KITCHENER -- Spring has sprung in Waterloo Region and with garden centres now open, many are flocking to nurseries to pick up their plants.

However, gardens aren't just for big backyards, they can be grown on balconies too.

Heather Kelly has been gardening since she was a child and moving into an apartment 10 years ago hasn’t stopped her from growing a garden.

“I really, really love to see things growing. To put seeds in and then a week or two later, oh my god, I’ve got plants. It always just seemed to me like magic,” she says.

“Mostly just flowers, plants. And sometimes they bloom, sometimes they don’t.”

She says while growing a garden on a balcony is more challenging than a backyard, it’s not impossible.

“Grow things that aren’t too tall, because things that are too tall can be blown over by the wind. You haven’t got the protection on a balcony, you haven’t got the roots in the ground giving them the stability.”

Grobe's Nursery and Garden Centre says when growing a garden on a balcony there are three things to keep in mind: using the right soil, feeding the plants, and watering them more regularly than a backyard garden.

“You want really good soil that has drainage. So you can’t use just regular garden soil, you have to use potting soil,” says Perry Grobe, Grobe's Nursery and Garden.

Before starting your garden, the Waterloo Region Apartment Management Association says it's best to speak with your condo board or landlord first.

Adding that it is important to keep your neighbours in mind

“What you don’t want is to get into a scenario where the dirt and water, dead leaves, and any offshoots of those plants are impacting the people below you,” Andrew Macallum, president, Waterloo Region Apartment Management Association.

For Kelly, she says growing a garden on her balcony came with some trial and error but says it's worth it

“There’s nothing nicer than, well I suppose there is, but for me, to have a coffee and sit on my balcony in the morning surrounded by plants,” she says.

Adding that it doesn’t matter how big or small a space, a garden can flourish anywhere.