Garden Beginnings

Have you ever grown a garden on a balcony? Or grown vegetables in containers? I haven't! But, this year, for the first time ever, I am going to give it a try. And, as the weather gets nicer, I plan on spending a lot more time out on our balcony. From dinners outside to quiet weekend mornings with a cup of coffee, comfortable time outside with the pup to a cup of tea before bedtime (have I been watching too much Downton Abbey?), I plan to make the balcony space something that we can really enjoy this Summer.
Right now, the balcony looks like this...

Mostly empty, except for one cute puppy who wanted to help take photos, there is the shelf unit I bought from IKEA last Fall, and it has become slightly ignored over the past 6 months or so. I definitely need to clear and better organize the space.

I also want to plant a bit of a container garden. I plan to grow tomatoes and basil to start, and as a beginner, I'm sure these will keep me plenty occupied! I'm also hoping to bring some succulents onto the balcony, although I'm going to wait until after I have the tomatoes and basil set up. 
But of course, I plan on doing this in a fun, DIY style - and I've already gotten started! 

I picked these large terra cotta pots up at Walmart and used leftover primer to coat them (2 light coats on the pots, and 3 on the saucers). Later today, I'll be adding a bit of color to brighten them up a bit more, and then adding my tomato seedlings to them! And later I'll share the super easy tutorial for how I brightened them up!
Do you have a balcony garden? Any tips for a beginner? I'm so excited to dive into this project!