Did you know that it is actually extremely easy to create the garden of your dreams within city limits? Whether you like to have a little extra parsley or cilantro for your soups, potatoes for your soups and side dishes, or tomatoes and peppers for your seasonings and salads, it is very easy to produce these things for a third of the cost which they are from the grocery store! Although we are all becoming consumed in the fast-paced, get-things-done world which we are living in, it is possible to take only a few seconds every couple of days to make sure your plants are watered, and to check for bugs or growth related issues. Here are a few tips to creating and controlling an absolutely beautiful and healthy garden on your roof-top or balcony.

If you live in an apartment - things you should consider on your balcony:

Tomato Plant

Use a fair sized pot for this plant, as tomato plants will be allowed to able to blossom with the shade and bits of sunlight it will receive. The cage will help to ensure less work and upkeep when the plant begins to yield its tomatoes.

Pepper Plants (Red, Green, Purple, Yellow, Orange)

Although these are typically sun loving plants, the 8-12 hours of direct sunlight usually achievable on an apartment balcony is more than enough to produce fair to large size peppers. You can grow chili peppers, jalapeno, and other varieties as well.

Lettuce or Spinach

You'll find how excessively easy it is to grow lettuce and spinach on your balcony. My recommendation: buy a bag of potting soil from the store, lie it on its side, cut a "pictureframe" hole on the top of it and remove the plastic. Next place your seeds, sit back, water, and wait. It couldn't be any easier, just like Tomatoes.

Peas

You can plant these in a medium sized planter along the base of your hand rails, and throughout the summer the pea vines will grow up the hand rails and you will have little edible treats in the summer and fall. The only work required here is watering and occasionally trimming down the vines when they begin to grow onto the bricks or off of the rail.

Asparagus

I know it seems odd, but really asparagus can be grown by utilizing the same suggested technique for lettuce or spinach, and once again, it is extremely easy to grow. Asparagus does demand a little more attention for its water consumption, however it is an extremely healthy and tasty treat to include in any balcony garden.

Let us know what you grow on your balcony and how you do it!