About

Balcony Gardening is a free, independent informational site about growing plants on a balcony or in another small outdoor space. The guides are written for beginners: people with an empty balcony and a few pots in mind who want to understand what plants need and why, in plain language.

What the site covers

• Basics: where to begin, how to assess sunlight and wind, how to plan a small space, and common beginner mistakes.
• Flowers: container flowers for sunny and for shaded balconies, and how to plant a flower box.
• Herbs: starting a herb garden in pots, choosing herbs for the light you have, and harvesting.
• Vegetables: what can realistically grow in containers, with guides to tomatoes, lettuce and peppers.
• Containers: choosing planters, drainage, potting mix, railing planters and self-watering planters.
• Small-space growing: layouts for small balconies, growing upward, hanging baskets and storage.
• Plant care: deciding when to water, feeding container plants, and first steps against common pests.
• Seasonal care: a spring checklist, summer heat and winter protection.

If you are new to this, begin with Balcony Gardening for Beginners. From there, the most useful next reads are Balcony Sunlight, Balcony Planters and Watering Balcony Plants. The step-by-step guides are gathered under Tutorials, and every guide is listed on the Guides page.

Who writes the guides

The guides are published under one editorial byline, “Balcony Gardening”. The byline is the name of the site, not the name of a person, and no individual author is presented. We do not claim professional qualifications, and the guides are not written as personal experience reports.

How the guides are written

They draw on public sources. The guides are based on publicly available university extension resources about container gardening, such as University of Maryland Extension on growing vegetables in containers and University of Illinois Extension on container gardens. Where a guide relies on a specific page, it links to it.

No universal watering schedules. You will not find “water every so many days” here. How quickly a pot dries depends on the plant, the size and material of the container, the potting mix, sun, heat, wind and the season. The guides explain what to check, so you can decide for your own pots.

Problems are explained as possibilities. The same symptom can have several causes. A yellow leaf may point to too much water, too little water, a hungry plant, or simply an old leaf. The guides list the likely causes and the checks that help you tell them apart. They cannot diagnose a plant with certainty from a description, and they do not claim to.

The illustrations are original drawings. The pictures on this site are illustrations drawn for the guides. They are not photographs of real balconies or real plants. They are there to show an idea, such as how pots can be grouped or where a planter sits, and a real balcony will look different in its details.

Containers, potting mixes, tools and other supplies are described by type and not by brand, so you can use what you already have or can find locally.

Balcony safety note

Please read this before you hang, mount or add anything heavy to a balcony.

• General information only. The guides are general gardening information. They are not structural, engineering or legal advice.
• We cannot assess your balcony. This site cannot know what a particular balcony, railing, wall, ceiling or fixing can carry. For that reason the guides never give load figures, and nothing on this site should be read as saying that your balcony or railing is strong enough for a particular use.
• Check the rules first. Check your building rules or your lease, or ask the landlord or building management, before you attach, hang or place anything. Many buildings restrict what may be fixed to a railing, a wall or a ceiling.
• Use secure mounting made for the purpose. Use only planters, brackets, hooks and other hardware that are designed for the job and that fit your railing or surface.
• Consider the weight. Wet soil, water and the container itself weigh far more than an empty planter looks. Think about the full, watered weight of everything you add.
• Follow the manufacturer instructions. The instructions that come with a planter or with its hardware are the ones to follow for fitting, filling and use.
• If in doubt, ask. Ask the building management or a qualified professional, and keep plants in pots on the floor until you know. The guide to railing planters goes through these checks in more detail.

Plants, pets and products

• Pet toxicity statements name their source. When a guide says a plant is listed as toxic or non-toxic to pets, it names where that comes from and links to it, such as the ASPCA list of toxic and non-toxic plants. Check the list yourself for the exact plant you own, because common names are shared by different plants.
• If a pet or a child eats part of a plant that is not a food crop, contact a veterinarian, a doctor or a poison control service right away. Do not wait for symptoms, and do not rely on this site.
• Follow the product label. When a guide mentions a fertilizer, a pesticide or another product, the label on the product you bought is the instruction to follow, including its directions on amounts, protective gear, storage and keeping it away from children and pets.

What you can rely on

• We do not publish invented reviews, ratings or testimonials.
• We do not claim credentials, awards or qualifications.
• We do not promise results. Plants are living things, and one can decline even when it is cared for well.
• Time estimates in the guides are approximate.

Corrections and suggestions

If something in a guide is unclear, looks wrong or links to a page that no longer works, please tell us through the Contact page. Mention the name of the guide and the section so the problem can be found quickly. Corrections are always welcome.