Container gardening-Western Exposure

by Josh
(Asheville,NC,USA)

We live in an apartment that has a balcony that recieves only Western light-Very intense in the afternoon, full shade untill 2-3 pm and then blazing/ scorching sun untill 5-6. We live in Asheville NC. Our one experiment with tomatoes turned to disaster several years ago due to aphids and we have been scared to jump back in. We would like to grow herbs, vegetables, possibly fruit. Something edible as well as some prety flowers, ideally edible as well. Any sugestions?

Doug says - just do it! I rather doubt you have enough sunlight (3 hours of full sun) to really get tomatoes and roses into bloom but you can only try. And get out the insecticidal soap or the water jet for aphids. Insects are a fact of life in gardening - we all deal with them (more or less) every year.

If you think you have the light - then grow what you like to see blooming and what you like to eat. You'll very quickly figure out what works or doesn't work but that's the starting point. Grow what you like the look of - grow what you like to eat.