apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Nice deck! I have outdoor space in Boston (zone 7) which too is windy, but not that sunny. Over the last five years I have tried to base my garden plan on a mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs that will make it through the winter and/or provide winter interest, and be large enough that I am not constantly repotting and watering. I try for good fall foliage plants as well. This way, I can save my windowboxes for the smaller annual and herb plants.

For sun and wind, think shore and mediterranean plants. I recommend rugosa roses, while there are many variateis the whites (alba?) provide fragrance, all summer blooms and foliage/rose hips in the fall. In a big enough container the should thrive in your sun and wind. Other good hardy choices would be sun tolerant hydrangeas (mabye a climber would work) chokeberry shrubs, dogwood, low bush blueberries, most evergreens, most herbs, burning bush. Oriental lily bulbs also do well in wind, but will need staking.

I may be alone on this, but I never had luck with tomatoes in containers, even cherries.

Good luck!

... Also, a final thought. Moon flowers might be just what your trellis needs. The opposite of morning glories, once the vine reaches its height you get huge white fragrent blossoms that open during evening (cocktail time?) and fade by morning. You can by the big seeds on line and get them going now indoors. They are big seeds that need to be filed/nicked to sprout and are pretty easy to get going.

I grew up in Kansas, where a lot of sun and wind are a common problem. I've had a lot of luck with more shrubby plants -- smaller tomato plants, mint, lavender, and sage -- on sunny, windy balconies. I've never tried rosemary, but since it grows in southern Italy it's probably a good bet. Maybe strawberries and blackberries? Also, small scrubby evergreens might work and are easy to care for.
For a trellis I've grown moonflower and honeysuckle both on south/west facing balconies.

Here is a link to some plant info from K State ag research:
http://www.riley.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=199

I'm not sure if there's an ag school anywhere near you, but they are usually excellent resources for what works in your area.
Beautiful area to work with! Have fun!

I don't think it's too late for seeds, but I have similar exposure as you on my deck in brooklyn, and while I tried growing from seeds last summer, I found the primarily-afternoon sun that we get it not enough to grow strong seedlings.

I'm trying to go entirely edible on my deck this year, and am setting up a trellis similar to yours for some climbing beans (which will have to be planted from seeds as they do not like being transplanted).

I'd recommend that book growing food in small spaces (I think it's called) if you think the edible route might be something that interests you.

I will be going into year three of my balcony garden.

I'd love to share my space, however I don't have any pictures ready because it will be completely different than last year. Third times a charm right?

Wind resistance is one of the biggest factors I will taking into consideration this year. That, and soil quality. Last year I had a HUGE problem with mites in the soil. I will be investing a very good mix this year (mostly soiless).

I will definitely be growing some peppers again this year (piquillo and gernika) as they did exceptionally well last year.

I will also recommend dwarf siberian kale. This is an awesome leafy vegetable that grows really fast and can be harvested several times. It's great to be able to walk out to your balcony with a pair of scissors and harvest a nutritional vegetable for dinner.

As far as tomatoes are concerned, do a search on container varieties of tomatoes. There are a few of them out there.

Have fun!

I grow herbs in pots even though I have a large yard (I've got rotten soil and limited time). The best suggestion I can give is to use the largest pots possible. Here in Texas anyway, the plants will die in a day if they're in small pots. Basil especially has a large root system and needs space. I've had good luck growing basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Mint needs full shade here, and cilantro dies on me for some reason. I had cherry tomatoes in containers last year but the fungus got to them before I did. Good luck!

I am growing a selection of vegetables and herbs on my apartment's balcony this year.

South west facing sounds great. Sun is the most important thing when growing anything edible. Even though it might seem windy I'm sure some spots are more shaded than others.

Look up on the internet what depth pots certain vegetables need. Most herbs only need depth of 6 inches.

its definitely not too late to start growing from seed. This year I am trying Harbinger tomatoes and cherry tomatoes on my balcony, although it sounds like your location might be a lot more appropriate given the dull rainy weather here in Dublin, Ireland :)

My friend does this for a living, her personal blog has great tips for urban plantings,

http://www.brooklynplanting.blogspot.com/

i live in seattle (zone 8) and have found that runner beans grow flawlessly on trellises. they don't require perfect soil or light, and they are resilient to wind. my seed source is Territorial Seed Company, as their seeds are cultivated in the PacNW (you may find a better seed source for your region). They also have very pretty flowers-and people love munching on them at parties! http://www.territorialseed.com/product/533/180

herbs would do well in containers, but for the smaller pots make sure to do herbs with "woody" stems (rosemary, sage, lavender) because cilantro, basil, italian parsley will dry out SO quickly in tiny pots-the leafy herbs need deep watering. chives do well in anything and are easy to grow. i am all for buying seedlings vs. seeds for herbs as they can be tricky when growing from seed.

for tomatoes, make sure they are in the sunniest spot on the patio! they hate being cold. again, buy a seedling and make sure it is a "patio" or "container" variety. cherry and grape size tomatos are much easier to grow (less cracking in the skin) than heirloom or beefsteak variety.

if you're handy, build a self-watering container (SWC) for your leafy herbs and tomatoes, or if you have extra money to spend, check out these options. http://www.gardeners.com/Self-Watering-Planters/PotsPlanters_SelfWateringPlanters,default,sc.htmlSWC will water the plants to the perfect moisture and only need to be refilled 1-2x week even in the height of summer.

also, consider planting some privacy bamboo, especially looking dead straight in the first picture. it would cut out some of the harsh wind once it was growing strong. you can find plants at your local nursery (i think? i've never been to boston!) i don't know what your electrical/overhead situation is but a lantern adds a lot of atmosphere, especially over an eating area, or stringing a pretty strand of lights.

all that being said, buy the best soil (potting, organic) possible. if something has failed in a pot before, throw out the soil and scrub the pot before re-using. post pictures when you're done!

You can get some ideas for balcony food growing on my blog
http://eightsquaremetres.blogspot.com I have posted a plan of what food I intend to grow this year in eight square metres.

Re: SpanishOlives
I also live in Seattle (southern exposure over Lake Washington - poor conditions for raising seeds) and I have been going crazy trying to find plants that will survive my windy, exposed balcony. Thank you, thank you for your awesome comment and helpful tips! I'm totally digging the bamboo idea...

I'm planting lots of herbs and veggies this year on my balcony.

My plans are here:
http://eightsquaremetres.blogspot.com/2009/03/balcony-garden-diagram-plan.html