Can you imagine going out on your balcony and picking your own fruit? There’s no need to talk about the enormous benefits of eating what you grow, or how rewarding it is to harvest your own food. Although it has obvious spatial limitations, this practice is not only suitable for those who have large gardens or live in the countryside. The act of adding a few cherry tomatoes freshly picked from your plant to a salad can be very satisfying. And to do this, you don’t need a lot of space or to be a plant expert. There are many species that adapt to small spaces, like a patio or terrace and that, with a little love and water, will give you ingredients that you can enjoy in your meals.
Let’s see what are the best options for growing your own food at home all year round, without going crazy or having to spend too much time on it.
Five plants that will bear fruit ideal for small sites
Cherry tomatoes are ideal for growing in pots or window boxes because their plants are less vigorous than other tomato varieties. They require six to eight hours per day of direct sun, in addition to constant watering. If this is not your case and you only have a corner that receives two or three hours, it will give you fruit but not as much. The advantage of these cherry trees is that there is no need to prune them. Its DNA is prepared so that you only have to worry about taking care of it.
Of course, you need a container that is at least 30cm deep, as tomatoes like their roots to grow well underneath. Get some reed type supports and create a teepee type structure for the plant to grow around it. It is important that the pot drains well and that the substrate is rich in nutrients, so that the plant can develop optimally.
Strawberries are a very popular option for sunny, smaller spaces than cherry trees. They grow perfectly with six to eight hours of direct sun, but also adapt well to shadier areas. At the same time, they are plants that do not need a lot of space to grow, for example in hanging pots or vertical planters, which allows you to take advantage of small spaces.
In addition, as they are perennial plants (they can live for several years), you can enjoy strawberries for several seasons if you take good care of them. To do this, protect the strawberries with plastic during the coldest nights of winter.
It is not a very delicate plant, as long as it receives regular watering to keep the substrate a little moist, especially at the flowering and fruiting stage, this will be sufficient.
There are many varieties of pepper that adapt well to small, sunny spaces. Like tomatoes, they need a lot of sun to produce a good amount of fruit (at least six hours a day). You can start with Italian peppers, these elongated peppers that are generally harvested green and do not exceed 60 cm in height.
If you plan to grow them in a pot, make sure they are at least 30 to 35 cm deep so that the roots can develop. They are not particularly delicate about watering. If they are thirsty, you will see that their leaves look a little pale. A good tip when in doubt is to water when the top 2 to 3 cm of soil is dry to the touch.
In terms of maintenance, peppers are undemanding plants, but they have one problem: if the soil does not contain calcium, you will see that the tips of the peppers turn blackish. In this case, apply a special fertilizer (normally sprayed) and the problem will disappear.
- Dwarf citrus fruits (lemon or orange trees)
Citrus fruits in a dwarf version, such as lemon trees (Liméquat) or orange trees (Kumquat), They are perfect for pots on balconies or terraces, as they do not exceed 1.5 meters in height. The ideal is to grow them in pots 40 to 50 cm deep and with at least eight hours of sun per day. If you live in an area with cold winters, you should protect your dwarf citrus trees from extreme cold, as frost can damage them.
They prefer slightly acidic, well-drained soil, capable of retaining moisture (without waterlogging) because they are water-loving plants. Citrus trees are heavy consumers of nutrients, so they need regular fertilization.
Use a specific fertilizer for citrus fruits, rich in nitrogen and containing mainly micronutrients such as magnesium, zinc or iron. If the plant does not find this nutrient available in the soil, either due to a lack of it or because the pH is too high, its leaves turn yellow.
- Carrots, beets and radishes
As mini options, these edible root crops can grow in partial shade. Even if they prefer a little sun, they do well with four to five hours of indirect light per day (a north-facing balcony for example).
The ideal way to grow these ingredients is to have planters 25 to 30 cm deep.
On the other hand, the soil must be well drained and not too compact to allow good root growth. Soils that are too compact or clayey can deform them.
They all like soil that is slightly moist, but not waterlogged. It is important to water them regularly, especially when the roots are developing. If they dry out too much, they may become bitter or develop cracks.
As the harvest time varies between these three foods; carrots 60 to 80 days after sowing, beets 50 to 70 days and radishes 20 to 30 days after sowing, observe the part that appears above the ground and test as they grow.
In addition to all these ideas, you can try growing other alternatives that require little sun like lettuce, spinach or arugula. They will give a lot of life to your rooms throughout the different seasons.
