Chicago Home and Lifestyles – 6 fruits and vegetables you can grow on your balcony

So, you don’t have garden space. Maybe you’re in a condo and have a balcony or just a really small yard with a deck. I’ve got great news: you can still have fresh fruit and vegetables! Here are some container friendly fruits and vegetables that will thrive in a small space:

Certain red berries. Strawberries will yield fruit for years and reproduce and fill a container. Look for everbearing varieties that will produce all season long. Raspberries can do well too, if they are staked and pruned well. 

Tomatoes. You don’t need a big garden to grow tomatoes. Choose a container specific variety that has a bushier growing habit that’s suited to a container. Prune them judiciously and use stakes to keep them in check. Smaller varieties work well too like cherry or grape tomatoes. 

Peppers. These are an easy to grow container plant that will provide vegetables all season long. Any variety will work from sweet bells to the spiciest chilis. Give them a sunny spot and let them go!

Sugarsnap peas. Purchase a bush variety and keep harvesting to promote more peas. 

Cucumbers. Use a small trellis and look for small, bush-style varieties that are geared towards containers. 

Leafy greens. Veggies like spinach, kale, chard and collard greens are great for container growing. Sow new seeds every few weeks to keep the yield going. More fragile greens like lettuce can be grown the same way. Just be careful to give them some shade in the hotter months. If you need to, use a shade cloth.

Most of these plants are sun loving so pay attention to how the sun moves across your growing area. Place containers accordingly so taller plants don’t overshadow shorter ones. If you can, put your larger containers on caster wheels so you can move them around to get maximum light (or shade) as the sun changes over the season. 

Kathleen Weaver-Zech and Dean’s Team Chicago