been doing the same, letting my mint and parsley flower and go bitter without ever using them. How do you guys remember to actually harvest and use what you grow up here?

My first balcony tomato actually ripened this morning

I planted a single cherry tomato in a 5-gallon bucket on my 4th floor balcony back in April, and after weeks of tiny green fruit, I saw a bright red one today. I used a cheap bamboo stake from the garden center and just watered when the soil felt dry. Has anyone else had luck with tomatoes in pots without a full sun spot?

Pro tip: I gave up on trying to grow a full herb garden on my windy 12th-floor balcony in Seattle.

Last year, I kept planting basil and cilantro in regular pots, and they'd get shredded within a week. I switched to a cheap, short plastic greenhouse cover from a local garden store, and my parsley and thyme have been fine for two months now. Has anyone else found a good fix for really windy spots without building a big screen?

A landscaper friend told me my pots were too shallow for tomatoes, so I switched to 5-gallon buckets.

Now I'm getting fruit from my three plants for the first time, but what other veggies really need that much root space on a small deck?

My sister told me my balcony looked like a sad plant hospital

She came over last month and said I was cramming way too many pots into my 4x8 foot space in Atlanta, and the plants were all fighting for light. I moved half of them to a sunny wall and gave the rest away, and now my tomatoes are actually producing fruit. Has anyone else had to cut back on plants to actually get results?

My basil almost died from a surprise cold snap last Tuesday

I was in my apartment in Chicago, and I had left my herb pots out on the balcony rail. The weather said it would stay above 50, but it dropped to 38 overnight. In the morning, my basil was completely wilted and black at the edges. I brought all the pots inside right away and cut off the damaged leaves. After three days in a sunny window, it started putting out new green growth. Has anyone else had a plant bounce back from a chill like that?

My friend said my tomato plants looked like they were trying to escape from jail.

She was totally right. I had them in these tiny 6-inch pots on my south-facing balcony, thinking it was fine. They were all tall and skinny, leaning way over the rail. She told me, 'Logan, those roots have no room to breathe. They're not happy.' I switched them to 5-gallon fabric pots a couple weeks ago, and it's a night and day difference. They're bushier and already have little green tomatoes. I guess I was being too cheap with the pot size. Anyone else have a plant that clearly told you it needed more space?

Pro tip: I stopped using those fancy self-watering pots everyone loves

After my basil died three times in a row, I switched back to basic terracotta pots and just check them every morning with my coffee, and everything's thriving now. Has anyone else found that simpler is better for small spaces?

Just realized my balcony tomatoes needed a different kind of water

Just realized my balcony tomatoes needed a different kind of water

I was at the local community garden tour in Austin last month, and I saw a gardener using a big bucket to collect rainwater for her plants. She said, 'The chlorine in tap water can build up in the soil over time.' I came home and started filling a few old milk jugs when it rains. My tomato plants on the 4th floor balcony look way happier now, with more flowers and less yellowing on the leaves. Has anyone else tried switching to rainwater for their container veggies?

PSA: My balcony tomatoes got fried in a single afternoon heat wave

Last Tuesday in Austin it hit 108 degrees and my full sun setup turned into a plant oven. I came home to find all 12 of my Roma seedlings completely wilted and the soil was bone dry even though I watered that morning. Everyone says more sun is always better, but I think we need to talk about shade cloth for extreme climates. Has anyone rigged up a cheap temporary shade solution for a south facing rail?