The days are getting longer and you slowly but surely peel out of the winter clothes. Spring is in full swing and if you’re a little interested in plants, you might want to try your hand at a small balcony garden.

There now is plenty of literature, which provides beginners with detailed knowledge that ranges from sowing seeds to detailed guides on how to prune fruit trees. But my intention is not to give you a long list of literature here. I want to show you my first steps to a small garden and how you can easily grow your first plants on your own.

Starting your personal little garden

So when you are ready to start your own small garden, the first thing you should think about is the location. If you have a lot of space around your home, then you can create your first garden beds outside. But even with little space you always can make your garden somewhere. The important thing is how much light is available in this particular place. Because depending on how your chosen spot is located, you can grow a variety of vegetables and herbs there. Tomatoes for example require lots of sun light and if your garden is rather shady, it is hard to grow them perfectly. Some plants can endure certain conditions better than others.

Some of the seeds may also need to be sprouted outside their final container and later be brought to their destination, so think about how many seeds you sow and whether you also have enough space for all the plantlings later.

Seeds vs. seedlings

If you wanna start with seeds for your garden, then it may take a while longer than to use seedlings. You can also use for example cropped end of spring onions or celery to grow back. Just put them in soil and care for their needs and in a few weeks you have full grown vegetables.

Starting with seeds needs a little more preperation. At first you have to sprout the seeds in small little pots with soil, that has no fertilizer in it. You can also use coconut fibre pills to have a medium for the sprouting. Usually if the seeds, you are using, germinable, you should see in a few days first new little plants with tiny leaves. After a certain growth period you put them in new soil and with more space in a pot at their new destination.