Growing Herbs on your Balcony

You can bring new life to your balcony by adding a few potted herbs. Using pots is helpful because you can simply change their spot as you experiment with the quality and amount of sunlight they get. Their portability also helps for bringing your herbs 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 natural light and you’ll want to go with herbs like morning glories that grow well with a lot of sunshine. Morning glories are great because they can handle the bright reflection from your windows and also all the heat that a metal balcony will generate. Check out your balcony at different times of the day to see the quality of sunshine, the heat and the intensity. You will also want to know which way your balcony is facing—will you get a lot of 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. They will do well because they lose less water in evaporation.

Try a couple of these fantastic herb plants on your balcony:

• Aloe vera: Aloe vera is an uncomplicated herb to grow. It tolerates the sun very well and needs little watering. It is also very helpful for burns, just cut a small piece off and rub it on the burn. It’s 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 plant should do very well on your balcony and add some color too.

• Cucumber: A trailing vine, like a cucumber, can provide an added touch to your balcony. Cucumbers are fantastic 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 require a lot of watering—they are water-holding succulents—and can tolerate the hot temperature and bright sun that you might have on your balcony. They are adorable to look at too!

• Lavender: Just one whiff of the soothing smell of this fragrant plant and you’ll be more at ease. It is also a brilliant plant that adds a nice pop of color.

You can choose a few nice-sized containers to put on your balcony or use a hanging balcony basket that has an inside layer from a coconut liner. I used chicken wire and moss to make my own herb plant balcony basket. I’d never attempted anything like that before. It wasn’t fantastic, but it worked. The key is to select a pot or basket that will allow for good drainage.

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.