One of the most attractive and useful backyard enhancements is a balcony trough. If you haven’t considered putting one up yet, you should really do so because it’s so versatile. It can also be an efficient way to grow many types of plants, including flowers.
The most common balcony troughs are the plastic varieties as they’re quite light. Many companies sell high-quality polyethylene plastic products with various shiny, natural and matte finishes. They look classy and stylish too. To create a unique balcony container garden, you can use a clear or frosted acrylic material for the walls. You can even use the transparent plastic to keep out the sunshine if you’re in the shade.
In case you want to use your balcony trough as a container for a vegetable garden, you can create a 3-way Beneficial Container Gardening System. It consists of a square or rectangular box (with three windows), a drainage hole at the bottom, and an air pump installed at the top. The pump will circulate the air in the box preventing any stagnant water from collecting. Once the water starts to evaporate, you’ll know that there’s enough moisture in the soil for your plants to thrive.
On a more practical level, you can use your balcony trough as a potting bench for your tomatoes, peppers or herbs. A warrant mould is the ideal material because it’s very durable and attractive. You can use aluminium or stainless steel moulds because they’re so affordable. The best carrano moulds are those that have a metal framework, as this makes them highly resistant to extreme temperatures – ideal for climates like New York or Chicago, which experience below zero temperatures from April to October.
Another practical application of your balcony troughs would be a raised gardening bench. These can also be used as potting benches for your tomatoes, peppers or herbs. You can either use high-quality plastic or aluminium ones if you want to save money. However, if you want to be environmentally friendly, you should choose the aluminum one. This is because aluminium is a much more recyclable material than plastic, and it doesn’t break down as easily.
Using container gardening techniques with your balcony troughs can also help you save money. There’s no need to buy expensive pots since you can always recycle high-quality plastic ones. You can also recycle a water jar, but make sure you put the raspberries inside the jar before putting it in the balcony trough. Carrots, strawberries and cauliflowers will all grow quite well in high-quality plastic containers. You won’t have to worry about the pests and diseases that usually come with wet or damp soil.
Of course, using high-quality plastic to build a balcony trough does come with its own set of problems. Plastic tends to be more costly than other materials, especially when you buy high-density ones. Also, you have to take extra precaution to keep your plastic trough from getting stained by rain water. If you want a more rustic look, go for high-density hardwoods like teak or cedar.
So far, we’ve discussed only uses for balcony troughs in container gardening. You can use them to plant flowers in your garden. Just like planting any other type of vegetables, you’ll need to make sure that the soil is right for your plants before you fill it up. Make sure to put a water level indicator next to the plants so that you know how much water they need. In this guide, we’ve focused on how to improve the appearance of your balcony. To make it easier for you, we suggest that you read up on other useful balcony gardening tips like how to plant and maintain your vegetables in your balcony.