Italiano
How wonderful aromatic plants are! A few leaves are enough to turn each recipe into a real treat for the palate, and the best thing is that they are simple to grow and do not take up much space: everyone should have them on their balcony!
Once you have purchased your favourite aromatic plants, you will just need to put them in a Kalapanta multicoloured pot!
Plants under the sun
So let’s start with plants that prefer a balcony that is sunny for at least a few hours a day.
Basil
At the top of the list for its importance in our kitchen, we certainly find Basil: a perfect plant for the balcony due to its small size and the convenience of always having it within reach. Two or three basil leaves in sauce or on top o a pizza can give off a fantastic aroma.
Rosemary
An unmissable ally in the preparation of the most varied recipes of meat, fish and vegetables, Rosemary is a must on the balcony of your kitchen. This bush is incredibly hardy and doesn’t need a lot of care to thrive. By pruning a few twigs when needed, you can easily control its growth.
Thyme
Like rosemary, also Thyme is an extremely resistant plant and adaptable to the most varied conditions. Thanks to its small size, any pot that provides good water drainage will be suitable for hosting it.
Marjoram
We cannot forget the Marjoram among resistant plants, easy to grow and suitable for the preparation of all kinds of dishes. Just a few leaves are enough to enrich the flavour of many special recipes.
Oregano
Is there a kitchen without a jar of Oregano? We could write a whole book dedicated to the uses of this aromatic, not to mention its countless beneficial properties. You can cut its twigs with all the bloom and hang them upside down to dry them, then store them in simple glass jars in the pantry, and use it all year round.
Sage
You can also easily grow Sage, useful in preparations ranging from infusion to meat, from fish to marinades: just be careful to maintain a good level of humidity in the soil and prune regularly to control growth, for the rest it is of a plant that does not require special care or attention.
Plants in the shadows
So far we have indulged ourselves with aromatic plants that appreciate a few hours of direct sun a day, but there are others that grow best in partial-shade and shady areas.
Parsley
How many wonderful fish dishes can be prepared with Parsley? Easy to grow, this vitamin-rich plant is mostly used fresh and raw, preferably freshly picked and is therefore a perfect choice for a balcony aromatic plant.
Chives
Another plant that is excellent especially if eaten as soon as it is picked is Chives: this plant is very resistant and lends itself to flavour all kinds of dishes, from omelettes to cheeses, from sauces to savoury pies. The most creative can also use it as a decoration, so we can really say that the only limit here is imagination!
Mint
Last, but not least: Mint is really easy to grow in all conditions, so even on the balcony of the house. Equipped with countless beneficial properties, it can bring a breath of freshness to every preparation to make it immediately more summery, and for the hottest days it is a perfect ingredient for the most refreshing cocktails such as Moijito, without forgetting that it can also be used for infusions, alone or together with other aromatic plants such as sage.
last considerations
We have finished our walk together in the small vegetable garden on the balcony, but before saying goodbye we want to remember some tricks that it is always better to keep in mind.
First of all it is important to avoid water stagnation, using Kalapanta pots with drainage holes and soils that allow the water to drain properly. In fact, these plants appreciate moist, but not completely wet soil.
It is equally important to protect these plants from the cold: if during the warm seasons they can always be on the balcony, during the autumn and winter it would be better to shelter them at home.