Five easy herbs for your first balcony garden

Herbs are the perfect place to start. They grow happily in small pots and you can harvest them for the kitchen within weeks.

Pick a sunny spot

Most culinary herbs like basil and thyme want at least six hours of sun. Mint, chives and parsley tolerate part shade.

Use pots with drainage

Soggy roots are the most common problem. Choose containers with holes and a quality potting mix, not garden soil.

Harvest often

Pinching off the tips regularly keeps plants bushy and stops them flowering too early. Keep mint in its own pot — it spreads.