Sarah’s Balcony: 47 Tomatoes from 4 Pots
Sarah grew 47 cherry tomatoes on a 3x3 balcony with 4 pots. Here’s her setup and what she learned.
Sarah lives in Chicago. 8th floor. South-facing balcony.
Her Setup
- 1 cherry tomato (5-gallon pot)
- 1 mini pepper (3-gallon pot)
- 1 basil (1-gallon pot)
- 1 lettuce (1-gallon pot)
Her Harvest
- 47 cherry tomatoes
- 3 peppers
- Continuous basil since day 50
- 6 weeks of lettuce
What She Learned
- Hand-pollinate. No bees on the 8th floor.
- 5-gallon pots minimum. Anything smaller dries out.
- Wind is a problem. Stake tall plants.
- Water daily in summer. Sometimes twice.
Her Advice
“Start with cherry tomatoes. They’re forgiving. And don’t skip the hand-pollination — I learned that the hard way.”