A practical guide for Malachain readers, written from everyday experience.
A balcony with five hours of sun can grow more food than most people expect. Begin with three large containers of good compost and plants that forgive mistakes: cherry tomatoes, salad leaves, herbs and dwarf beans. Water in the morning, feed every two weeks once fruit appears, and pick little and often to keep the plants producing.
Weight and wind are the two things to plan for. Use lightweight pots on the floor rather than the railing, group them so they shelter each other, and check that the balcony can carry wet compost before adding more. By midsummer you will be eating something you grew every day, and the leftover seedlings make welcome gifts for neighbours.
If you try any of these ideas, start small and adjust them to your own situation. What works for one person will not suit everyone, and it is fine to keep only the parts that help. Writing down what you changed, and what happened, makes it much easier to see after a few weeks whether the effort was worthwhile.
The most useful step is usually the first one. Pick a single suggestion, try it for a couple of weeks, and then decide whether it is worth keeping. Small, steady improvements last longer than ambitious plans that are hard to maintain once everyday life gets busy again.
It also helps to talk the subject through with friends or colleagues who have tried something similar. Their experience points out the details that guides leave out: how long things really take, which costs were unexpected, and which shortcuts turned out to be a mistake.