Have you ever tried growing vegetables on the balcony? Let’s go with the urban vegetable farmer STYLE!

Buy seeds

You can buy it at local seed stores, agricultural supply stores, flower and bird markets, vegetable markets, gardening stores, or you can shop online. There are three main types of potted vegetables:

Leafy vegetables

The leaves of this type of vegetable are brightly colored, providing an aesthetic enjoyment that is no less than that of some flowers, and have high nutritional value. Such as colorful spinach, purple lettuce, kale, etc.

Fruits and vegetables

The fruits of this type of vegetables have strange shapes and colorful colors, including colorful peppers, miniature pumpkins, and five-finger eggplants.

Fruit and vegetable dual-purpose

This type of vegetable can be eaten as a vegetable after viewing, and can also be eaten as a fruit after washing. It is very popular among young people, such as cherry tomatoes. At this time of year, you can choose lettuce, cabbage, greens, coriander, spinach, etc.

Buy tools

Things you need to buy include potting containers, growing media, fertilizers and nutrients. You can also buy some equipment and pesticides for pest control.

container

There are some things to pay attention to when choosing containers. The general principle is that they should be conducive to the growth of vegetables while also being aesthetically pleasing and economical. For vegetables with large expansion and deep root systems (such as tomatoes and cucumbers), you should choose containers with large diameter and high depth. If it is leafy vegetables, you can choose containers such as boxes, troughs, and wooden barrels. Of course, if you want it to be more beautiful, you can also choose containers such as porcelain pots, purple clay pots, and even mineral water bottles can be tried.

Growth substrate

The growth and development of potted vegetables are restricted by the container, and the area for the roots to absorb nutrients is limited. In order to meet the needs of vegetable growth and development as much as possible, it is best to use special substrates, such as Golden No. 3 substrate, which is available in flower and bird markets. Of course, if you want to keep it simple, you can just dig some soil.

fertilizer

When growing potted vegetables, it is necessary to prepare some fertilizer. You can buy some small packages of water-soluble fertilizers, which have instructions on fertilizer concentration, ratio, and usage stages, making them more convenient for home use.

Planting tips ~ This is very important

Now is the time to start planting. Bury the seeds in the soil. If they are grown in a substrate, cover them with a layer of substrate about 0.5 cm thick after sowing.

The first time you water it thoroughly, there is a little trick for the subsequent water management. Just make sure that the substrate does not fall apart when you squeeze it with your hands every day.

After the seedlings emerge, water management continues in the same way, and fertilizer can be added according to the instructions of water-soluble fertilizer (generally 1000-2000 times, applied once every 4-5 days).

Choose different vegetables for balconies facing different directions

South-facing balcony

It has full sun, plenty of sunlight and good ventilation, making it an ideal balcony for growing vegetables. Almost all vegetables grow best under full sunlight conditions, so most vegetables can be grown on a south-facing balcony all year round, such as cucumbers, bitter melon, tomatoes, green beans, day lily, apricots, mustard greens, zucchini, green peppers, lettuce, leeks, etc. In addition, aquatic vegetables such as lotus roots, water chestnuts, and water caltrops are also suitable for planting on south-facing balconies. In winter, most areas of the south-facing balcony can receive direct sunlight. By setting up simple insulation equipment, a good environment can be created for winter vegetable production.

East and west facing balconies

Half daylight is suitable for growing light-loving and shade-tolerant vegetables, such as onions, lettuce, rapeseed, leeks, loofah, coriander, radish, etc. However, the temperature on a west-facing balcony is higher in the summer when it is exposed to the sun, which can cause sunburn to some vegetables. In mild cases, the vegetables will fall off their leaves, and in severe cases, they will die. Therefore, it is best to plant climbing vegetables that are resistant to high temperatures in the corners of the balcony. In summer, you should also try to protect yourself from the strong light and radiation light reflected from the floors behind.

North-facing balcony

With little to no sunlight throughout the day, the vegetable selection is minimal. You should choose shade-tolerant vegetables for planting, such as lettuce, leek, asparagus, toon, dandelion, water spinach, and wood ear vegetable. In summer, you should also try to protect yourself from the strong light and radiation light reflected from the floors behind.

Which vegetables are best to grow on the balcony?

Fast-growing vegetables with a short growth cycle

Rapeseed, green garlic, sprouts, mustard greens, bok choy, and lettuce.

Vegetables with a long harvest period

Tomatoes, peppers, leeks, coriander, cilantro, onions, etc.

Space-saving vegetables

Carrots, radishes, lettuce, onions, ginger, coriander.

Easy-to-grow vegetables

Bitter melon, carrot, ginger, onion, lettuce, and bok choy.

Vegetables that are not prone to insects

Onions, leeks, sweet potato leaves, ginseng grass, aloe vera, and caraway.

Ten essential tools for growing vegetables

NO1: Organic fertilizer

Since chemical fertilizers may pollute the environment and go against the green and healthy concept of growing vegetables at home, it is recommended that you make your own organic fertilizers. The method of making organic fertilizer is very simple. You can make use of daily waste (sesame paste, rotten vegetable leaves, rice washing water, dead grass, fallen leaves, etc.). For example, leftover sesame paste can be diluted with water and sealed for fermentation (be sure to seal it well, otherwise it will emit odor and pollute the indoor environment). When the smell of the sesame paste water becomes very light, it is fermented and can be diluted with water and directly poured into the soil. In addition, if there is a mud pond or a small river near your home, you can dig the pond mud, or wash the river sand and use it as organic fertilizer for some vegetables.

NO2: Organic soil

Home vegetable growing usually uses organic cultivation soil, which can be purchased at agricultural markets, and special cultivation soil can be selected according to the type of vegetables.

NO3: Seedling hole

One seed per hole, easier to manage.

NO4: Vegetable pot

Pots, buckets, boxes, jars, baskets, pots and other daily utensils can be used to grow vegetables.

Tuber vegetables such as potatoes can be planted in bags, onions, leeks, garlic sprouts, etc. can be planted in baking trays, and tires, sacks, etc. are also good containers for planting vegetables.