High winds, limited sunlight, space and weight restrictions. There are lots of things to keep in mind when planning a balcony garden. Read about what has worked for me here.

Every year I grow tomatoes in containers and every year I try something different. I've learned that the challenge isn't getting them to grow, it's getting them to taste good.

To grow really good tomatoes on the balcony I've resorted to a self-watering container. I've grown some tasty tomatoes this way and don't think I'll ever go back to a traditional container for growing tomatoes.

I was so convinced that this would not work that I just had to try it to prove myself wrong. I barely get a full 8 hours of sunlight on the balcony during the longest days of summer and even so I grew a couple of the sweetest, juiciest watermelons.

My attempt to grow sugar baby watermelons was anything but a success. Poor choice in soil mix, a cool spring and spider mites left me without watermelons that season.

My balcony garden is a semi-enclosed eco system that sees no birds, almost no rain and very few insects. Growing melons without insect pollinators is a fruitless effort and therefore requires the balcony gardener to quite literally take matters into their own hands.

Self watering containers have a water reservoir that is designed to constantly provide a plant with just the right amount of moisture it requires from the bottom up. Here you can find some guidance on how to make one from a pair of 5 gallon buckets.

Herbs are easy to grow in containers. Most are undemanding and many don't mind being grown indoors in a sunny window. Some herbs make great companion plants that help to deter pests. This page contains a description of some herbs I like to grow on the balcony.

My arch-nemesis. Without natural predators to hunt them down, aphids can thrive on the plants growing in the semi-enclosed environment provided by your balcony. When you find them something needs to be done fast or your entire garden will suffer.

Starting vegetables from seed indoors can give you an early jump on the season. It also lets you grow varieties you might not otherwise find at your garden center.

I have areas on my balcony that get lots of shade and listed here are some of my favorite shade loving plants for livening up those gloomy corners.

Peppers are great container plants and will do well on a warm sunny balcony if you treat them properly. Some will even tolerate a bit of mistreatment.

We used to get lots of unwanted pigeon guests hanging out on our balcony. Keeping them away and cleaning up after them was a constant battle until we had the bird netting installed.

A great alternative to composting is vermicomposting. It's clean, effective and it doesn't take up much space. Perfect for the balcony.

Growing potatoes in buckets is nothing new but how about in a self-watering bucket on the balcony. This was really easy to do. I just wish the results had been a little better.

There are lots of options when it comes to choosing containers in which to grow plants on your balcony and for the most part, what you use comes down to personal taste. Here are some comparisons of what's is commonly available and what I like most.

They are one of the easiest garden vegetable to grow. I love eating crispy chilled radishes that have a bit of heat but growing tasty radishes in containers on the balcony has never worked out for me until recently.

My parents maintain a productive vegetable garden on their property in Northern Ontario. It's a place nothing like my balcony but gardening there is still not without its challenges.

Lettuce is suppose to be an easy garden vegetable to grow. It's compact size makes it a great container choice. And yet I have trouble with it. But I've found ways to work around my problems and found other salad greens that are easy to grow on the balcony.