Many balcony gardeners are plagued by shady balconies, making it hard for them to grow fruits and vegetables, if that’s what they want to grow. Earlier I posted a list that shows which vegetables will flourish in shady container gardens, but I just came across two fruits that need shade or part shade!
The first fruit bush is a Honeyberry, a plant I’ve never heard of before, but supposedly produces berries that taste like blueberries (not surprising since they look like cylindrical blueberries). According to Territorial Seed, they are “cold hardy to -40°F, very easy to grow, and [have] very few pest and disease problems.” Apparently they prefer partial shade. I would plant them in a half-barrel sized pots since the mature bush is between 5-8 feet tall. You need two plants for proper pollination.
Second are Kiwi Vines. Somewhat regularly people email me looking for suggestions of vines that will grow well on their balcony railings. Why not try these and see how they do? The male plant has “vibrant hot pink and cream splash[ed on] the jade, heart-shaped leaves.” The vines produce smooth kiwis in late summer/early fall. They’re hardy to Zone 3 and will tolerate full sun to partial shade. You need a male and female plant, so you could plant one at each end of your balcony.
