lisar14•5d agoMost Upvoted

Just hit 50 pounds of tomatoes from my 4x6 balcony

I've been tracking my harvest this summer for the first time... and I finally hit 50 pounds of cherry tomatoes off just three plants on my little balcony in Denver. That number surprised me because I started with these scrappy little seedlings from Home Depot back in May. I honestly thought the pots would be too small or the sunlight wouldn't be enough facing east. But I've been watering twice a day during heat waves and using a cheap liquid fertilizer every two weeks. Now I'm giving bags to neighbors and still have more ripening on the vine. Has anyone else hit a surprising harvest number from a tiny space?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylerc865d agoTop Commenter

You know, I have to admit I used to roll my eyes at people bragging about balcony gardens. I figured you need real ground space to grow anything worthwhile. But last year my daughter talked me into trying a few pots of tomatoes on my back deck, which barely gets six hours of sun a day. I did exactly what you did, cheap fertilizer and all, and wound up with over 40 pounds off four plants. It honestly surprised me how much those plants can produce when you stay on top of watering and give them a little food. It changed my whole view of what's possible in a small space. Now I'm the one telling neighbors to stop underestimating their balconies.

karent755d ago

That's a really interesting point about the daughter getting you started... sometimes it takes someone else to push us into trying something new. @skylerc86 I actually wonder if the limited sun light somehow makes the plants work harder to produce fruit, kind of like a survival instinct. It just goes to show that even half-baked conditions can yield way more than we expect if we just pay attention.