51 Easy Vegetables You Can Grow On A Balcony

I am planning to grow vegetables on my balcony and wanted to know which ones I can grow. I could not find a detailed list so I’ve created one after my research. You can use this list to choose vegetables to grow on your balcony.

Herbs

I plan to grow at least one herb in my balcony garden. That’s because herbs are easy to grow and are hardy plants.

They don’t need a lot of sunlight and can tolerate the wind that may blow on a balcony. You don’t need to have large pots to grow herbs. Most of them will be happy to grow in a 4 to 6 inch deep container.

Once they grow, you can keep harvesting the leaves for the entire growing season. And they will keep growing back. But once the growing season ends and they bolt, you won’t be able to eat them as they lose their taste.

There are a lot of choices you have when you want to grow herbs on your balcony. So pick one that you enjoy in your food.

I’ll be starting with cilantro as that’s a staple ingredient as a garnish in a lot of Indian dishes. I can give them to my family for cooking up some delicious meals.

No	Plant	Container Size	Sunlight	Water
1	Mint	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
2	Rosemary	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
3	Cilantro	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 18 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
4	Lavender	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
5	Parsley	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
6	Basil	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
7	Tarragon	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 6 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
8	Thyme	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
9	Oregano	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
10	Sage	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
11	Dill	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry

Leafy Vegetables

The other set of vegetables I want to grow on my balcony is leafy vegetables. These are also easy to grow in containers.

They don’t have much fuss when it comes to watering and how deep the container is. You can use a medium-sized container that is 8 to 10 inches to grow them.

Some of them don’t need much sunlight. Vegetables like lettuce and spinach prefer the shade and partial sun. If there’s intense sunlight they risk wilting or getting leaf burn.

Like herbs, leafy vegetables will keep on growing as you keep harvesting the leaves. You can get a lot of salad for the entire season just with a few leafy vegetable containers on your balcony.

Spinach is going to be the leafy vegetable of my choice because I enjoy eating the leaves (and I am a big fan of Popeye).

No	Plant	Container Size	Sunlight	Water
12	Celery	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 6 hours	Water every day
13	Lettuce	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	Water every day
14	Kale	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
15	Mustard	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 6 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
16	Spinach	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
17	Bok choy	Depth – 20 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
18	Broccoli	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 8 hours	2 inches soil is dry
19	Brussel sprouts	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
20	Chard	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
21	Cabbage	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
22	Arugula	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 6 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
23	Collard greens	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 24 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
24	Cauliflower	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
25	Asparagus	Depth – 20 inches   Width – 20 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
26	Artichoke	Depth – 16 inches   Width – 16 inches	At least 6 hours	Water every day
27	Lemongrass	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 8 hours	2 inches soil is dry
28	Leeks	Depth – 18 inches   Width – 18 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
29	Kohlrabi	Depth – 16 inches   Width – 16 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry

Fruit Vegetables

These are the vegetables that you will find colorful and full of flavor. Vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

They’re not that hard to grow in containers but do need a good amount of sunlight and watering. You also need to protect them from the wind as it can damage the plants.

My plan is to start growing some tomatoes in my balcony garden. I like the color and flavor of tomatoes. And I want to be growing at least one fruit vegetable as a challenge and learning.

You should pick vegetable varieties that are suitable for growing in a container. Some of these plants can grow quite large and heavy. It’s better to pick a bush or vining variety that your balcony can handle.

You don’t want too much weight on your balcony because of large and heavy containers and plants.

No	Plant	Container Size	Sunlight	Water
30	Cucumbers	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
31	Tomatoes	Depth – 18 inches   Width – 18 inches	At least 8 hours	2 inches soil is dry
32	Peppers	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
33	Zucchini	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
34	Summer squash	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
35	Eggplant	Depth – 14 inches   Width – 14 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
36	Tomatillo	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 8 hours	2 inches soil is dry
37	Okra	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry

Root Vegetables

I used to think that root vegetables will be difficult to grow in a container because of the soil depth required.

But after looking at some of these vegetables, they are quite suitable to grow in a container. I will start with some radishes because they are fast and easy to grow.

They don’t require too deep a container and are happy to grow in soil that is 6 to 8 inches deep.

You are limited in how many root vegetables you can grow in the container as you need to keep some space between them. Otherwise, they will compete with each other for the nutrients and moisture.

Root vegetables don’t look as attractive as the herbs, leafy, or fruit vegetable plants. But they are a tasty and nutritious addition to our organic balcony garden.

No	Plant	Container Size	Sunlight	Water
38	Radishes	Depth – 6 inches   Width – 16 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
39	Spring onions	Depth – 10 inches   Width – 24 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
40	Carrots	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 24 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
41	Beets	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 24 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
42	Potatoes	Depth – 16 inches   Width – 16 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
43	Garlic	Depth – 10 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
44	Onions	Depth – 10 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
45	Ginger	Depth – 16 inches   Width – 16 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
46	Chives	Depth – 8 inches   Width – 8 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
47	Turnips	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry
48	Parsnips	Depth – 24 inches   Width – 24 inches	At least 6 hours	Soil surface is dry

Seed Vegetables

It’s easy to grow seed vegetables like beans and peas in your balcony garden as long as you can support them.

These usually are vining plants that like to stretch out. So growing them vertically in the balcony is the best choice to save space.

They need plenty of sunlight and moisture to grow well so make sure they get a good spot where these are available.

They are also a good choice to fix nitrogen into the soil. So you can grow them in one season and then grow a leafy vegetable in the soil after they’re done.

Growing beans or peas is not the first thing I’ll be doing. I’m spending my time on herbs, leafy vegetables, fruit, and root vegetables first. Once I gain some experience, I’ll add some seed vegetables to my balcony garden.

No	Plant	Container Size	Sunlight	Water
49	Beans	Depth – 10 inches   Width – 10 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry
50	Peas	Depth – 18 inches   Width – 18 inches	At least 6 hours	2 inches soil is dry

Mushrooms

51 Mushrooms

Mushrooms are not technically a vegetable but a fungus. You can grow them in your balcony garden as long as you know the process which is a bit different than growing other vegetables.

I don’t enjoy mushrooms as much so I won’t be growing them in my garden. But maybe when I want to improve my gardening skills I might give them a shot.

No	Plant	Container Size	Sunlight	Water
51	Mushrooms	Depth – 12 inches   Width – 12 inches	No or low sunlight	Several sprinklings to keep soil moist