Balcony herbs, one year in
Last summer I put a few pots on the balcony with the vague hope of never buying supermarket basil again. A year later, here is an honest report.
What worked
Rosemary and thyme are almost impossible to kill. They sat through a cold, windy winter with no protection and started growing again in March as if nothing had happened. They like being a bit neglected, which suits me.
Chives came back on their own in spring and are now flowering. The flowers are edible and look nice in a salad, though the bees got to most of them first.
What didn't
Basil was the main reason for the whole project, and it was the biggest disappointment. It needs more sun than a north-east facing balcony gets, and it hates wind. This year it lives on the kitchen windowsill instead, and it is much happier there.
Mint worked too well. I planted it in a shared trough with parsley, and by August the parsley was gone. Mint now has its own pot, and it has already filled it.
Things I'd tell myself a year ago
- Check how many hours of direct sun the spot actually gets before buying plants.
- Bigger pots dry out more slowly. Small terracotta pots need water every day in July.
- Never share a container with mint.
- Cutting regularly keeps plants bushy; waiting for them to "grow bigger first" doesn't.
Next experiment: a small tomato plant, if I can find a variety that copes with half a day of sun.