Tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn: Things you can grow on your balcony

When it comes to cultivating vegetables, gardens have one advantage over balconies - size. But it’s perfectly possible to grow food on a balcony, and some plants even prefer them. Tomato plants particularly like the sheltered location and often do better on balconies than in gardens, gardeners say. Peppers, chillies and aubergines are also good options because they thrive in warm soil and plant pots heat up much faster than garden flower beds, according to Wolfgang Nixdorf from Germany’s Rhineland-Pfalz Gardening Academy. Nixdorf says runner beans, sweet corn, kohlrabi and salad also grow very well in a confined space. When growing lettuce, however, he advises balcony gardeners to make sure there’s some shade for the plants. Cucumbers are not suitable for balconies because their roots need too much space. It’s important to remember that vegetables need to be watered more often when they are cultivated on balconies, and in sunny, warm weather that means every day. Planters for fruit vegetables should have water drainage holes in the ground and offer enough volume - at least 10 litres. They can be filled with normal potting soil. — dpa