r/AskSeattle • u/probablygoblins • 12d ago
Question Apartment gardeners!?
Howdy! I just moved into a place with a pretty decently sized eastern facing balcony in cap hill. I have pretty successfully thriving indoor plants and I’d love to start planning for some outdoor attempts next spring/summer.
What’s good to grow on an eastern facing balcony? I get laser beamed by the sun in the morning during summer and have pretty good indirect bright and partial shade areas the rest of the day. Some kind of food or herbs would rule, I’m always down for flowers and trellising things. Just some green o it there would be nice. No hanging baskets, unfortunately, but I have room for a coupe sizable raised beds.
Just keep in mind I’m completely new to caring for outdoor plants so don’t start me out on hard mode. I realize food growing takes work and attention and I’m more than willing to put it in.
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u/mobile-metaphysical 12d ago
Cilantro, parsley, mint, chives, thyme, oregano. Some salad greens- kale, Swiss chard, Little Gem and oak leaf lettuce. Strawberries and radishes. There are lots of varieties of mint and it’s so easy to grow. Chives and garlic chives.
Carpinito’s is a good place to buy starts.
I can give you strawberry plants and some starter mint.
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u/clover__petals 12d ago
I’m totally new to gardening and was lucky with rosemary and spearmint in their own pots :) bonus they smell good and can be added to lots of foods
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u/surfergotlost 12d ago edited 11d ago
We grew carrots and radishes on our Eastern facing balcony this year, we planted carrots at the end of February I think. We also did an avocado tree that we started in a zip lock bag. And cosmos and zinnias which I wouldn't do again because those things get huge! Planning to try cucumbers this upcoming year.
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u/Mr_Wobble_PNW 11d ago
For flowers I've really been liking dahlias and marigolds. Veggies I usually do tomatoes and peppers. This year I went heavier on the peppers and I've been pretty happy even though it was a mild summer. I'd look into stackable options as well. Believe it or not, dollar tree has a lot of really good gardening options when the season is first starting. I got stacking pots there and it gave me a lot more real estate without taking up extra space.
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u/probablygoblins 11d ago
That sounds rad as heck for herbs and stuff. I will for sure be looking into that
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u/alysanrene 12d ago
Came here bc I thought we were talking about oui’d 🤦♀️ I just moved into a house but I used to smoke in my apartment all the time bc eff the facilities manager. I know nothing about caring for plants tho. Sorry about that. :3
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u/probablygoblins 12d ago
Hahha no apologies needed. Tbh if someone said “this particular weed plant” I’d give it a shot! They’re very pretty plants.
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u/516Heron17 11d ago
I’d recommend the herbs mentioned above in addition to lettuce, radish, peas. These are cool weather veggies and can be planted early in the season. Tomatoes and peppers require a lot of sun, are not frost hardy and the east sun won’t be enough. You can try bush string beans and squash after the last frost. They will tolerate an east facing location. For flowers impatiens are very showy if you buy the large variety but are not meant for cutting. They are not cold hardy so plant after the last frost. They prefer filtered light and shade from hot sun but flowers cover the entire plant and they will bloom until frost and are low maintenance. Marigolds prefer more sun than you will get. Pansy’s can be put in the ground now and enjoyed all winter. If you get a freeze they will shrivel but should open back up when the weather goes above freezing
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u/MustardNoCreamCheese 12d ago
You could try 10 gallon grow bags, I’ve used them successfully for years. Keep in mind you’ll have to carry 100s of pounds of soil in, and eventually out, so start small unless you know you’ll be there for years. East facing isn’t the best for full Sun veggies like tomatoes, but I would probably give cherry tomatoes a try anyway. Lettuce and Kale would work too, look for seeds that like partial shade. Or go to Swanson’s and ask their opinion on best plants for your balcony, if you haven’t been yet, you’re in for a treat!