Your Balcony Herb Garden
You can bring new life to your balcony by adding a few potted herbs. Having your herbs in containers makes it easy because you can move them around (as you figure out the amount of sun your balcony gets). Their portability also helps for bringing your herb plants indoors at the end of the growing season—you do not want to leave your herbs on the balcony all winter.
Balconies are all about sun and you will want to go with herbs like morning glories that grow well with a lot of light. These little plants will tolerate the reflection from the windows and doors and also the heat that a metal balcony captures. Check out your balcony at different times of the day to see the quality of natural light, the heat and the intensity. You will also want to know which way your balcony is facing—will you get more morning or afternoon sun?
Use gray or silver-colored herb plants as well as those with a velvety texture or thick leaves in your balcony garden. These unique features prevent the loss of water in evaporation.
Try some of these fantastic herb plants on your balcony:
- Aloe vera: Aloe vera is an easy plant to grow. It does not require much water and it tolerates a lot of sun and heat. It is also very helpful for burns, just cut a little piece off and rub it on the burn. It is sticky, but you’ll feel better in no time!
- Cayenne pepper: If you grill out on your balcony, imagine being able to break off a pieces of cayenne pepper to add to your next meal. This herb should do very well on your balcony and add some color too.
- Cucumber: A trailing vine, like the cucumber, can provide an added touch to your balcony. Cucumbers are wonderful for facials, ladies. You can also grab some cucumbers to slice for your salads, straight from the balcony!
- Hens-and-chicks: These are among my very favorite plants. These don’t need a lot of watering—they are water-holding succulents—and can tolerate the hot temperature and bright sunshine that you might have on your balcony. Not to mention that they are so cute too!
- Lavender: Because lavender is a fragrant herb, you’ll be able to breathe in the soothing smell of lavender when you plant it on your balcony. The wonderful purple buds will make a colorful balcony even more colorful.
You can choose a few nice-sized containers to put on your balcony or try a hanging balcony basket that has an inside layer from a coconut liner. I once made my own balcony basket with chicken wire and moss. I had never tried anything like that before. It wasn’t fantastic, but it worked. It will work best if you carefully consider the drainage when you are buying your basket or container.
Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.
Here is more information on Windowsill Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.
