What to grow by balcony direction
A garden on every balcony.
The single most important factor in balcony growing is not pot size or compost quality, it is which way your balcony faces. Here is what each aspect gives you and which crops to grow in it.
- South-facing: 6 to 8 hours of direct sun in summer. The prime growing aspect. Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, basil, and most fruiting crops thrive here. High heat and strong light mean soil dries fast, so choose larger pots or self-watering containers and water every morning in peak summer.
- West-facing: Strong afternoon sun, typically 4 to 6 hours. Good for tomatoes (choose shorter-season varieties), strawberries, French beans, most herbs, and annual flowers. Afternoon light is intense, and westerly wind can be an issue on higher floors.
- East-facing: Morning sun only, roughly 3 to 5 hours. Ideal for salad crops, spinach, chard, radishes, peas, and mint. Most herbs cope well in cooler morning light. Avoid fruiting crops that need sustained heat to ripen.
- North-facing: Little or no direct sun. Focus on shade-tolerant leafy crops: lettuce, rocket, watercress, kale, and sorrel. Grow lights can extend the season if you want to attempt herbs.
On mixed or partly shaded balconies, place sun-hungry pots at the railing edge and shade-tolerant crops under the overhang where reflected light reaches but direct sun does not.