How to take care of a balcony vegetable patch
Since you live in an apartment, you have found no other way than to grow your vegetables on the balcony. It’s a great idea if you want to have a few rounds of potatoes, tomatoes, squash or carrots without having to spend a penny.
However, some of these vegetables are harvested seasonally, others require more water than some, some are less fearful of the sun, etc. In short, if you want to make a success of your balcony vegetable garden, you must take into account some parameters.
Use a special vegetable potting soil
First of all, you must get a potting soil special vegetable. Remember that your plants will not be directly planted in the earth. In other words, they won’t get the same nutrients than vegetables planted in conventional vegetable gardens. You will find this type of soil in garden centers or in shops that specially sell products for vegetable gardens. In fact, these vegetable potting soils are enriched with nutrients and are therefore better suited for potted plants.
Water vegetables properly
Ideally, you should water your potted vegetables twice daily in spring and summer and once daily in fall and winter. The ideal is to water the plants in the morning at sunrise and in the evening before bedtime sunshine in spring and summer. In autumn and winter, just a watering in the middle of the day. Also note that plants with short roots have need frequent watering while long-rooted plants can bear abundant watering. In addition, vegetables that bear « fruit » such as peppers or tomatoes also need frequent watering.
Add fertilizer
The most important thing when taking care of a balcony garden is knowing when to supplement the garden with fertilizer. So ideally ventilate and add fertilizer to your soil once a month. Some people think you only need to do this twice a year, but if you want good harvests feed the soil more regularly. Besides, to avoid unnecessary expenses, make homemade compost. It is simple to do and it will also reduce the size of your household waste!
Harvest at the right time
If you want your balcony vegetable garden to thrive, you must harvest at the right time. Whenever you can harvest a few leaves, or a few fruits, don’t hesitate to do so. These products which can already be consumed should be harvested to allow the remaining plants to draw the necessary nutrients.
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