c/balcony-veggie-gardens

My pepper plants used to get leggy every spring until I put a cheap shop light 2 inches above them

For three years in a row my jalapenos would stretch out to 6 inches tall and fall over, but after I moved the light closer like that Austin gardener told me, they stayed short and bushy and I got fruit by early June. Anyone else fight with weak seedlings before figuring out the light distance trick?

Visited a community garden in Portland and noticed their balcony setup was genius

That old timer at the garden center changed how I water my peppers

I overheard this guy in his 70s telling a worker that most balcony plants die from overwatering, not underwatering. He said to stick your finger 2 inches deep and if it's damp, leave it alone. I've been drowning my poor bell peppers for 3 months and now they actually look happy. Anyone else fall for the 'more water = better' trap?

Stop babying your tomato plants with daily water - here's why

I was watering my balcony tomatoes every single morning for weeks and they kept getting leggy and dropping flowers. Switched to deep watering only when the soil was bone dry and the leaves actually wilted a tiny bit, now my plants are twice as bushy and I got my first fruit set in under 5 days. Anyone else find that neglect actually works better for container tomatoes?

Plastic pots vs terracotta pots - my cherry tomatoes changed sides

I planted two cherry tomato plants on my south-facing balcony in May, one in a plastic pot and one in terracotta, both the same size. By August, the plastic pot plant was huge with tons of fruit, while the terracotta one was half the size and droopy. I think the terracotta dried out way too fast in the afternoon sun, but my friend swears terracotta is better for root health. Has anyone else seen a big difference between pot materials for balcony veggies?

Wasted $60 on those mesh balcony planters

Thought those self-watering mesh pots would be perfect for my cherry tomatoes. After 3 weeks the roots grew through and snapped when I tried to move them. Anybody else have bad luck with those fabric or mesh grow bags?

My neighbor swore I needed to talk to my tomato plants every morning... I laughed until they grew twice as big as mine

Cherry tomatoes went nuts after I stopped pruning them

I used to think you had to trim tomato suckers or the plant would get all tangled and weak. My balcony plants were always just okay, maybe 15 tomatoes a season, and I spent hours pinching. Then my neighbor two doors down who grows stuff on her fire escape said she never prunes and gets buckets. I thought she was crazy but tried it with one plant this June. I left every single sucker and branch alone, just gave it a bamboo stake for support. That one plant produced over 50 cherry tomatoes and the branches were so heavy they bent over the railing. The only thing I did different was water more because the plant was bigger. Anyone else have a rule they got told that turned out to be wrong for small spaces?

Wasted $45 on those fabric grow bags and regret it hard

Last spring I bought a set of three fabric grow bags for my balcony, thinking they'd be perfect for tomatoes. Cost me $45 total from a popular online shop. Big mistake. The sides dried out in like 2 hours on a sunny day, and the soil leaked out the bottom every time I watered. After 3 weeks my tomato plants were all stunted and sad looking. I ended up tossing them in the trash and going back to cheap plastic pots from the dollar store. Anyone else have crap luck with those fabric bags, or did I just buy the wrong brand?

I saw a guy in Chicago using old milk jugs as planters and it blew my mind

I was walking past an apartment building in Lincoln Park last week and saw this whole balcony setup with tomatoes growing out of cut-up plastic jugs. He said he poked holes in the bottom and filled them with a 50/50 mix of potting soil and compost. My cherry tomatoes in their fancy pots have never looked that good, so I'm switching my setup this weekend. Has anyone else tried this kind of upcycled container and had good results?

My basil was always weak until I tried a different watering trick

For months, my basil plants on my south-facing balcony would get tall but the leaves stayed small and pale. I was watering them every morning like my other pots. Last month, I read about letting the soil dry out a bit more between deep waterings. I started checking by sticking my finger in up to the second knuckle, and only watering when it felt dry. After two weeks, the new growth came in way darker green and the leaves are almost double the size. Has anyone else found that less frequent watering works better for herbs in containers?

My entire basil crop got hit with downy mildew after that rainy week in May.

Some folks say to toss all the plants immediately, but others swear by a baking soda spray. What's the real move here?

