Balcony and terrace garden

A balcony with four hours of sun can grow leafy greens and herbs. A terrace with full sun can grow almost any vegetable. This guide covers the few things that decide success in pots.

1. Count the hours of sun

6 hours or more: fruiting vegetables such as tomato, brinjal, chilli, okra and gourds.
4 to 5 hours: root crops and beans.
3 to 4 hours: leafy greens and herbs such as palak, methi, coriander, mint and lettuce.

Watch the spot for one day before buying anything. South and west-facing balconies get the most sun.

2. Choose the pot by the plant

Plant	Depth of pot	Size
Leafy greens, methi, coriander, mint	15 to 20 cm	Wide trays and window boxes
Radish, carrot, beetroot, onion, garlic	25 to 30 cm	Deep boxes or grow bags
Tomato, brinjal, chilli, capsicum, okra	30 to 40 cm	One plant in a pot of 15 to 20 litres
Gourds, cucumber, pumpkin	40 cm or more	Tubs or grow bags of 30 to 50 litres, with a trellis

Clay pots breathe and keep roots cool but dry out fast. Plastic pots and grow bags are light and hold water longer. Whatever you use, it must have drainage holes.

3. Make a light potting mix

Garden soil alone packs hard in a pot. A reliable all-purpose mix is one part garden soil, one part compost or well-rotted manure, and one part cocopeat or coarse sand. It should hold moisture and still fall apart when squeezed. Put a piece of broken pot over each drainage hole, fill to 3 cm below the rim and water well before sowing.

4. Water by touch

Push a finger into the soil up to the second joint. If it feels dry, water until it runs from the bottom. If it feels moist, wait. In summer most pots need water every day, sometimes twice. In winter, every two or three days is often enough. Water in the morning, and cover the soil with dry leaves or straw to slow drying.

5. Feed little and often

Nutrients wash out of pots. Add a handful of compost to each pot every three to four weeks while plants are growing, and a little more when fruiting plants begin to flower.

6. Mind the weight and the water

Wet soil is heavy. Place large tubs along walls and over beams, not in the middle of a roof slab, and ask an engineer if you plan a large terrace garden.
Keep pots on stands or bricks so the floor can drain and dry.
Do not let water stand in saucers or empty pots. Standing water breeds mosquitoes.

The easiest first crops

Start with methi, radish and palak in winter, or okra and amaranth in summer. They are quick, forgiving and ready in a month or two.