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fauxlivia

Balcony garden in MA

13 years ago

Hi everyone!

I have never gardened before but I'm very excited to get started.

I want to start a balcony garden on my second-floor apartment in MA (zone 6). My balcony faces South but has windows on the East and West. As I am a complete beginner, I thought I'd ask for advice on how to get started, good resources to help me in the process, and for input on my plant choices. Oh, and I have a cat who loves eating plants (or at least flowers) so anything that would be poisonous to her is out.

I've been looking around and have identified these as some promising plants to potentially start with:

Impatiens
Lavender
Basil
Hyssop
Zucchini
Mint
Chervil
Coriander
Dill
Oregano
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Sage

Let me know what you think! Any and all advice is appreciated.

Comments (2)

  • 13 years ago

    Those sound like good choices. As to advice, take a look around at the other posts here. See what others have done on their balconies. We have some really talented gardeners. And may I congratulate you on your southern exposure. Sun-loving plants should grow well for you.

  • 13 years ago

    Sounds like great (and very yummy) choices!
    It might be an idea to grow catnip (Nepeta cataria, or alternatively: Nepeta cataria subsp. citriodora or Nepeta faassenii) in order to lure the cats away from the stuff that YOU want to eat. About 70-80 percent of cats love these, but especially tomcats seems to like them, and can go nuts over them in spring (apparently it's a gene that determines if they like catnip or not).
    Honeysuckle is also a cat favourite (especially when it is wet), of which they don't loose interest over the summer. However, it should be dead-headed before setting fruit, as some honeysuckle-berries can be poisonous (a lot of "catnip-toys" are actually made with honeysuckle and not cat-nip).
    Valeria is often mentioned as a catnip alternative, but I would stay clear of that, as it's the roots they like, and they might dig into the pots to get to them.
    And of course a small cat grass "lawn" (barley-sprouts) to munch on.
    Some cats, find their own preferences... One of my friends has seven cats, and one of them prefers parsley and carrot tops, which the other cats seems to dislike.
    Another tip for container-gardening with cats, is using pots, that are wider, than they are high, so the cats don't knock them over (especially for the plants they love).

    NB! -I would suggest putting up some sort of net, so they can't jump out (and to give that honeysuckle something to climb on). Sometimes cat's see a bird or a butterfly, and forget that it's a long fall, and jump while attempting to catch them. Even the "smartest" cats, that are used to being on a balcony can do this... many cat's are injured/ killed this way. -I have seen it once myself, while on vacation, and it was just heartbreaking!
    -Please be careful!
    VG

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