Rather than having a deserted and dull balcony full of trash and unused items, you can turn the free space in your apartment into your balcony garden. At the right time, you will be rewarded with a garden of aromatic herbs and fresh vegetables that you will never get from the store. If you are unsure of where to start, here are some ideas on making a magic garden on your balcony.
Take time, effort and planning
It is advisable to set aside time from your busy life to dedicate time to looking after the pants. The good news is that you only need 15 minutes per day to complete the basic tasks such as watering, pinching, pruning and deadheading fading flowers. Ensure that you only provide the right amount of water. Fertilize the plants on time, prune and transplant them when it is needed.
Planning is also very important. Take note that you have a limitation of space and this is a challenge you will need to overcome. Consider how to use every inch of space and improve the crop’s productivity. Ensure that you also pick the right plants and varieties for the climate specifications in your area. You will want to take into consideration the space available, the amount of sunlight in your area and the easy vegetables to grow in pots.
According to a research paper written to a popular newspaper in the UK by a custom research paper writing services, consuming organic vegetables can help reduce the risk of terminal diseases like diabetes and cancer. In addition, the students who were helped by this service also noticed that a research was taken as a basis for writing. The paper written by the writing service says that since you do not have control over what other people grow, balcony gardening is a great way of taking control of your health. If you want to make sure of the veracity of this information yourself, you can ask the research paper writing service for help in writing conclusions on this topic.
Get your seeds ready
First, you will need to decide what you want to grow. While you may be tempted to grow a wide variety of crops, it’s advisable to narrow down to two or three. This is important as different crops have different needs. According to the essay by the custom writing service, it is also easier to take care of two plant species as compared to four. Ensure that you have the seeds you would like to plant at least 6 weeks before the frost date in your region.
Sprouting & Planting seeds
After the seeds have started sprouting, you will notice the seed shell is cracking and something greenish or white coming out. This is the right time to transfer the seeds into trays. Use a pencil to make some small indentations into the trays that are 5 mm deep and 3cm apart. Place the seed into the hole and cover it with soil. Add a few drops of water and place the tray in a warm place. During this stage, no light will be necessary.
Remember to regularly check the tray to see when the first seedling germinates. When this happens, it is time to provide light. Ensure that there is a good balance between the amount of light and heat gotten by the plant or else it will grow abnormally.
The layout of the garden
The garden’s layout will depend on the location of the sunniest spot, the amount of furniture on the balcony, the space you need for entertaining your guest and your ability to arrange containers in a manner that enables you to walk around as you water them easily. Another tip from the paper written by one of the best essay writing services in the UK is to layer the plants in a manner that the tallest is near the wall while the shorter ones are in front. The company that offers help to students say this will not only be easy to water, but it will also be aesthetically pleasing.
Re-potting the seedlings
The right time for moving the seedlings into the bigger individual pot is when the leaves begin to touch those of the neighbours. The goal of re-potting is to provide more space for the roots as well as foliage of the seedlings. This is the right time to use soil that has higher nutrient content such as compost mix. You can choose to buy these pre-made or you can mix your own.
Start by putting the soil in the pot. You can then remove the seedlings from the tray in a gentle manner. Avoid pulling them by the stem.
Planting of fruits and vegetables
Before you can fill with the soil, make sure you have arranged the containers. This is important as they will be lighter and can be easily moved. Mix the soil with a little organic fertilizer. Plant the seedlings as per the recommendations of agronomists. You will need to plant the seedlings deeper as compared to how they were planted in seed trays. This makes them stable. There are certain species like tomatoes that will grow roots from the buried stem, and this is ultimately beneficial to them.
Add some more soil around the base of the seedling. You can now add water until the soil gets wet but is not completely saturated. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the leaves during the growing stage of the crop.
Fertilize every month
Ensure that you fertilize the containers each month. Some of the container mixes have enough fertilizers that will help them to feed the plants for a period of up to 2 months. You should dig a smaller amount of compost in the container mix or use the commercially available fertilizers.
Conclusion
There is no better way to use your space with a balcony garden. With the above balcony garden ideas, it is possible to have a beautiful garden in your apartment space. To make it even better, you can buy small garden accessories to adorn the garden. For instance, you can buy colourful stones or pebbles above the soil. This will not only act as mulch, but it will also provide that great look to the balcony.
