A colorful salad on the balcony with urban gardening

In summer, grilling is simply a must! And what goes with grilling like herb butter on a steak? That’s right – a crisp, fresh, and colorful salad. How about not having to go shopping for the salad anymore?

Growing your own vegetables is only possible with a big vegetable garden? Not at all! Vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce can also be grown on a balcony, even in the smallest space – thanks to urban gardening.

Delicious tomatoes belong in every good salad. And aromatic tomatoes taste even better. If you don't have space for a greenhouse and the like, you can turn to urban gardening. Tomatoes also come in balcony-friendly sizes. Bush tomatoes are especially well suited for growing on the balcony. These tomatoes remain compact and bushy, yet produce a high yield. It's also important that the tomatoes on the plant don’t grow too large. On a balcony, it's difficult to support the plants properly if they become too big. Homegrown tomatoes taste like sunshine and bring the feeling of summer into your kitchen.

Anyone who has ever eaten a homegrown cucumber knows that a store-bought cucumber from the supermarket can’t even come close. Homegrown cucumbers have a much more aromatic and intense flavor—perfect for a summer barbecue salad. Cucumbers for the balcony are also available in miniature format. Snack cucumbers stay small and don’t weigh the plant down with large fruits. That way, the little cucumbers can be picked straight from the plant and enjoyed right away. It’s best to start the cucumbers indoors on a windowsill and plant the young seedlings outside starting in May.

Lettuce comes in countless shapes, colors, and flavors. The great thing about most types of lettuce is that they are perfect for urban gardening. Field lettuce and cut lettuce, in particular, make ideal balcony companions. Lettuce can also be started early in the year on a sunny windowsill and, along with other vegetables, moved to its final spot on the balcony starting in March—ideally after the Ice Saints. The advantage of growing your own lettuce? It can be harvested fresh anytime and won’t wilt away in a plastic bag in the fridge. If that’s not a good reason to become an urban gardener, what is?