Balcony Gardening for Under a Thousand
Are you looking to start growing but feel unmotivated or lack confidence? There's a solution for you. Growing is relatively easy when you realize that all you need to do is water regularly. The rest will take care of itself.
You only need two things - quality seeds and a good pre-fertilized substrate. With a good substrate, you don't need to fertilize at all. Most pre-fertilized substrates last 6 weeks, which is enough for many fast-flowering varieties.
For 3 quality plants, we will need..
Minimal Equipment
Good Seeds
It pays not to skimp here. Not all seeds are the same. If you're investing time, take care of it, it's worth having a quality base. Seeds that are perhaps 2x more expensive (even with the same genetic name) often have higher yields, are more resilient, etc. Definitely don't save on seeds, it's the best investment you'll make. Faster plants with short flowering times and smaller growth are more advantageous.
In our example, we'll use 3 seeds of fast-growing varieties around 450 CZK.
Substrate is the Foundation
Most people still prefer growing in substrate. No wonder, soil cultivation requires the lowest investment costs. Although hydroponic growing is much more efficient and less susceptible to pests.
We can divide substrate into two types - pre-fertilized and non-pre-fertilized. If you want to add all nutrients yourself, choose non-pre-fertilized (e.g. Atami Light mix). If you're lazy and don't want to care about nutrition, choose pre-fertilized. A quality substrate contains basic NPK nutrients, usually for 6 weeks. It also has the correct soil pH, which you don't need to worry about. By not fertilizing, you significantly reduce the risk of plant damage due to pH changes, burning, etc. Fertilizer changes the pH value in the soil, which is so important for absorption.
For our example, we'll take 2 packages of 20l AllMix substrate from Biobizz. Total 396 CZK
Pot
It's better to choose a larger pot. We can move volumetrically from 6 to 12 liters. If we distribute 40 liters of substrate into 3 containers evenly, we'll have about 13 liters in one. For our example, we'll use an 11-liter pot priced at 48 CZK each. It's important to use a pot that, unlike a planter or decorative container, has drainage at the bottom. If we're not fertilizing, it's better to choose a larger container. There will be more nutrients in a larger container. We can easily choose an even larger 15-18 liter pot and take 50l substrate. For our example, the mentioned 11l will suffice. 
3x 11-liter pots will cost 144 CZK.
Basic equipment for 3 quality harvests will cost under a thousand!
Extra Equipment
Additional Nutrition
If you don't have pre-fertilized substrate, you need to add fertilizer to the watering during growth and flowering. Dosage is given per liter, where you add 2-4 ml of liquid fertilizer. Choose a comprehensive fertilizer suitable for the entire growth period.
If you've decided not to fertilize as in our example, you can choose just a stimulator. Stimulators can help with rooting, which improves height and thus yield. They also increase the number of flowers and consequently the herb's yield.
Stimulators are added to watering, usually 1-2ml per liter of water. We'll use in the example for additional nutrition and yield improvement Root Stimulator by B-cuzz for 348 CZK
Mini Greenhouse
Czechs are inventive, so it's no surprise that mini greenhouses are often replaced with a transparent bottle. Humidity is important, especially during the growth period. The plant should be exposed to around 80 percent humidity for as long as possible, which can be achieved in a mini greenhouse. When germinating in a mini greenhouse, you almost don't need to care about water for almost a week.
Pressed peat pots (or jiffy tablets) have proven very effective for mini greenhouses, where you put a little quality substrate and let the seed germinate. The advantage of a peat pot is in transplanting - you simply peel it off and you're left with soil and the seedling. But that's for those less lazy who want to enjoy growing. It's an extra 40 CZK and useful for regular sowing.
Or try Growset - includes mini greenhouse, growth stimulator, sprayer, and seedling tablets.
Sprayer is Priceless
Whether for fertilizer or watering, a sprayer is an excellent tool that many people don't appreciate enough. Plants love humidity, and a sprayer is a genius form of watering on warm days.
When plants are small or when it's hot, it's an invaluable helper in growing that makes life easier. You'll find it here. An excellent tool for both watering and fertilizing.
A sprayer or spray bottle can be bought from 50 CZK.
Reflective Foil
If we're talking about balcony cultivation, it's good to use light to its full potential. Sunlight falls on balcony walls and to the sides. One excellent thing has proven very effective here - diamond foil.
One meter of this foil, which reflects most of the light, costs 148 CZK. One meter is enough, which is added to the balcony wall (usually under the window) and significantly reduces light waste. The sun doesn't absorb the wall but disperses back to the plant from the other side. It adds an amount of light comparable to a 400-watt lamp. 
This simple and very effective trick will cost you from 148 CZK per meter.
Tip: If it's very bright, we recommend shading instead.
Caution: For non-self-flowering plants, be careful not to shine light on plants at night from a window! This can disrupt the necessary dark period (12 hours in flowering, 6 hours in growth).
With an additional 550 CZK for extra equipment, you can grow like a pro.
Summary
Basic equipment for 3 quality plants won't cost more than a thousand and offers truly quality growing with minimal effort. All you need to take care of is watering (see: 30 tips for watering). We recommend using a sprayer, it's truly invaluable.
This way, you can grow a decent harvest from 3 plants with minimal effort. Financially, you'll stay within a thousand, which really isn't going to break the bank :)