A balcony of just two square metres can supply salad leaves for most of the growing season, a steady trickle of herbs and a respectable crop of cherry tomatoes. The difference between a productive balcony and a row of sad pots almost always comes down to four things: light, container size, soil and watering. Get those right and the plants do the rest.
1. Map your light and wind
Spend one clear day noting when direct sun reaches the floor and the railing of your balcony. South- and west-facing balconies in the Northern Hemisphere (north- and west-facing in the Southern) usually get six hours or more, enough for fruiting crops. East-facing balconies get gentle morning sun that greens and herbs love. North-facing spaces can still grow lettuce, mint, parsley and chives if they receive bright indirect light.
Wind matters as much as sun above the fourth or fifth floor. It dries soil fast, snaps stems and can topple tall pots. A simple mesh windbreak on the railing, heavier pots at the windward edge and low-growing crops make a big difference.
2. Check weight and building rules
Wet potting mix weighs roughly a kilogram per litre, so ten 30-litre containers add about 300 kg before you count people and furniture. Place the heaviest pots near walls and the edges where the structure is strongest, never cantilevered on the railing. Many condos and rental agreements restrict railing planters, drip onto the unit below or anything fixed to walls — read the rules first. Our load calculator gives a quick estimate.
3. Choose containers
Bigger containers are more forgiving: they hold more water and keep roots cooler. Aim for at least 20 litres for a tomato, 10–15 litres for peppers and beans, and 5 litres per lettuce or herb. Every container needs drainage holes. Fabric grow bags are light, cheap and breathable; glazed ceramic holds moisture but is heavy; terracotta looks good but dries quickly in wind. Self-watering containers with a reservoir are worth their price on hot, sunny balconies.
Fill them with a quality container mix, not garden soil, which compacts and suffocates roots in pots. Our container soil guide explains why.
4. The 12 best balcony crops
- Cherry tomatoes — the most rewarding fruiting crop for six hours of sun. Choose compact “patio” or determinate varieties.
- Lettuce and salad mixes — cut-and-come-again harvests for weeks; tolerate part shade.
- Swiss chard and kale — months of harvests from a few plants.
- Radishes — ready in about four weeks; perfect for impatient beginners.
- Bush and pole beans — pole beans climb the railing and crop heavily.
- Chili peppers — thrive in heat and look ornamental.
- Spring onions — fit in narrow troughs and regrow after cutting.
- Peas — an early-spring climber that finishes before summer heat.
- Strawberries — ideal for hanging baskets and stacking planters.
- Basil, parsley, chives, mint and thyme — the herbs you’ll use most. Give mint its own pot.
- Compact cucumbers — train up a trellis to save floor space.
- Pak choi and Asian greens — fast, tolerant of partial shade.
Use the Plant Finder to filter these by your exact light.
5. Watering and feeding
Containers dry out far faster than the ground. Push a finger 2–3 cm into the mix; if it’s dry, water slowly until it drains from the bottom. In midsummer that may mean daily watering — twice for small pots in wind. A simple drip kit on a timer, or self-watering pots, removes most of the effort. Potting mix contains only a few weeks of nutrients, so feed hungry crops like tomatoes and peppers with a balanced liquid fertiliser every one to two weeks once they start flowering.
6. A first-season plan
For a typical sunny two-by-one-metre balcony, start with: two cherry tomato plants in 30-litre pots, one trough of mixed lettuce, one trough of herbs (basil, parsley, chives), a pot of mint, a 40-cm container of pole beans against the railing and a strawberry hanging basket. That’s six containers, manageable in a few minutes a day. Check timing with the Planting Calendar and lay it out in the Garden Planner.
Once you’ve completed a season, add a second wave: sow quick greens and radishes in late summer for an autumn harvest, and plant garlic in a deep container in autumn for next summer.
Watch: container gardening in limited space
Video: University of Maine Cooperative Extension, via YouTube.