How to Grow Herbs on an Apartment Balcony

Select the right container for your herb garden. Pick glazed ceramic rather than unglazed terra-cotta, so that the soil won’t dry out so quickly. Know the root spread and depths of the herbs you choose. Get big enough pots to accommodate them. Repurpose a wood wine crate, a galvanized tub, a half barrel, even an old cradle or baby carriage for holding soil and plants. Ensure the container has drainage holes.

Observe the sun throughout the day. Note how much sun and how many hours of sun the balcony gets. Select your herbs based on their sun requirements and what your balcony supplies. Position the containers in the best available sun to see how they fit. Set up a patio umbrella for shade if your balcony gets too much sun.

Fill the containers with potting medium that contains peat moss and perlite, so that the soil does not compact too much with repeat watering. Mix in a starter fertilizer before planting seeds or seedlings. Use organic fertilizer from a bag or a time-release fertilizer stick that controls a slow feed of fertilizer for weeks.

Start seeds indoors and transplant seedling when the weather warms up and the danger of frost is past, or buy plug plants and set them in containers as soon as it is safe. Choose parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, chives, basil and mint for sauces, salads and flavoring summer iced teas.

Water regularly but not too much. Don’t drown your delicate seedlings. Don’t let them dry out. Poke a finger into the soil up to the second knuckle to see if it feels dry. If so, water the herbs.

Double up the plants in large pots. Plant several types of basil together, placing the tallest variety in the pot’s center the back where it does not throw shade on the shorter plants. Plant cilantro in a pot with chives. Pinching herbs back keeps them lush and trim.

Tie a trellis to the railing or a hook or ring in the wall and add a small tomato plant to your herb garden. Tomatoes go well with most herbs expanding your culinary possibilities without much space.