Fresh vegetables, fruit and aromatic herbs can be harvested even without a garden of your own. Without much effort, you can design your own balcony garden so that you can enjoy a wide variety of balcony vegetables in summer. There are many different types of mini vegetables for balcony boxes, raised beds and containers, which are compact in growth, taste delicious and look good. You can easily create a green oasis even without a garden and enjoy vegetables on the balcony.

Experience fresh vegetables, salads, herbs and fruit from your own balcony!

With just a few simple steps, you can create a garden in the smallest of spaces and experience delicious balcony vegetables with selected plant species — the delicious alternative to flowering plants. Planting vegetables and fruit trees in tubs or in raised beds is a lot of fun and little work, and with a bit of luck you can harvest the first radishes soon after sowing. Create a small garden on your vegetable balcony and experience the incomparable aroma of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and zucchini plants on the balcony or small terrace.The cultivation of your own balcony vegetables and balcony fruit is very trendy, do you know urban gardening? In this article we will show you how easy it is to plant vegetables and how to grow fruit on the balcony and terrace. The selection of suitable types of vegetables for balcony vegetables leaves nothing to be desired and invites you to try them out. You can also easily buy fruit plants and plant them in containers on your balcony. So you can snack on delicious vitamins straight from the plant. Planting vegetables is easy and a lot of fun. Many species are suitable for the vegetable patch, balcony or raised bed. Sufficient sun and a large volume of soil are important.

What are the reasons for having your own snack garden?

• Gardening is fun, reduces stress and promotes relaxation.
• It is an experience to experience the aroma of the fresh fruits of the vegetable plants that you have cultivated yourself.
• You can be sure that your own harvest of balcony vegetables is 100 percent organic.
• With balcony vegetables in planters on the balcony, you can enjoy them fresh every day.
• The dreaded snail damage is almost non-existent when growing in raised beds, containers or balcony boxes .
• Care and harvesting work on the raised bed or box can be done comfortably without bending down.
• It is not only instructive for children to experience how an edible plant develops from seeds. Experience the fascination of growing vegetables. Planting vegetables is educational and puts the value of food in a whole different light. The vegetable bed on the balcony or terrace brings new experiences and children who plant vegetables are more easily inspired for new dishes.
• With winter vegetables, fresh green can be harvested on the balcony garden even in the cold season. Lamb’s lettuce can grow well in balcony boxes.
• In the case of a balcony garden, the neighboring buildings offer protection. The gardening season can therefore start earlier.
• Balconies and terraces can be designed creatively and individually with balcony vegetables, fruit plants and herbs.

Our tip: If possible, choose plants that have similar requirements in terms of soil moisture and solar radiation. Note that too much water in certain types of vegetables can quickly lead to chlorosis and growth disorders.

Where do you want to plant fruit and vegetables?

Not only can you grow vegetables and fruits with a large garden, but you can also grow vegetables on the balcony. Many varieties grow excellently in the balcony garden. There are no limits to the imagination and a culture is possible, for example, as follows on your vegetable balcony:

• in the raised bed
• in balcony boxes
• in large pots, baskets, vessels
• in wooden or plastic boxes
• in special containers for balcony railings (so-called saddlebags or balcony pots)
• on shelves or ladders (mounting in tiers)
• with creative ideas such as earth bags or a pallet garden

What needs to be considered when growing fruit and vegetables on balconies and terraces?

So that you can experience a good and quick harvest success in your balcony garden, there is a lot to plan before planting. Benefit from the different growth forms of the different species and use the space on your balcony garden.

Location

A sunny location is necessary for almost all types of vegetables, herbs and fruit plants. Mediterranean vegetables in particular, such as tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, melons and courgettes, prefer many warm hours. A place near the walls of a house is beneficial. The balcony vegetable is thus protected from wind and rain and develops better in a warm place than in the open air.

Our tip: Parsley, mint, lemon balm, sorrel and rhubarb as well as chard, beetroot and kohlrabi thrive in places with less sun.

growth habit

In order to be able to use the limited space of the balcony, terrace or small garden effectively, it is important to select the plants according to their preferences and growth habit. You need little space when growing balcony vegetables such as radishes, lettuce, carrots or fennel and many organic herbs. Therefore, cultivation in the balcony garden is possible. As in the garden, climbing species such as runner beans, cucumbers, tomatoes or upright varieties such as sweetcorn are also suitable as privacy screens. This creates decorative green walls that offer so much more than home-grown vegetables. If you want plants with a hanging growth to green walls or balcony railings, then choose balcony tomatoes, nasturtiums or strawberries that form long tendrils, such as the Hummi® «Meraldo» or «KletterToni» variety.

