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Table of contents

1. Why a balcony is enough
2. Reading your light: sun hours and wind
3. Containers, soil and drainage
4. Twelve crops that earn their space
5. Watering without worry
6. Feeding plants the simple way
7. Pests, problems and quick fixes
8. Your first season, week by week
9. Workbook: plan your own balcony

Chapter 2. Reading your light: sun hours and wind

When I started teaching, the first question everyone asked was "What should I plant?" I always answered with another question: "How much sun do you get?" Nearly every failed balcony garden I have seen failed for the same reason. The plants were fine. The light was wrong.

Count your sun hours

Pick a clear day and check your balcony every hour from morning to evening. Note when direct sunlight touches the spot where your pots will stand, not just the railing. Add the hours up.

One of my students, Martin, was sure his east-facing balcony was "sunny". After a day with a notebook, he counted three and a half hours. He swapped his tomato plans for lettuce and rocket and harvested every week from May to October.

Don't forget the wind

Above the third floor, wind can matter as much as sun. Tall plants snap, soil dries twice as fast and leaves get scorched. Watch for these signs:

• pots drying out by midday even after morning watering;
• leaves with brown, papery edges;
• stems leaning in one direction.

If you notice them, group pots together, put the tallest plants against the wall and add a simple windbreak such as bamboo screening on the railing.

Try it now

Before you read Chapter 3, fill in the sun map on page 41 of the workbook. You will use it to choose your containers.