How to Grow Herbs on a Balcony: Beautiful Balcony Herbs

One of the best things you can do as a gardener who lives in an apartment is learn how to grow herbs on a balcony. You will enjoy the benefits of saving money at grocery stores, creating a space that fills your heart with joy, taking in some lovely aromatherapy, and having quick access to fresh herbs whenever you need them.

And that sense of accomplishment you will feel the first time you use those herbs – don’t forget that. Nothing compares to harvesting fresh, homegrown herbs.

A lot of people think that since they live in an apartment, they don’t have an opportunity to grow their own food and live more sustainably. But this is just not true.

My very first herb garden was on my small balcony in the City. You can learn so much by doing this. Also, I found it to be such a nice space to relax in. It was the perfect spot to enjoy a cup of tea in the morning before work. It just sets your day off right.

Here is my first balcony garden that I grew back in 2007.

Learning how to grow herbs on a balcony is a great project for the beginner gardener. Also, since it will be a smaller garden, it will be low maintenance. Perfect for all those weekend gardeners out there.

Lastly, you may surprise yourself with how much you can produce in a small space.

BEST HERBS TO GROW ON A BALCONY

The answer to this question is very subjective. Really any type of herb will grow on a balcony as they all do great in containers. The best advice I can give is to choose herbs that you normally use in your kitchen, and that will be able to grow well in the space and conditions you have.

If you are just starting out with herb gardening, I would suggest some faster-growing and more common herbs. These include basil, parsley, chives, cilantro, and dill. This way you can achieve some quick wins which will motivate you to keep going. Other herbs that are great for your balcony include thyme, oregano, lavender, sage, rosemary, mint, lemon balm, nasturtium, and chamomile.

I like to grow the staple things that I use all the time, but then also throw in a fun experiment as well. This keeps the excitement and curiosity going in the garden and, hey – you may find a new favourite along the way.

Also, if this is your first garden I would recommend buying some starter plants from the garden centre. It is a lot less of a learning curve upfront, and it will save you a lot of time. Some perennial herbs can take months to really grow from seed.

If you are learning how to start herb seeds, then I would start with those faster-growing herb plants again.

PLANNING AND DESIGNING YOUR Own BALCONY HERB GARDEN

This is where you get creative and design a beautifully scented space just for you. It can be your very own balcony potager. I love landscaping with herbs and veggies.

Here are the four steps you want to take when designing your apartment balcony herb garden:

1. Assess your space & equipment…
   1. How much space are you working with
   1. Are there walls or railings you could use?
   1. How many hours of sunlight do you get?
   1. Is the area covered or not?
   1. Do you have planter boxes, pots, or containers to use?

• Choose an aesthetic…
  • Think about the look you want (farmhouse, modern, rustic, vintage, etc.)Do you want a focal point or garden feature (miniature statue, small fountain)Pick a theme and create an inspiration board on Pinterest
  • Start to find items that go with your theme

• Pick herb varieties to grow…
  • What herbs do you use the most?Will these herbs grow well in your climate?Which herbs can grow togetherThink about the colour, the texture of leaves, and the final size of the plants
  • Will you add other flowers or grasses to enhance the look

• Draw out a plan…
  • Finalize which containers to use
  • Decide if you will need to build anything (ex. pallet herb planter)
  • Draw it out on graph paper, or play around with the empty containers to get them situated just right
  • Move through the space to make sure it has a good flow

HOW TO GROW HERBS ON A BALCONY WITH VERY LIMITED SPACE

A great way to maximize your space is by building up and growing vertically. There are a few different ways that you can do this depending on the layout of your balcony and the overall aesthetic that you are going for.

Here are some ideas that will easily save space on your balcony:

• Purchase or build a tower garden (ex. Stacked pots, or Greenstalk planters)
• Build a free-standing vertical garden (ex. a pallet planter)
• Make use of the walls or railing with hanging planters
• use your balcony railing by adding some netting for support (thinking of a beautiful wall of climbing nasturtium)
• Try growing herbs in a hanging basket

SOIL FOR YOUR BALCONY HERB GARDEN

Since your herbs will be in pots, they need well-draining soil that is rich in nutrients. My favourite kind of soil to use is “Vegetable and Herb Promix“.

It is light, and fluffy, and can feed my plants for up to three months. Depending on how far north you live, that could be most of your growing season. Promix is also certified organic.

You will not need a huge amount of soil when compared to building an in-ground garden. So, I think it is okay to splurge just a little bit and get a higher quality potting soil.

 As you continue your gardening journey you will find that your biggest expense is generally the soil that you use. But you will also find that if you skimp out on this it can really put a damper on things.

