Where did the fashion for balcony gardening come from in Poland? There are many reasons for this. The DIY (Do it yourself) movement is experiencing a renaissance.Knitting, sewing clothes, restoring furniture, growing food plants at home is becoming fashionable again.We move to cities, we work a lot, we miss nature. So we are looking for ways to be in contact with greenery.
One of them can be a balcony garden. It will give us a moment of respite, even when we live in a concrete housing estate. It is even more pleasant when, sitting on the balcony, we can eat a tomato fruit or wild strawberry straight from the bush. Vegetables move from fields and allotment gardens to cities.We can draw interesting inspiration from abroad.City community vegetable gardens are established all over the world, where people can work together and share the harvested crops.Increasingly, it is said that urban cultivation of food crops may become a necessity in the future.
Balcony gardening is a good way to encourage children to eat vegetables, give them their first responsibilities, and make them aware of how much work it takes to get the vegetables and fruits that we usually bring from the store. In addition, honey-bearing plants (e.g. thyme or lavender) provide food for pollinating insects living in an urban environment.
If pests appear on the balcony, it is not necessary to combat them with chemical protection agents, because there are biopreparations available on the market.You can also prepare natural repellent agents, such as garlic infusion or nettle decoction . The most important thing is to carefully observe and react before pests have even spread to our plants.
The cultivation in containers will work, among others, by lettuce, rocket, chives, radish, dill, parsley, as well as low varieties of tomatoes that do not require stakes (e.g. 'Balkoni Red' or 'Ola Polka'). We can also plant dwarf varieties of green beans, for example 'Mascotte', or round carrots 'Mercado de Paris'. Let's not forget about the fruit - you can grow wild strawberries and strawberries in the containers (some varieties of strawberries can bear fruit until autumn).
When planning planting, it is worth getting acquainted with the sowing and harvesting schedule of individual species and varieties.We will then be able to arrange pots for the entire growing season.Certain vegetables, such as spinach and early lettuces and radishes, are not suitable for summer cultivation because high temperatures encourage them to flower prematurely. In turn, for example, celery or parsley can be harvested in late autumn, after the first frost.
Before sowing and planting
Beginner gardeners are often put off by growing failures.They usually result from making basic, easy to eliminate mistakes.First of all, we need to consider what plants we would like to grow, whether they will work in containers and whether they will grow well in our climatic conditions. Vegetables and herbs grow best on sunny balconies facing south, east or west.
During the summer months, plants may even require daily watering.Vegetables with a short growing season, such as lettuce, arugula and radishes, can be harvested several times a year, while for example, tomatoes take about 3 months from sowing to start fruiting, and remain in pots until autumn.
If we are looking forward to spring on the balcony, some treatments can be carried out at the end of February.This is a good time to sow tomato seeds.Containers in which we sow should have holes in the bottom for drainage of excess water.You have to be careful with watering, overflow can be as harmful as overdrying. Plants that are thermophilic and sensitive to frost, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, should not be moved to the balcony until mid-May, when the risk of frost is gone.
If we do not want to produce seedlings at home, in May we can buy seedlings in a garden center or at a market.Spring temperature drops below zero should not harm the seedlings of carrots, lettuces and radishes, you can sow them in the target pots on the balcony from March, when the soil is thawing.Recycled materials, such as wooden boxes, baskets, euro-pallets, can be useful for furnishing the balcony.
