Picture of My Greenhouse - What Can I Grow?

[Buzzy47]

Here's a picture of my greenhouse that I got last month. As you can see it's on a 9x4 ft balcony, and since I'm a novice gardener I got a few things to start off with. I was suppose to start in March but that never happened for some reason, but I found some Jericho Romaine Lettuce seeds that I had bought a couple weeks ago that can be grown in hot summers, so I think I might grow that in the containers and pots that I have while waiting for fall to grow the rest of my vegetables.

Aaaanyway, there's four containers, and the greenhouse is 5'7 just to give you an idea of its size. Oh, and I can remove any of the shelves if I need more room!

I might grow Aloe Vera in the green pot, but I'm not sure what to grow in the other containers.I know I will need bigger pots and containers in the future, especially for most of the seeds that I got:
-Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach
-Arugula
-Tendergreen Mustard
-Evergreen Bunching Onions
-Lacinato (Dinosaur) Kale
-Sugar Snap Peas
-Honeydew Melon *yes, I will be attempting to grow melons on a balcony*

So what could I grow in these? I would like to grow vegetables, but they can be other plants as well. And could any of you give me pot size suggestions for the larger plants as well? Thanks!

[applestar]

Let's back up a minute -- what kind of sun exposure does your balcony get?

You actually won't be needing the plastic cover on these shelves during the hot months - they will make things too hot for your plants and also block air circulation which would promote fungal disease in humid climate. So plan on putting that away until later when it gets chilly in the fall.

At this point, later is also when you will be growing most of the cool weather crops you mentioned for fall crop. It is definitely too late for peas, arugula, and spinach now (you may be able to grow them in the fall -- you will need to know your first average frost date).

You could try the Lettuce and see how does now, but if the daily temps hit 80's and above, I don't think it will do well. Keeping it in morning sun only and watering may help.

Once we know if your balcony gets enough sun, we could make more recommendations. But this is time to be growing hot weather crops. Melon is iffy due to space constraints and serious sun requirements but maybe cucumbers and beans. Herbs like Basil, for leafy greens -- Swiss chard, etc. ...maybe get some pepper starts while you still can from garden centers -- do you like hot peppers like jalapeño? Sweet banana peppers? They can manage with less sun than even tomatoes. Bell peppers are a bit more fussy.

[Buzzy47]

Sun exposure? I would say full sun for most of the day, but there is a bit of shade because my balcony is built into a tree, so it's sunny but not hot.

The reason I have the cover on is for protection. Like I said, my balcony is built into a tree, so there are squirrels, birds, and bugs around all the time. I can take it off though and just put my plants on the highest shelf.

I know I can't grow much right now, so I am definitely going to wait. Plus that gives me time to get more gardening materials. Thanks for your input! I appreciate it!