Urban Garden All Year Round: How to Grow Vegetables and Herbs on a Balcony

A balcony has long ceased to be a place for storing old things. Today it is additional useful space where you can create not just a relaxation area, but an entire cozy garden where you will grow vegetables, herbs and even berries. And you don't have to be a professional gardener or own a country plot for this.

We turned to experts Ekaterina Kuznetsova, a blogger and plant grower and author of the book 'Garden on the Sill', and Alexei Kalinkin, head of the 'Cottage and Low-rise Construction' direction at TechnoNIKOL.

Together with the professionals, we figured out how to create a comfortable urban garden right on your balcony, organize lighting, irrigation, ventilation and most importantly — how to provide plants with the right microclimate so they delight you with a harvest all year round.

Ekaterina Kuznetsova blogger and plant growerBiologist with a red diploma, gardener with 10 years of experience, author of several booksWhat can be grown on a balcony?

Almost any compact culture will suit a balcony, which does not require much space and special care. Ekaterina Kuznetsova recommends the 'Balcony Wonder' and 'Little Star' tomato varieties, miniature peppers 'Kuzya' and 'Dobrynya Nikitich'.

Design: Valentina Ivliva

Salads, arugula, spinach, onions, garlic, parsley and dill also grow very well. Strawberries are best for berries, and with large containers you can even grow currants.

Why is it important to insulate a balcony?Alexei Kalinkin expert at TechnoNIKOLHead of the 'Cottage and Low-rise Construction' direction in the 'Polymeric Membranes and PIR' division of TechnoNIKOL

A balcony is often the coldest place in an apartment. Alexei Kalinkin explains this by the fact that balcony walls are thinner than main building walls and often simple cold glazing is installed there.

Due to the lack of proper heating, balconies can be cold and condensation and mold appear. Without proper insulation, the place is almost impossible to use all year round.

Design: Studio A+B

INMYROOM Tip: An effective solution will be insulation using LOGICPIR Balcony thermal plates from TechnoNIKOL. The plates have extremely low thermal conductivity — only 0.023 W/(m·K), which allows efficient heat retention in the room and significantly saves on heating. The foil surface of the plates reflects infrared heat back into the room, performing an additional function as a vapor barrier and preventing condensation.

Installing LOGICPIR Balcony thermal plates is simple and does not require special skills — even a beginner can handle it. Alexei Kalinkin notes: the plates can be installed independently at any time of year. The entire process usually takes only 2-3 days and does not require complex construction work or 'wet' processes. With the LOGICPIR insulator, you can quickly create a comfortable environment on the balcony and use it all year round.

Alexei Kalinkin's Tip: carefully assess the condition of the windows on the balcony before insulating and, if possible, replace them with warm ones. It is also important to create a full closed thermal insulation contour, insulate not only the walls but also the ceiling, and if possible, the floor. It is important to seal all gaps so there's no draught and to tape all joints of the thermal plates with aluminum tape.

Advertisement. tn.ru. LLC 'TechnoNIKOL-Construction Systems'.

Lighting and Directions

Balconies vary — depending on the orientation to the compass directions, different plants will thrive better. The sun-loving vegetables like tomatoes and peppers grow best on southern, south-eastern or south-western balconies.

Design: Nikolay Nikolaev

However, herbs and greens feel comfortable even on the northern or shaded sides.

Growing Conditions All Year Round

Without insulation, it's nearly impossible to grow anything in winter: the soil freezes and plants die. On a partially insulated balcony, without severe cold, aromatic herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, mint) can survive the winter but won't grow actively, they'll just keep their green color until spring.

Design: Olga Egupova

If you want to get a harvest even in winter, the balcony needs to be fully insulated and maintain temperature no lower than +15°C. Then even vegetables and berries will feel great, but they'll need additional plant lighting with grow lamps — special lights for plants.

Lighting, Irrigation and Ventilation

Plants need about 12 hours of light daily. Summer is enough with natural lighting, but in winter additional lighting will be needed:

• For greens, simple LED lamps are suitable.
• For fruiting crops (tomatoes, peppers, strawberries), special full-spectrum grow lamps are needed.

Plants should be watered regularly, summer — daily or every other day. If you often go away, Ekaterina recommends not starting a balcony garden as plants require constant care.

Design: Malitskikh Studio

Ventilation is needed for air circulation and natural pollination, especially if growing berries or vegetables on open balconies.

Containers and Placement

Plastic containers with a volume of 3-5 liters are ideal, as they better retain soil temperature. Ekaterina recommends using vertical modules that save space and allow placing more plants even on a very small balcony.

If possible, it's better to create beds in large containers with a volume of about 100 liters — they dry out much slower and plants feel more comfortable in them.

Common Mistakes of Beginners

Ekaterina Kuznetsova advises not to plant too many plants at once: when seedlings grow, there's not enough space and the plants start to get sick. Start with a small number, for example:

• One bush of balcony tomatoes.
• A couple of bushes of greens or aromatic herbs.
• One berry bush (e.g., strawberries).

Design: Anna Pelipchuk

Don't forget about regular fertilizing: plants should be fed every 5-10 days according to their growth phases.

Comfortable Garden — It's Simple!

A balcony garden is not difficult and accessible to everyone. The key is to start with proper insulation and creating comfortable conditions for plants. Using the LOGICPIR Balcony insulator from TechnoNIKOL, you can grow vegetables and herbs all year round and enjoy fresh harvests right in your city apartment.