Can I supplement the sunlight on my balcony?

14 years ago

Hello, I'm a begining gardener who just planted my first garden- a kitchen/container garden full of sun-loving plants (eggplant, cucumber, squash, tomatos, peppers) on my shaded balcony. On one hand, I think that may help since it's 85 degrees here today in Phoenix and it'll be in the hundreds by May so my plants will appreciate the break from the heat. Also, the walls of my balcony are a very light stucco so there is a ton of reflected light so it is actually very bright out there. My question is, is there any way I can supplement the sunlight out there? I was thinking of putting some full spectrum lightbulbs in the fixtures out there during the day. Are there any other lights/other things that I should try?

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Comments (7)

tn_veggie_gardner
14 years ago
Zone 9, I see where you could have a problem. What direction does your balcony face? Have any CFL's with fixtures? =)
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
14 years ago
I do not think the amount of light produced from anything less than HID lights would be of benefit. Try and get a reading of the foot candles your balcony receives, to help make your decision. Al
Jovan Coleman
Original Author
14 years ago
what is a foot candle?
jojosplants
14 years ago
adastra09,
Which way does it face?

JoJo
wordwiz
14 years ago
A foot candle is one lumen of light hitting per square foot or 10.76 lux. I seem to recall that you posted this question in another section and said you were getting four hours of direct light and another 8 hours of ambient light per day. That should be mo-re than enough, unless you get a bunch of cloudy days in a row.

Mike
diamondgirlie
14 years ago
A bunch of cloudy days in a row is highly unlikely in PHX, yes?
jojosplants
14 years ago
Hello diamondgirlie,
Yes, pretty unlikely.... I'm in Tucson, not far from PHX.

This winter we've been unusually wet, and cloudy, but in the summer, no...

We have monsoon storms, blow in, drop rain, blow out. Usually very little rain in spring.

JoJo