Introduction
I’m planting on my balcony, but I’m wondering if I could do better. You see, most of the plants I have are in pots or planter boxes—and they’re doing OK. But they don’t really look that healthy, and there aren’t many of them either. I think there are ways to improve these things without spending too much money or taking up too much space: by building a raised bed garden!
For a Fuller, Greener Look on your Balcony, Get a Raised Bed: a blog about how you can improve your balcony garden.
How to Grow More Plants on Your Balcony
If you want to grow your own food, one of the most important things is having enough space to start a garden. If you have a balcony or patio that gets plenty of sunlight, then it’s definitely possible—but how do you go about making sure that there’s enough room for all those plants?
One option is getting a raised bed. These small enclosures are usually made from wood or plastic, but they’re designed specifically for growing vegetables and other produce. They can be installed right next to each other in order for them all to get plenty of sunlight: just make sure that whatever material they’re made out of isn’t blocking any light from reaching the rest of your plants!
I want to show you how you can grow more plants on your balcony.
I want to show you how you can grow more plants on your balcony. And I’m not talking about one or two plants, but a whole garden! If you have a small balcony, this will be especially impressive as it is often hard to find the space for anything other than a few flowers or herbs. But with the right layout and planning, it can be done!
If you are looking for an alternative way of growing your own vegetables and fruits then here are some ideas:
A standard one-by-four-foot planter box holds about 8 cubic feet of soil. That’s 2 cubic feet per square foot.
A standard one-by-four-foot planter box holds about 8 cubic feet of soil. That’s 2 cubic feet per square foot. A three-foot wide balcony would hold 14 cubic feet of soil, or 4 times as much soil as a one-by-four foot planter box!
A raised bed holds about 4 times that much soil, or 24 cubic feet in the same one-by-four-foot area (6 cubic feet per square foot).
Whether you’re looking for a way to maximize the space on your balcony or just want a more green thumb look, a raised bed is the answer. A traditional planter box holds about 6 cubic feet of soil and can accommodate only one plant. But by building your own raised bed from scratch, which takes much less time than you might think (we’ll get into that in another post), you can fit up to 12 times more soil in that same space—24 cubic feet per square foot! For example: if your balcony is 10’x10′ (100 sq ft) and has no planters currently installed, a standard planter will take up roughly 1/10th of that area or 10 sq ft while a raised bed will take up close to 1/3rd at 30 sq ft!! That’s one full third more room for your plants and flowers!
Raised beds are also great if you’re limited on space like most city dwellers are due the often small balconies found in apartment buildings. The added height makes it easier to see what’s going on inside without having to kneel down every time there’s something worth checking out while still keeping everything accessible via ramps or stairs built into either side so they don’t block any pathways directly leading off towards other rooms either within our home itself (kitchenette included) – even though those would be ideal places
What does that mean? It means that you can grow about twice as many plants in a raised bed as in a standard planter box.
Raised beds are a better choice for growing plants, because they improve efficiency. They’re easier to work with, too. When you use a raised bed, you can grow more plants in the same space—or even the same amount of space.
And that’s not all! A well-built raised bed will provide good drainage and even moisture retention throughout the year; it will also keep weeds at bay and make it easy for you to reach into your garden without having to bend over or kneel down. It makes sense that people who have limited space on their balconies would want to maximize their ability to grow food there by building up instead of out.
You know what else? By raising up the soil, you make it easier for plants to send down roots and easier for them to reach water.
Raised beds are also great because they make it easier for plants to send down roots and reach water. Roots need oxygen to grow and water to live, so by raising up your soil, you’re making it easier for them to do both of those things.
You also make it easier to get the soil right and care for your plants. You can give each plant the exact soil conditions it needs, and you can work with each one without disturbing its neighbors.
Additionally, you can make sure your balcony garden is well-prepared. A quality raised bed will retain moisture and keep it from evaporating too quickly. This means you won’t have to water as often or even at all in some cases!
In addition to that, you’ll also be able to easily adjust the soil in each raised bed depending on what type of plants they are. For example, if one of your gardening friends has a bunch of herbs she wants to grow for the winter season but there’s too much sunlight coming into her apartment balcony for them to thrive there (because it overheats), then she can simply put those herbs in their own little space where they’ll get just enough sun without feeling like they’re baking under the heat lamps all day long!
Because of their improved access to water and nutrients, raised bed plants tend to grow more vigorously than those grown in conventional pots. They’re healthier and more productive, so they look great longer over a growing season and come back strong in spring after wintering over indoors.
Because of their improved access to water and nutrients, raised bed plants tend to grow more vigorously than those grown in conventional pots. They’re healthier and more productive, so they look great longer over a growing season and come back strong in spring after wintering over indoors. Raised-bed plants are also easier to care for because the soil is closer to the surface than it would be if the plant were growing in a pot sitting on top of concrete or other hard surface. When you see a problem with one of your plants—a bug infestation here or some mold there—you can reach right down into the dirt and deal with it quickly. It’s just not as easy when your palms are several inches above ground level!
Conclusion
You can grow more plants on a balcony, and they’ll look better. They won’t wilt or droop, and you won’t have to water them as often because the soil will retain water longer. Best of all? When winter comes around again, you won’t have to drag pots inside (or buy new ones) because your plants will already be there waiting for spring!