How do you grow vegetables on a balcony?
From pot size and seedlings to a watering and feeding schedule, the step-by-step way to grow vegetables on a balcony.
Short answer
Measure how many hours of direct sun your balcony gets. Over 5 hours, plant tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers; at 3-4 hours, stick to lettuce, arugula and parsley. Give each plant at least a 10-litre pot with 3 cm of perlite for drainage and a peat plus worm-castings mix on top. Plant seedlings in mid-April, water when the top 3 cm of soil dries, and feed with liquid fertiliser every 15 days.
What you need
Step by step
Measure your balcony's sunlight
On a clear day, check the balcony every two hours from 09:00 to 18:00 and note the hours when sun hits it directly. South and southwest balconies with 6 or more hours of direct sun can carry tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers. East and north balconies with 3-4 hours suit lettuce, arugula, spinach, parsley, mint and basil, which stay milder in partial shade.
Prepare pots and soil
Root volume decides the harvest: 20-30 litres each for tomatoes and aubergines, 15 litres for peppers, and troughs at least 20 cm deep for greens. Check the drainage holes at the base and drill four or five 1 cm holes if there are none. Add 3 cm of perlite or gravel, then fill to 3 cm below the rim with four parts peat-based potting soil to one part worm castings.
Plant seedlings in mid-April
Plant once night temperatures stay above 10 C: early April on the coast, mid-May inland and in the highlands. Set tomato seedlings deep, burying the first 5 cm of stem so extra side roots form and the plant strengthens. Water immediately until it runs from the bottom of the pot, and keep the plants in partial shade for the first three days.
Set a watering routine
Push a finger 3 cm into the soil; water if it comes out dry, wait if it feels damp. In midsummer a 20-litre pot needs water daily, in spring every two to three days. Water between 07:00 and 09:00 and wet the soil, not the leaves, since evening watering invites mildew. Never leave water standing in saucers longer than 15 minutes or roots will rot.
Feed and stake
Start liquid fertiliser 20 days after planting and repeat every 15 days, mixing 10 ml into 10 litres of water and using it in place of a normal watering. Use 20-20-20 until flowering, then switch to the higher-potassium 15-30-15. Once tomatoes and cucumbers pass 30 cm, push a stake in beside the pot wall and clip the stem to it every 25 cm.
Pinch tomato side shoots and help pollination
Every week, snap off the side shoots between the main stem and the leaves before they reach 5 cm, so the plant sends its energy into fruit. Bees are scarce on balconies, so shake flowering tomato and pepper stems gently once a day, or hold the back of an electric toothbrush against each flower for two seconds. Without this the flowers drop and no fruit sets.
Catch pests early and harvest
Check the undersides of leaves weekly; spray 5 ml of liquid soap in 1 litre of water for aphids, and rinse leaf undersides with plain water for spider mites. Start picking lettuce and arugula outer leaves after 25-30 days; tomatoes ripen 65-80 days after planting and peppers in 55-70. Picking tomatoes slightly firm, before they colour fully, speeds up the fruit still on the vine.
Tips
Watch out
The two most common mistakes are pots that are too small and too much water. A tomato in a 5-litre pot will inevitably dry out in midsummer and set no fruit. Constantly wet soil starves roots of oxygen and rots them, and yellowing leaves usually signal overwatering rather than thirst. Standing water in saucers also breeds mosquitoes, and runoff onto the neighbour below invites complaints.
Frequently asked questions
+Can anything grow on a north-facing balcony?
Fruiting vegetables will not, but greens will. Even without direct sun, a north balcony that stays bright all day gives good results with lettuce, arugula, spinach, parsley and mint.
+Is it better to start from seed or from seedlings?
Start with seedlings your first year. Tomatoes and peppers need 8-10 weeks in a heated space from seed, while lettuce, arugula and parsley can be sown straight into the pot.
+Will a few balcony pots feed a family?
No, treat it as a supplement. Four tomatoes, four peppers and two troughs of greens will cover part of your summer salad needs, not your main food supply.
+How do I keep the plants alive while I am on holiday?
For one to two weeks, set up a drip irrigation kit or a slow-drip cone fitted to a 5-litre plastic bottle. Move pots into shade and spread 2 cm of mulch on the soil to halve evaporation.
+Can building management ban pots on the balcony?
House rules and an owners' vote can ban hanging pots outside the railing, which is common and lawful. Pots standing on the balcony floor are usually fine, but check your building's rules.
Sources and verification
Last verified: 13 Eylül 2026. tell us. Seasonal timings assume a Northern Hemisphere temperate climate; adjust planting dates to your local last-frost date.
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