General Gardening
How and When to Harvest Bell Peppers
The bell pepper, also known as the sweet pepper, is a cultivar of the pepper (Capsicum annum). They are attractive plants that eventually ripen to display beautifully colored fruit in green, red, orange and sometimes yellow. It can be grown in small plant containers in a sunny spot in the balcony garden. One plant per gallon container will yield five to 10 bell peppers.
Solutions for a Windy Balcony Garden
A breezy garden can be healthy, as air circulation helps prevent diseases associated with fungus, and it also aids in plant pollination. But when the breeze becomes wind, problems arise. Harsh winds in gardens can damage and dehydrate plants (prevent dehydration by properly watering your container plants).
Tips for Watering Container Plants
Plants get their water from the soil via their roots, and a small proportion is taken through their leaves (but remember that some plants cannot tolerate water touching their leaves). Because plant containers are small, their roots only have a small amount of potting soil to draw water from. This is why the container gardener has to carefully watch plants for signs of underwatering (and overwatering) and water often, especially on hot, sunny and windy days, when plants and their potting soil can lose dangerous amounts of water.
The Top 3 Balcony Composting Methods
By Tyler Weaver
For balcony container gardeners who live in a city or have limited space, look no further than the balcony to begin processing food scraps into compost for the container plants in the garden. While a balcony is usually reserved as a comfortable, relaxing area for enjoying a drink or reading a book, just a small portion of it can be used to process your waste.
Tips for 4 Types of Shady Balcony Sites
Balcony container gardeners often have shady garden conditions, which limit the types of plants they can grow. If you have shade, there may be ways to work with the shade instead of against it. Here are some suggestions for four common types of shady balconies.
