What to grow in sunny but very exposed & windy on the balcony?

[GardenNinja]

I have a spot on top of a shelving unit on my balcony where I haven't had success with anything but rosemary & mint (though I have to move the mint if it's really windy). I would appreciate some suggestions on which veg or herbs to place here. Cheers!

Here's what it looks like as of today

[Bigmallly]

Are you allowed to attach anything to the wall GN?........I was thinking a small tall home made greenhouse out of timber & polycarb maybe. Just a thought.

[GardenNinja]

Yes, we can make attachments to the wall, bigmallly. I was thinking of doing this for the winter, but we aren't too confident about how to do this as we don't know anything about building greenhouses. I saw some polythene sheeting on eBay (2x5 meter for £8). Would bamboo canes be adequate for the structural integrity? Our biggest fear is anything falling off the balcony as we are quite high up.

[Bigmallly]

I was thinking something more substantial maybe out of 2"x1" timber, something like this maybe inspirational .

[GardenNinja]

That does look nice but unfortunately it's not an option as there is a big storage box right across from the shelving unit so I wouldn't be able to open/close the door to the greenhouse. I would need something that wraps around the whole area. Until then, I hope to find something that will grow and thrive here. Trying to fill every available space of my balcony

[Feral007]

Not sure how you would attach it but I have huge winds here summer and winter. We have stapled shade cloth (not sure what you call it there, looks similar to debris netting you talk about, but can't be sure) to the ringlock wire fence around our house yard. I did it mostly to make the yard more private from the paddocks, but the bonus is that the plants especially the ones closest to the fence are loving it. It cuts the wind a bit altho not entirely, and it gives some protection from sun and just a small amount of protection from the cold.
I'm planning to attach some to the decking here, and then over the garden and on to the ground. Thought I could just have the shade cloth in summer for some shade, and in winter maybe add a thin layer of cloth for the frost.
Your problem would be making sure that you could attach it firmly at the top, but also at the bottom on the floor of your balcony, because you wouldn't want it blowing around in the wind.

[veggiechicken]

If your shelving unit is solid you could turn the top shelf into a box by attaching sides, say 12" high all the way around. Then you could put your plants into it without worrying about them blowing away.
Your tomatoes look great!!

[Bigmallly]

That does look nice but unfortunately it's not an option as there is a big storage box right across from the shelving unit so I wouldn't be able to open/close the door to the greenhouse.

Don't put doors on it..............

[tamsin]

How tall are the railings incomparision? I'd be tempted to cover those in clear perspex(would look neatest) or plastic sheeting (get outdoor stuff or it will crumble). That should give the whole area a bit of shelter. You could also try a climber with its roots in the pot but coming down the shelving sides rather than up - nothing good for winter though.

[GardenNinja]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Feral, there's not enough sun in the uk so I'm not sure if shade cloths would be ideal. How much sun does it block out?

Thanks veggiechicken! The toms have been green like that since August but I'm going to wait until a frost comes along before giving up.

Point taken, bigmallly! It'd still be too wide for the space though

Tams in, the railings are a little over a meter and about one foot shorter than the shelving unit. The climber idea is great; I'm going to try this with the mangetout in the springtime.

[Two_Sheds]

The toms have been green like that since August but I'm going to wait until a frost comes along before giving up.

They'll be no use at all if the frost gets them: pick them now and make something useful

[Bigmallly]

Point taken, bigmallly! It'd still be too wide for the space though(

Any chance of knocking something up to fit your space?