If you live in an apartment or high rise and you like to garden you might feel like you’re simply out of luck. The apartment person might have little more than a single porch or a balcony to grow things on.

That is quite enough space to have a perfectly reasonable garden if you plan for it and lay it out well. The kind of floral or even vegetable display that you can achieve on a single porch or even in a window box will delight you.

First of all, we’re making that statement based on the idea that your balcony is not old, decrepit, and will hold a reasonable amount of weight. Make sure that is the case prior to adding plants to it. Ask your landlord or building super what level of weight your balcony or porch is able to hold.

Aside from the weight ratings, you will also want to take into account what kind of light your area will receive and adjust the plants that you grow for that also. If you’re interested in planting vegetables, they will grow relatively well in an area that only gets partial sunlight each day, but fruit trees or shrubs in pots will need about 6 or 7 hours of sun each day. You can elect to grow them on your balcony or porch and to supplement their natural light with grow lamps.

Use containers of course to plant on a porch or balcony. You might even elect to use larger containers which have some level of depth to them so that you can grow climbing flowers and plants. Secure the trellis or other climbing plant assist to the wall of your balcony or porch to assure stability.

There are literally no types of plants that you can’t grow in the right container. Situating them in a pleasant arrangement, securing them properly, as well as the right light, is the key to good growth for your balcony garden.

Make sure that you select good strong planters. Using plastic, vinyl or seasoned wood will help to assure that the plant containers that you use don’t rot after a season or two. Drill bottom holes in the containers and use about three inches of gravel in each one to help you in drainage.

Your container garden can survive the winter and be ready to go for next season in most cases.

If you live in a very cold climate you can protect your pots by covering them with plastic bags and raising them on blocks during the winter months to prevent the pot from freezing and cracking as well as to keep your perennials secure and viable for the next season.