April 9, 2026 · by Stachi · 2 min read
Raised bed on the balcony — what actually works
A balcony raised bed isn't a mini-garden, it's its own discipline. Weight, drainage, variety selection — what works and what doesn't.
Balcony raised beds are more popular than ever. But putting a ground bed on the balcony is no small thing: weight, drainage, sun. Here's the honest guide.
Weight — the first showstopper
A filled raised bed is heavy. Rule of thumb: 1 litre of moist soil ≈ 1.5 kg. A 120×60×40 cm balcony bed = 288 L = ~430 kg filled.
Your balcony is usually rated for ~250-400 kg/m². For a 0.7 m² bed, 430 kg = 615 kg/m² — potentially too much.
Workaround: lighter fill — styrofoam or wood-chip layer at the bottom (instead of heavy soil), only 20 cm of planting soil on top. Saves 30-40% weight.
Minimum depth
- 15 cm for lettuce, radish, herbs
- 25 cm for tomatoes, carrots, peppers
- 40 cm for parsnips, deep-root crops
Most off-the-shelf balcony beds are 30-35 cm — enough for nearly anything except parsnips.
Drainage
Balcony beds need water outlets. Most kits have drilled holes underneath, but soil settles and clogs them. Lay a geotextile fabric, then 3-5 cm of gravel, then the soil. Water drains, soil stays.
Variety selection — compact + productive
Top picks for balcony:
- Cherry tomatoes (bush varieties)
- Strawberries (hanging types are extra pretty)
- Radishes (fast turnaround)
- Cut-and-come-again lettuce
- Chives, parsley
- Cocktail peppers in full south
Not for balconies:
- Zucchini (too much space, too many leaves, shades everything)
- Pumpkin (overruns any balcony)
- Pole beans (unless purely as a privacy screen)
Sun and wind
Balconies are often windy (especially upper floors). Tall plants need supports or wind-break walls.
South balcony with midday heat: great for tomatoes, strawberries, peppers. BUT pot/bed soil heats up massively — daily watering mandatory.
North balcony: only shade plants (spinach, lamb's lettuce, chives). No tomato.
My mini-plan: 120×60 cm balcony bed (south)
- 1 bush tomato in one corner (~40 cm tall)
- 1 row cut-and-come-again lettuce in front of the tomato (tomato shade helps in high summer)
- 1 row cherry tomatoes on the other side
- 1 chives + parsley as the herb corner
- 3-5 strawberry plants in the third corner
Harvest profile: lettuce from May, strawberries in June, tomatoes July-October.
In our plant library you'll find each variety with a "balcony-suitable" tag or not. Stachi automatically picks only fitting varieties in the planner when you declare a balcony bed.
Balcony beds differ from garden beds. Smaller, hotter, needs more summer care. But: one home-grown cherry tomato from your balcony beats five from the supermarket.
🦔 Stachi
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