I live in a third-floor apartment with a very small balcony - about 3 feet deep and 6 feet wide. I’m keen on setting up a vertical herb garden using some metal shelves I found at a thrift store, but I’m worried about the weight. Each pot I want to use is ceramic and roughly 3 pounds when empty, plus soil and water. I’ve measured the balcony floor and it feels sturdy, but I don’t know the safe weight limit, especially since I’ll have 3 shelves each holding 4 pots. I’ve tried searching online but most advice is for ground-level gardens or large patios. I’m hoping to keep the setup lightweight but also want the plants to thrive, so plastic pots don’t seem ideal. Has anyone done something similar on a balcony this small? How did you figure out if your balcony could handle the load? And are there any clever tricks to reduce weight without sacrificing plant health?

On 01/31/2026 at 5:15 AM, cv199 said:

I live in a third-floor apartment with a very small balcony - about 3 feet deep and 6 feet wide. I’m keen on setting up a vertical herb garden using some metal shelves I found at a thrift store, but I’m worried about the weight. Each pot I want to use is ceramic and roughly 3 pounds when empty, plus soil and water. I’ve measured the balcony floor and it feels sturdy, but I don’t know the safe weight limit, especially since I’ll have 3 shelves each holding 4 pots. I’ve tried searching online but most advice is for ground-level gardens or large patios. I’m hoping to keep the setup lightweight but also want the plants to thrive, so plastic pots don’t seem ideal. Has anyone done something similar on a balcony this small? How did you figure out if your balcony could handle the load? And are there any clever tricks to reduce weight without sacrificing plant health?

Balcony weight limits can be tricky since they depend a lot on the building’s design, but generally, balconies are built to handle a decent amount of load - think a few hundred pounds per square foot. Your setup with 3 shelves holding 4 ceramic pots each might add up, especially once the soil and water are in. One easy way to lighten the load without switching to plastic pots is to use lightweight soil mixes or add perlite to reduce weight and improve drainage.

Also, consider swapping some ceramic pots for lightweight alternatives like fiberglass or resin that still look nice but weigh less. If you want to be extra safe, you could ask your building management or a structural engineer for guidance, especially since you’re on the third floor. In the meantime, spreading the weight evenly across the balcony and avoiding overloading one spot can help keep things stable.