Balcony Gardens
BY: RICK DEERING
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Apartments are fast becoming a preferred living style choice with many people appreciating the simple life offered without the demands of a garden. However the void of not having your own patch of ground can be overcome. Because living in an apartment doesn’t mean you have to go without a garden. There are a multitude of options using pot plants that can transform your apartment balcony into an oasis of green.
However the first thing that apartment dwellers have to be aware of is that pot plants do need some care. You must first identify how much care you are willing to provide. An average balcony garden will require about 30 minutes every two days. Some will require less, others more. Balconies suffer most fiercely from winds and sun. Determine the wind and sun levels then head off to the nearest nursery for advice on plant species that can be grown in pots.
And, there is very little that you can not grow in pot plants. We all know how good fresh herbs and spices are when added to your home cooking, but why stop there. Salad greens particularly can be successfully grown and speaking from experience there is nothing fresher than picking the leaves off your home grown lettuce, cutting up some of your own fresh chives, throwing in a few just harvested cherry tomatoes – all of which can thrive in pots - give them a quick wash and dry, add your favourite dressing and you have a gourmet treat right from your own balcony.
Now for a couple of tips to ensure the success of your balcony garden. Small pots dry out fast and get too hot and too cold. Think big – one large pot or hanging basket instead of six small ones. Half barrels or large concrete planters are good too. And, feed your pot plants well. Well fed plants are healthier- and they cope with heat, cold and drought better too if they have big healthy roots. Slow release plant food is best - there’s a wide range on the market. Just browse along the shelves of your local garden supplier. Give your pots a treat of seaweed based fertiliser once they start leaping up in spring – but make sure you use according to the directions.
Of course it would be a gross dereliction of our duty as strata managers not to point that before embarking on your balcony garden you check the rules of your owners corporation / body corporate to ascertain what you can and cannot do. Structural implications too, may need to be considered for larger pots.
