• Gardening Tips

  1. Small changes can make a big difference. Adding a window box, or even one plant to your balcony could be the beginning of a beautiful connection to nature at home. Check out our One Pot Power competition category to share your story.
  2. Some flowers are brilliant for balconies and might help provide food for pollinators – check out cosmos, sunflower, calendula, and nasturtium.
  3. Is your balcony in full sun, or cool shade? Plant for your light levels. North facing cooler balconies love parsley, sorrel, chives, and coriander.
  4. If you’re new to gardening, look for seeds that are easy to grow and sow. Plant sweet pea, calendula, and sunflowers not too deep in the compost and wait for the big, bright blooms!
  5. Why not try edible growing? Lettuce, chives, sage, coriander, broad bean, and parsley are all ideal for balconies as they grow well in small pots and containers.
  6. Some seeds need a little more love and care than others. Check your seed type to see if your budding plants need a little time indoors (on a windowsill or smaller indoor pot) before venturing out to balcony life.

• Reduce & Reuse

  Make sure to use peat free compost. Peat is a vital natural resource and harvesting it for use in gardening is harmful for the environment.

  Minimise cost and practice climate-friendly gardening.

  • Use food safe containers like milk and veg oil bottles as planting containers. Wash your container, make some drainage holes, and then your container is ready.
  • Stretch your compost for two years – just remove the top 5-10cm of old compost and replace it with new.
  • Or, add a small amount of garden soil to your compost mix in the first year to help the same batch add a few more seasons.

• Water Saving Tips

  We asked United Utilities for their best water saving hacks for balcony gardeners. They suggested:

  • Keeping water in a bowl or jug when rinsing fruit and veg.
  • Using cooled cooking water from veg or pasta.
  • Using unused drinking water from glasses and water bottles.

  Keep an eye out on our Instagram & Facebook @NTSkyGardeningChallenge for more tips and advice.

• Wild about Wildlife

  Some pollinators may enjoy visiting your balcony – the more balconies that grow their own flowers, the more likely it is that wildlife will find and use them for food.

  In 2024, 152 types of garden plant were found on 60 balconies around Manchester.

  Keep wildlife in mind when choosing which plants to grow. From creating wildlife habitats and shelter to selecting a range of plants to attract a variety of wildlife, you can find guidance and inspiration on the RHS website (rhs.org.uk/wildlife).

  Birdwatching helps connect us with nature. You can encourage birds to your balcony by providing food all year round, and a small amount of water for drinking and bathing. RSPB have great guidance on how and when to feed birds in your garden (rspb.org.uk).

  Watch and count wildlife from the comfort of your own home. Big Butterfly Count runs all throughout July and is a great opportunity to get busy pollinator counting (butterfly-conservation.org).

Essential Information

• Essential Information

  If you live in a flat and want to garden your balcony, window box or ground-floor space, it is important that you:

  • Get permission from your housing provider. Many housing providers allow ‘managed use’, which means you may be able to use the space for gardening; there may be certain rules you need to follow, which could differ from housing provider to housing provider. Some housing providers may have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to balcony usage or ‘sterile balcony’ policy, which would prevent you from using it for gardening. In this case, focus on houseplants you can grow in your flat!

  • Check your Buildings and Contents Insurance policies to check if there are any restrictions.

  If you get permission to garden your flat’s balcony, window box or ground-floor space, it is essential that you:

  • Do not use fire under any circumstance.

  • Keep all fire escape routes free of obstructions, such as plant pots. This could include common areas such as stairways, deck walkways/linking balconies, or roofs which form part of a fire escape route for yourself and/or others.

  • Don’t make material alterations (e.g. structural alterations) to your flat or balcony when gardening, without first getting consent from your housing provider and approval from building control.

  • Don’t do anything through gardening that would interfere with the fire protection measures for your flat or building (e.g. fire doors, signage), or impact on the compartmentation of your flat, i.e. cause fire to spread more easily from one flat to another or into an escape route.

  • Don’t use, or store, combustible materials for gardening on a balcony (e.g. wooden trellises, petrol gardening equipment, hazardous chemicals, gardening waste etc). Dry compost and dry plant material (e.g. dead plants) can be flammable, so it’s important to keep your plants healthy and well-watered; in the event of a fire, they could encourage fire to spread to a neighbour’s flat. Do not attempt to extinguish any flame or cigarette in plant pots as it will be at risk of igniting.

  • Check the weight restrictions for your balcony with your housing provider, and make sure you don’t exceed them. Lightweight containers and lightweight roof garden soil can help keep weight down.

  • Ensure plant pots and heavy items are kept away from the edge of the balcony and do not hang over the external side of the balcony due to risk of falling and causing injury to anyone below.

  • Avoid positioning pots, planters, or trellises in such a way that they form steps up the balcony rail/parapet, or create trip hazards

  • Ensure that any free-standing structures such as plant pots, stack planters and free-standing arches are robust and weighted down to avoid them becoming damaged or hazardous in high winds. Avoid placing planters or other items on the balcony parapets/rails. If railing planters/hanging baskets are permitted by your management company, keep them on the inside of your balcony.

  • Do not lean over or sit on balcony walls or railings in order to garden, or stand on balcony furniture, ladders or stepladders due to risk of falling over the balustrade.

  • Ensure any electrical equipment used for gardening (including fairy lights) is in good working order, suitable for outdoor use and not left unattended when switched on. Avoid wiring it directly into your flat or using extension leads.

  • Use drip trays, saucers or trays underneath plant pots to prevent water overflowing from plant pots and dropping onto balconies below or damaging the structure of your balcony. Make sure that drain outlets are not covered and water flow into them isn’t restricted.

  • Use only peat-free compost.

  • Follow instructions and warnings on gardening products and tools.

  • Be aware that some plants can be hazardous to people or pets if touched or consumed. Check plant labels for toxicity warnings (sometimes stated on label) and take necessary precautions.