My balcony tomatoes got huge but never turned red

I planted two cherry tomato plants in deep pots back in May. They grew like crazy, over five feet tall, and had tons of green fruit. But after two months, not a single one ripened. I learned they need way more heat than my shady north-facing balcony in Chicago gets. Has anyone else had this happen? What's a good veggie for low sun spots?

Just realized my balcony setup was all wrong after a visit to the community garden in Portland

I was at the Portland Community Garden tour last month and saw how they used old milk crates for deep root crops like carrots, which I'd always failed with in my shallow pots. Tbh, I came home and switched my whole 8-foot balcony to stacked crate planters filled with a 60/40 soil and compost mix. Has anyone else tried this crate method for things like radishes or beets?

I thought my balcony tomatoes needed full sun all day

For months I kept moving my pots to chase the light, but the leaves kept getting pale and crispy. My neighbor in apartment 3B saw me struggling and said, 'You know, my plants get about 5 hours of direct sun and they're fine.' I moved mine to a spot that only gets morning sun, and the new growth is way greener and healthier. How much direct sun do your balcony veggies really need?

I finally picked a determinate tomato variety for my balcony rail planters

I was stuck between a big indeterminate vine or a compact bush type, and went with the bush. It's only been 3 weeks, but the 'Tiny Tim' plants are already flowering and haven't tried to climb my railing at all. Anyone else have luck with small-space tomatoes?

Found out my basil was drinking more water than my dog

I was reading a gardening book from the library and it said a single basil plant can soak up over a gallon of water a week in full sun. My balcony gets sun from 10am to 4pm, and I was giving it maybe two cups. No wonder it kept wilting! I started tracking it with a rain gauge last month and sure enough, it's a total water hog. Has anyone else had a plant that just wouldn't stay hydrated?

Hot take: I swore by big pots for tomatoes until last Tuesday.

I had a single cherry tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket that got knocked over in a storm, so I stuck it in a leftover 2 gallon fabric pot as a quick fix. That plant is now covered in more green fruit than any of my others... the roots seem to love the air pruning. I'm rethinking my whole setup for next year. Has anyone else had a plant do way better in a smaller home?

Heard someone say you need a south-facing balcony to grow anything decent

My west-facing setup in Seattle still gave me a solid 8 pounds of tomatoes last summer. I think it's more about picking the right plants and using a good grow bag. What's the best thing you've grown on a less-than-perfect balcony?

My basil plant gave me 47 leaves from a single grocery store pot

I just counted them all, which felt a bit crazy, but it's more than I got from the three 'proper' herb kits I bought. Has anyone else had a random cheap plant go absolutely wild?

My balcony tomato setup used to be a total mess of small pots

For years I grew them in separate 5-inch containers, which meant constant watering and weak plants. I switched to a single 15-gallon fabric pot about two months ago after reading a tip online. Now I plant three determinate varieties together in that one big pot, and their roots have so much more room. The difference in how many tomatoes I get is huge. Has anyone else moved from lots of little pots to just one or two big ones for veggies like this?

My old plastic window box finally gave out after 8 years, dumped all my basil on the concrete.

Almost lost my whole tomato crop to a single bad choice

I had to pick between a cheap, small pot from a big box store or a pricier, deep fabric one for my balcony tomatoes. I went cheap to save $15, and the roots got so cramped the plants stopped growing after a month. The leaves turned yellow and I only got three sad tomatoes total. Has anyone else had a plant totally fail because the pot was just too small?

I used to think a balcony garden was a bad idea for my windy spot

I'm on the 8th floor in Chicago, and last month a sudden gust knocked over my three tomato plants in their 5 gallon buckets. Soil went everywhere, and two of the stems snapped. I got some cheap cinder blocks from the hardware store and built a low wall around the pots to block the wind. It's not pretty, but it worked. The plants are staked now and have new growth. Anyone on a high floor have a better fix for this?

PSA: My basil went from sad to happy in about 10 days after I moved it.

It was getting maybe 3 hours of direct sun and stayed small, but after shifting it to a spot that gets a solid 6, it's doubled in size. Has anyone else had a plant totally turn around just from a simple light change?