A kitchen garden on my balcony

Are you a fan of cooking? And would like to grow your own produce? Only by looking at magazine covers or scrolling through Pinterest, you will find that urban gardening is a real trend. With the arrival of environmental consciousness and the desire for hobbies and a healthy diet, gardening combines many benefits. Preferably, we would want to consume local products and know exactly what it is we are eating. To fulfill this, what would be better than to grow your own fruits, vegetables, and aromatic herbs? And after all, having seen your produce grow goes hand in hand with craving to eat it. Having a kitchen garden is simultaneously ecological and economical. Additionally, it has positive effects on our moral and well-being. Creative and in connection with nature, gardening decreases stress levels. Finally, it is an activity with a goal, with a mission to fulfill, in other words gardening is an activity that makes sense.

Now, we will offer you some tips and tricks for easy gardening. To start, you do not need to spend tons of money, everything that is lying around the house that can be made waterproof and lets the plants breath, like plastic trays, glass jars, or cans, is perfect. Soil, however, is indispensable. The same goes for small clay balls and compost. On top, composting allows for another layer of circularity on your balcony.

It is also important to consider other criteria like the climate where you live and also the space that you have available. If there is no possibility for a deep pot on your balcony, do not set your hopes too high.

Food plants that have a weak development and fast growth like for example cherry tomatoes, radish, cucumbers, zucchinis, bell peppers, salads or chervil do not require a large pot or much space.

Seeds only take several days to sprout, whereas salads and radish take 3 to 4 weeks to reach maturation.

Aromatic plants grow faster and do not take up too much space either. Dill, coriander, thyme, rosemary and oregano like to be in the sun. On the other hand, basil, parsley, chives and mint prefer not to be exposed directly to the sun.

You can also think of possible associations, like cherry tomatoes and basil, or cucumber and dill.

Some tips for a successful harvest:
- Do not neglect the plant’s needs. Choose the correct placement (sun or shadow).
- The air needs to circulate. If there is no breeze, your plants will not be able to grow normally.
- Do not let the soil dry up. In fact, if it is dry, the soil will retract and it will be very difficult to rehydrate it afterwards.
- Use coffee ground. Mix soil with coffee ground and boost the growing of your plants.