Plant Friends & Enemies

Certain vegetables should not be planted together (like beans & onions), while other ones should (like basil & tomatoes). There's a number of factors that can make plants bad neighbors for each other, such as conflicting light requirements, soil pH preferences, or aggressive growing habits. It's super disheartening when your plants underperform because they're fighting with each other the entire season. Plan just enough so that you’re not kicking yourself for lack of yields later on.

• • • Spinach gets along with everyone, but other healthy greens like kale, asparagus, lettuce, and cabbage do not.
    • Plants like garlic and onion should steer clear of beans and peas.
    • Many herbs will either really help or really hurt certain plants, so if you're intermixing herbs, make sure to check.
    • Marigolds are gardening gold to plant with almost everything. They have a faint scent that repels bad bugs above the soil, and their roots repel bad microbes beneath the soil. Other flowering plants that gardeners swear by are borage, cosmos, and nasturtiums.

Utility

It’s also useful to keep how you want to use the space in the forefront of your mind. For me, it’s important to be able to sit and work on my laptop outside, or drink cups of coffee and glasses of wine with my boyfriend on calm days. Because of this, the need for a café table and two chairs were non-negotiable parts of planning my space. I also knew I’d benefit from a small storage bench to hide necessary clutter, like a watering can and an extra box of soil. Maybe you don’t need storage because you can keep your things inside, or maybe you’d prefer a more comfy space with a loveseat and coffee table. Perhaps you have other considerations to account for, like the needs of your pet or a desire for more privacy. Think about how you want to use your balcony and plan your garden around that. There are tons of creative & space-saving ways to arrange your plants, but your must-have lounge chair might only fit in a single spot. If you don’t enjoy being out there or you aren't getting the utility you expected from your balcony, it won’t be worth it.

Budget

You can save yourself some serious money by planning ahead. You can also quickly overdo it if you don't. You don't need to budget for every dollar, but have an idea of how much you want to spend before you start. If you make a money plan and stick to it, it'll cost you less in the long run, and hopefully you'll have the willpower to prevent spontaneous shopping sprees in Home Depot's garden center when you and your boyfriend were supposed to be grabbing another can of sealant.

But I get it, where's the fun in that?

Varieties of Plants

Once you have a general idea, feel free to "wing it" a bit. It's hard to know what plants you really connect with until you get a chance to see them in real life. The varieties you had in mind may not be available in your area, but better-suited ones will be, so be open to them. Embrace a little spontaneity – it's part of the fun! Pick flowers that make you genuinely smile when you look at them. Pick food that you absolutely love to eat, or food that you want to try more of. Pick grasses & leafy plants that make you feel like you’re in a tropical jungle. Don't pass over a plant you love just because it's not on your list.

Location & Arrangement

Let's be honest – you'll change your mind about how to arrange your plants in their pots or garden box. You always will. It might as well be a golden rule. Something about holding the plantling in your hands, hovering above the pot, will inspire you to reconsider everything. You need to be flexible about what you wanted to plant together and where you wanted to put it. You planned enough to know what gets along and what doesn't, so feel confident in using that knowledge right up until you plant them in the dirt.

Personality & Decor

Have fun with the decorations & lighting. String lights and lanterns do wonders for transforming the vibe of your balcony. The pots or boxes you plant in can be decorations of their own. Get creative with textiles such as bright rugs or sheer curtains. Decorating is enjoyable; improvise & experiment to your heart's content.