Full sun

Full sun describes a spot that receives at least six hours of direct, unobstructed sunlight during the growing day, as opposed to partial sun, partial shade or full shade, which each describe progressively less direct light. Most fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, along with many flowering plants, need a full sun position to grow well and produce a worthwhile harvest.

On a balcony, the amount of direct sun a spot gets depends heavily on which direction it faces, how tall nearby buildings are, and how far a railing or overhang shades the floor at different times of day. A south-facing balcony in the northern hemisphere often gets the most sun, while a north-facing one may only manage partial or full shade for most of the day, which limits plant choice.

Before buying plants, it helps to track how many hours of direct sun a specific spot actually gets across a full day, since guessing from the compass direction alone can be misleading with tall neighboring buildings. A common mistake is placing a sun-loving vegetable in a spot that only gets a few hours of light, which leads to leggy growth, few flowers and disappointing fruit set even with good soil and watering.