Balcony garden checklist
A balcony has three problems a garden doesn't: weight limits, wind, and pots drying out twice as fast as a bed. Sort those three and almost anything else will grow.
22 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Weight checked with the landlord or building rulesWet compost is heavy. This matters more on an upper floor than it looks like it should.
- Aspect worked outNorth-facing gets very little direct sun; south-facing bakes by midday.
- Wind exposure notedBalconies funnel wind that a ground-level garden never feels.
- Containers
- Pots with proper drainage holes
- Saucers underneath, to protect the flooring
- Self-watering containers, for anything thirsty
- Peat-free multipurpose compost
- Slow-release feed mixed in at plantingContainers run out of nutrients faster than beds.
- Windbreak netting, if the balcony is exposedStops young stems snapping in gusts.
- Hooks or brackets fitted securely, for hanging potsCheck the fixing can take a wet pot's weight, not just a dry one.
- First plants chosen
- Herbs — mint, basil, chives
- Salad leaves, for a quick first harvest
- Dwarf or trailing tomatoes
- Flowers for the pollinators passing through
- Watering can with a long spoutReaches pots at the back without soaking the ones in front.
- Watering routine setContainers dry out far faster than open ground, especially in wind.
- Deadheading and picking done regularlyKeeps herbs and cut-and-come-again leaves productive.
- Bigger pots ready for repotting as roots fill the small ones
- Slug and aphid watch kept upFewer predators reach a balcony, so pests can build up unchecked.
- Trays or matting under pots, to catch the run-off
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- Do I need to worry about weight on a balcony?
- Yes, once compost is wet. A large pot of damp compost can weigh 20kg or more, and several of them near one edge is a different load than the same weight spread out.
- What actually grows well on a balcony?
- Herbs, salad leaves, dwarf tomatoes and trailing flowers all cope with a container. Anything that wants deep roots — carrots, most fruit trees — struggles without a big pot.