It is very worth it to save in other areas, and then spend that little extra on good soil.

You do not want to dig soil out of a garden bed and use that as it will be too heavy. However, there are ways to make your own compost or potting soil.

BEST POTS FOR GROWING HERBS ON A BALCONY

It is always best to go bigger where possible. This will provide more room for your herb roots to grow, and you will be able to water a little less. Whatever container you choose, make sure it has drainage holes in the bottom. This will make sure that any excess water is able to drain out, which will prevent root rot.

Perennial herbs such as lavender, rosemary, sage, and lemon balm require larger containers about 8-10 inches across and 8-10 inches deep. Herbs like chives, basil, parsley, thyme, and oregano, don’t require as large of a container and can even be grown in a window box-style planter that hangs on your railing.

The material that the pot is made of will depend a lot on your climate, and the look you are going for. Plastic pots will hold moisture more, whereas terracotta will dry out faster. I have also read that terracotta will not overheat in the sun when compared to other types of pots. Another thing to consider here is budget, some containers can get very expensive. So pick a budget and stay within that. I have grown balcony gardens only using pots from the dollar store and it worked out just fine.

Some herbs like mint or lemon balm do best in their own container. Most other herbs can be grown in the same container. If you do decide to make an herb planter with multiple herbs, then make sure they have the same growing preferences. I like to plant woody herbs together like thyme and rosemary, and less woody herbs together like basil, parsley, and chives.

If you would like to read more about growing specific herbs in pots, then see these posts:

• Growing Sage in Pots
• Growing Lemon Balm in Pots

CARING FOR YOUR BALCONY HERB GARDEN

Now let’s talk about the best way to care for your balcony herb garden. We will cover light, water, fertilization, pest management, and winter care.

LIGHT REQUIREMENTS:

Generally, herbs prefer as much sunlight as you can give them, but some varieties can also tolerate partial shade. Shaded herbs will still grow, they may just grow a little slower. If you can provide them with a minimum of 6 hours of light each day then they should be fine.

If you are growing your herbs in smaller containers it is a good idea to rotate them about once per week. This helps your herbs to bush out on all sides and stop them from leaning toward the sun too much.

Herbs that do best in full sun:

• Lavender
• Basil
• Chamomile
• Sage
• Dill

Herbs that can tolerate more shade:

• Parsley
• Mint
• Lemon Balm
• Oregano
• Cilantro
• Thyme
• Chives

WATERING:

One of the biggest factors for success when growing herbs on a balcony is watering. You want to make sure to check on them often and provide regular watering. You want to water when the top inch of soil is dry. Or you notice the pot feels lighter.

Balcony herbs can be prone to drying out faster especially if you use small pots. As a good rule of thumb, I would check on them daily.

Depending on the containers you use, and the climate you live in, your herbs may need more or less water than what is generally recommended. Check out my other post on how often to water your herbs to keep them happy and healthy.

FERTILIZING YOUR BALCONY HERB GARDEN:

Herbs do not require too much when it comes to fertilizer, but since these herbs are growing in pots it is important to add some more nutrients to the soil. I fertilize with light, water-soluble organic fertilizers about every two weeks.

PEST MANAGEMENT:

Pests are generally not an issue when it comes to herbs. However, it is important to watch for any signs of pest damage or disease. If you do notice something you should take action to fix it right away.

It is important to be proactive and keep a tidy garden by cleaning up dead leaves. This will create less habitat for pests and they will not be as attracted to your plants.

WINTER CARE

During winter you can either take your herbs inside, or if they are perennial you can leave them outside. If you are leaving your perennial herbs outside you can help to protect them from the cold with some frost fabric, or by lining the pots up against the wall for some added shelter. This not only keeps the cold off, but it will provide protection from high winds as well.

If you are just growing annual herbs like basil, then simply take one last big harvest at the end of the season and then compost the plant.

You will want to empty your containers for winter especially if you used terracotta. They can sometimes break as things continue to freeze and thaw out over the season.

PRUNING & HARVESTING

Harvesting and pruning your herbs regularly will keep them more compact and encourage bushy growth. It will help them to put on more fresh growth.

For parsley and chives, it is best to snip off small sections about 1 – 2 inches up from the soil level. For basil, you want to pinch out the new top growth above a set of leaves so it will branch out more. For woody stem herbs like thyme, it is best to cut the softer new growth and leave the woody stems.

You can just harvest your herbs as you need them, but I like to give them a little pruning to maintain the shape about once per week.

Well, that is all for now. I hope you found this helpful, and that you now feel confident about how to grow herbs on a balcony. Also, don’t forget to save this post for future reference!

Until next time!