Southern exposure - grow just about whatever you want!

Tomatoes in a container are completely do-able.

People on GW have the most intricate tomatoe containers you have ever seen. But a big (big) rubbermaid will let your grow any kind of tomato (determinate or indeterminate) you want.

On my wish list of plants right now is sweet potatoe vine. It's a lovely plant and you get the added benefit of it being food producing as well. Works great in containers!

Welcome to GW and happy gardening! By the way, if you are looking for specific advice you can always search GW for the answers. A lot of folks have similar questions and the search function will bring up great info.

~becca

Welcome! Always good to see a new poster! :-D

As a warning, if you hang around here long enough, you won't have any room for any "romantic lunches", let alone tables or chairs. LOL Those will become "space" to put more plants (trust me - been there done that... hee hee).

Actually - how big is the balcony? (length and width) I mean, you asked a "loaded" question and some of us can go on about shrubs and trees and all sorts of perennials, so that information is helpful.

Again welcome and hope to hear from you soon!

I finally moved into an apartment with a balcony this year, as well. I've found that growing any kind of vine can really soften up the look of concrete walls and provide some privacy. Scarlet Runner Beans and Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia?) grew quite quickly for me. Check out the "cheap trellis" discussion for information on how to rig up a fishing line trellis.
Suggestions for planting tomatoes - plant some of your herbs around the base of the tomatoes as mulch - I find the soil doesn't dry out as quickly. And be prepared to water! I followed suggestions found on this forum and created water reservoirs using upside down plastic pop bottles half-buried in each pot.
Good luck - if you're like me, you'll end up enjoying a lot more time than planned out on the balcony with your plants.

I skipped the pop bottles but went heavy on the mulch. The combination of mulch, a cool/wet summer and a big enough container has made watering so easy this time around*.

*Last year (uneducated but enthusiastic) I planted my totatoes in a pot meant for cooking spaghetti for two people that rusted out. I had to water 3 times a day to keep my plant alive in 100º+ temps.

Live, learn and then repeat

I also live in Manhattan and garden on a patio ... but that's on the second floor and the conditions will probably be quite different from yours. For example, one side of my patio gets incredibly hot, scorching sun (I already had to replace everything in my window boxes this year due to sunburn), and on the other shady side, I can't keep the boxes dry. A certain amount of experimentation will be necessary.

But the one thing I wanted to tell you, is that going to the flower district is pretty much a waste of time, unless all you want is impatiens and begonia. I went there last week and that's all they had in flats. The 'flower distrct' has really moved up to the Bronx and there's nowhere near the stuff available that there used to be.

My suggestion would be to go to the Green Market at Union Square on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday. There are already many fewer vendors than there were in late May or early June, but there are still a couple of good ones, especially on Wednesday and Saturday.

Here is a link that might be useful: My patio

Thank you all for your kind notes and advice. Looking at all your pictures, Jenny's and Meg's in particular, is very inspiring and I wish I had that much space! My balcony is fairly small, (10 ft X 6ft)so I will have to make choices.

We have not moved into the new apartment yet, so we are still at the planning stage.

We went to check out the plant sellers today and looked at oleanders, jasmines, and hibiscus... we just need to decide what to get and what size. We saw pink mandevillas in several shops and I really loved the delicate shape of the flower... choices, choices... Next weekend the real fun starts when we get the keys to the new place!

I will keep you posted.

Thanks again for your advice.

Catherine - What is scary is that I have ALL of the plants you just listed (that's a shame). LOL

And planning is always a good thing. However many of here have found that our best intentions... ummmm... inevitably fall by the wayside. Especially if we happen to be going to say, Home Depot to get some light bulbs and *happen to see* some plant that we MUST "have"... And that's how the addiction begins. LOL Next thing you know, you'll be winter sowing like a regular here - PV.

Then in a couple years, you'll only be able to set one foot outside because of the exploding jungle (this is where a hose helps) to spray everything in one fell swoop... and then you step back in and enjoy the "view" from the window. LOL

Again welcome and hope to hear from you "on the other side" (after you move in and get situated - because I know how that goes... lol).

lol...

Went to get a lawn chair...

Came back with $30 worth of plants (and seeds). Oh well, everything was on clearance.

I wouldn't even spend that much for a pair of jeans, but I'll easily drop it down for plants.

= )

LOL

Now THAT is the spirit. hee hee

(off to water the balcony... errr... the plants)

Hey, I'm a newbie to GW and I'm still in our house but we are thinking of making a move to a condo in the future and since I love gardening, I decided to check in this forum to see if balcony gardening is a possibility. I definitely get the idea, it is! Looking forward to lots of ideas!

MegNYC (or anyone else who knows)could you please specify where in the Bronx the flower district has moved? I'd love to check it out. Apologies if this is off topic, thanks so much.

Eileen - there are a bunch of NYCers who post here but if they don't see your request, check out the NY Metro Gardening Forum and there may be a mention there.

Eileen,

I'm not sure if the move went through as planned; I recall some vendors didn't like the distance from Manhattan at the new site, and the market is now fragmented.

CatherineK,

Welcome and get ready to party with the plants! We got a 7x14 balcony 4 years ago, and it's been a constant struggle between my DW and the plants ever since (actually, you CAN walk around out there this year)!

I second the vote on the farmer's markets -- Union Square is the largest, but other locations have different vendors and different selections. Other good nurseries in Manhattan are on 96th off Broadway, with lots of cheap containers, and 103-4 and Lexington. Chinatown seems to be losing its plant stores as well, but you can still find some really nice flowering plants that you can't easily find elsewhere, and great, inexpensive bonsai pots in some of the stores!

Box stores like Home Depression will get you, for the most part, lots of cheap plants that have been abused and neglected, and may or may not make it. That doesn't stop me from looking anyway, but they're not my first choice.

I also vote to get the mandevilla -- one pretty bloomer that you really like can make the whole balcony more welcome, and there's always next spring to plan for more permanent installations, if that's your style.

Also, don't forget NY's botanical gardens (one in every borough, except yours, although the conservatory gardens at 106th and 5th come close!) for ideas and for plant selections.

Finally,

Jennie is the balcony deity, so tune in and get schooled on all the cool things you can grow!

Jim

congrats on your balcony! for us new yorkers this is a cherished experience.

i know they seem tacky, but if you are interested in tomatoes, try the topsy-turvy tomatoe planter. they work suprising well! i have two that i will be planting this season. i also have a small balcony and this help to use less space and makes wind irrelevant!

http://www.windowbox.com/store/product/Heirloom+Tomatoes/Tomato+Growing+Gear/W0166.html

Best of luck, cath! Give strawberries a go. I've fallen in love with my apartment and balcony gardening cath! I absolutely love having my own little green refuge amongst the bustle of the city below. It's great being able to hang out on the balcony with friends and munch on a few of whatever's fresh - lettuce, wild strawberries... I LOVE IT!

Don't forget to plant your bulbs this fall! You can grow tulips and daffodils on the balcony as well. :D

Congratulations! Tomatoes work well in containers, (e.g., 20-inch diameter); sweet baby girl cherry tomatoes are delightful. In the same size container, you can grow blueberries, one plant per container, and you need to have two plants. You can order this online from Park Seed or Pinetree Garden. Lots of other fruits & vegetables & herbs work in containers, (14-inch diameter), chard, kale, cukes, eggplant, zucchini, strawberries, black currants, basil, thyme, oregano, etc. Enjoy. One very long blooming perennial that works in a 12-inch diameter container is coreopsis Moonbeam. Good luck.