For many SoCal gardeners, garden space is at a premium—especially if you live in an apartment or condo. While you can always garden in the great indoors, it’s also possible to enjoy a small balcony garden.

The urban balcony provides the opportunity to create a feeling of bringing the outdoors in and the indoors out, creating a welcoming, refreshing retreat. Balcony landscaping gives you the opportunity to have your own outdoor haven in even the smallest of spaces. Decorate your outdoor niche with some well-chosen plants and a place to sit, and you’ll quickly have your own outdoor retreat.

Beauty of Balcony Gardening

As a balcony gardener, you have the opportunity to create a stunning outdoor focal point in your apartment or condo. Most balconies are generally visible from an area of your home such as the living room or bedroom. So, even if you aren’t out in your balcony oasis, you can enjoy viewing it. This is especially nice for a winter garden balcony.

Create a Vital Pitstop for Birds

When you create a balcony garden, you give birds that are passing by a place to stop and retreat. Consider placing a birdfeeder on your balcony garden and adding a water feature. If you offer refuge, water and food, you may even get birds who take up residence on your balcony. It makes balcony gardening even more enjoyable when you look out and see birds enjoying your outdoor space.

Balcony Farming

With a balcony, you can grow a surprising amount of your own produce. In SoCal, many fruits and vegetables thrive in containers in SoCal. Keep your crops well-watered and fertilized, and you can enjoy a year-round harvest of fresh, nutritious fruits and veggies all year long.

If you try balcony farming, grow vegetable and fruiting plant varieties that are compact. For example, cherry tomatoes and dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees.

A balcony herb garden offers you the chance to have farm-fresh herbs at your fingertips. Most herbs do well in containers on the balcony. Just make sure to ensure that they’re getting the correct amount of sun. For example, herbs like rosemary and lavender require full sun. There are other herbs like mint that can take partial sun.

Create Privacy

When you live in an apartment or condo, or even a house in SoCal, privacy is often at a premium. Plant balcony privacy plants and you can enjoy your own private retreat. Some good plants for privacy include vining plants like passion vine, bower vine, morning glory, mandevilla and cardinal climber.

Balcony flowers run the gamut. Depending on your sun exposure, you can grow a wide variety of annual and perennial flowers on your balcony throughout the year in SoCal.

Tips for a Successful Balcony Garden

Since you are gardening in an elevated space, there are some important things to keep in mind.

• Drainage. Some balconies are set up with a drainage system. If your balcony isn’t, keep in mind that water will pool on the balcony surface if you overwater. You will likely also have your pots in drainage dishes. Ensure after you water and it rains that you empty those dishes so that your plants are sitting in water, as this will lead to root rot.
• Weight. Consider the weight of the planters you put on the balcony garden, including the soil. Check with your landlord if you are renting to see what is allowed on the balcony. Check that you are able to attach balcony planters. If you own, check to see how much weight you can safely have on your balcony. Small plants for balcony are generally advised, rather than larger plants.
• Sun exposure. It’s important to know the sun exposure for your balcony in order to have success growing on your balcony. A western exposure balcony, for instance, is going to be shaded in the morning and have full sun in the afternoon. And then an eastern exposure will have morning sun and afternoon shade.

Enjoy your Urban Balcony Garden

When you set up your balcony garden, make sure to add a place to sit so you can enjoy your balcony. A small balcony set for 2 is even better.

Maximize your space on a balcony garden. Use a balcony planter box, which is designed to hang on the railing and for use in small spaces. Hanging pots for balcony are also a good choice. Where possible, use hanging plants for balcony and attach window boxes to the side of the house. Good balcony plants tend to be eye-catching and easy to grow.