When can you start growing vegetables and fruit on the balcony?

As in the garden, start sowing radishes and lettuce in April. Especially lettuce and rocket are suitable for growing on the balcony and can be enjoyed as a delicious side dish with bread or as a snack.

Garden herbs such as thyme, chives, mint or sage are suitable for cultivation in various planters from April. In the case of perennial cultivation, careful pruning is recommended in spring. This promotes budding and the herb becomes bushier. All types of fruit trees are perennial and can therefore be outdoors all year round. If you want to grow potted fruit, then pay attention to the smaller growth forms when you buy fruit plants. These are ideal for vessels. Especially the pear and apple trees have dwarf forms or columnar trees. Soft fruit such as currants, raspberries, gooseberries or strawberries are ideal for the tub. Make sure the fruithas maximum soil volume available, thereby reducing the effort required for care and improving the conditions for the plants.

Heat-loving vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, courgettes and aubergines grow best when planted from mid-May. When planting early, it is important that fleece is available to protect the plants. The balcony vegetables are more protected on the terrace than on the bed, but temperatures around freezing are dangerous. To be on the safe side, place the sensitive vegetable plants and basil against the wall of the house or even in the room in the event of night frost.

Ideas for special conditions on the balcony

Plants for shady locations Wild garlic, chard, rocket, woodruff, beetroot, rhubarb, sorrelPlants for windy balconies : radishes, bush beans, bush tomatoes, chives, peppersPlants as privacy screens (vertical gardens) runner beans, tomatoes, cucumber, peas, raspberries, pumpkin, table grapes, Pillar fruit Plants for the balcony box (with the smallest area) chives, parsley, basil, cress, chervil, dill, mint, oregano, thyme, monthly strawberries, balcony vegetables with compact growth such as cocktail tomatoes, pepperoni, mini cucumber plants for large balconies

Artichokes, zucchini, pumpkin

Which fruit is best to grow on the balcony?

It is a lot of fun to harvest fruit from your own balcony. Balcony fruit is a great treat for young and old. A warm place with sun and particularly large containers with a drainage hole are important for most types of fruit. When growing fruit on the balcony, make sure that the sun shines on the balcony for at least 5 hours. As with many types of vegetables, the harvest is more plentiful in a sunny location. A lack of light, fertilizer or water can result in small, sour fruits.

What should be considered with balcony fruit?

Choose the largest possible container with a drainage hole. Put a layer of expanded clay on the bottom of the pot for drainage. Use good quality special soil. Make sure that the root ball is sufficiently moist when planting the vegetable plants. Water well after planting and avoid standing water.

4. Can I plant fruit trees on the balcony?

With small fruit trees, so-called dwarf or columnar forms, the cultivation of fruit is also possible on the balcony. Important: Choose sufficiently large buckets here too!

5. What is urban gardening?

Urban gardening is the horticultural use of urban areas. Flowers, herbs and vegetables are grown in the smallest of spaces without a garden using seeds. Read more about this in our blog ‘Urban Gardening’.

6. How can I successfully harvest fresh vegetables?

In addition to the location, selecting the best varieties is important. When choosing, look for healthy varieties and avoid high-yielding vegetables or maxi fruits.

7. Which species are suitable for small areas?

Similar to a small garden, radishes, lettuce, bush beans, chard and onions are predestined.

8. What should be considered when cultivating tomatoes?

Tomatoes are heat-loving and sensitive to precipitation. It is therefore important to protect the plants from the rain as much as possible and never water directly over the leaf. If possible, use pots with a height of 50 cm and a volume of 15 to 20 liters.

9. Is fertilization necessary for balcony vegetables?

Depending on the species, the demands on the nutrients are different. Basically, we distinguish between strong and weak consumers. We recommend garden fertilizer for fertilization.

10. What can I do to help with my vegetables on the balcony?

Use Bio Root Power when planting. The organic natural fertilizer and soil activator promotes root formation and the vitality of the plants. In addition, we recommend regular treatment with organic plant treatment from May. The biological spray with garlic serves to strengthen the plant’s own immune system and prevents the spread of plant pests and fungal infestation. It is also advisable to hang up insect hotels. Beneficial organisms protect the cultivated plants in a natural way and ensure that the flowers are pollinated.

heavy feeder	medium eater	weak feeder
Eggplant, cucumber, potato, pumpkin, cabbage, leek, tomato, zucchini	Fennel, carrots, garlic, peppers, radishes, beets, lettuce, spinach, onions	Beans, peas, strawberries, lamb’s lettuce, herbs  Tip:  Make sure that you always plant the same group in the bucket.