Dear Gardeners,
Hi, I’m Eva, and I’ve never done any gardening before, so I hope some of you can help me start out!
I’d like to do some container gardening on my apartment balcony. I’d like to add some greenery and brightly coloured flowers to it, and I’d definitely love to try growing some herbs and vegetables if I can.
The problem is that our summers in Toronto can be extremely hot, and we live on the west side of the building, which means that the afternoon sun is unbearable. Last summer I put a houseplant out on the balcony for a couple of days and the poor leaves got scorched! (I still feel guilty about it.) We’re going to look into putting some kind of shade or curtain on the balcony, but that might be tricky, and I’m not sure how to go about it yet.
So, my question is: what kind of plants – flowers, herbs, or vegatables – do well in direct, hot afternoon sunlight? Am I doomed to grow only cacti? :) Does anyone have any tips on how I can make my scorching balcony a good environment for plants?
Thanks in advance! (If anyone has any links to suggest, I’d appreciate it, because I’m a complete beginner!)
-Eva
