Growing your own fruits can be extremely rewarding, as well as healthy and organic. However, what happens when you can’t grow plants in the ground because you live in an apartment or don’t have enough space outside to do so? How about if you live in a climate where you don’t get the right weather and temperature to grow fruit well? Thankfully, there’s an easy answer to this. There are tons of fruits that can be easily grown in containers, inside and outside! Although planting in containers may not get you as many fruits as a full-grown fruit tree outside would, the bounty will be plentiful still! You’ll be able to get a little taste of the tropics from your own home grown plant even on a snowy day with these tips.
Types of fruits grown in pots
Most citrus trees do very well in containers and can even be kept inside during the harsh winters months with little to no effect on them. Home Guides recommends the “Dwarf Redbush” grapefruit tree as a great fruit to plant in a pot and even keep indoors. This tree gets to be about 8 feet tall which is a height that can work inside and outside in a large container. This type of fruit is extremely hardy and can withstand being indoors with sunlight and in a container. Other citrus trees that also do well in pots are lemons and limes.
There are some fruits that need to be left outside all year because they actually do best with a winter freezing. This is great for people who live in cold temperature places for half of the year. “Black Jack” fig trees are one of these fruit types that do better if left outside during the cold. With regular pruning, it can be kept small at only 6 feet and produces some delicious figs! Another fruit similar to the fig tree is the “Tropic Gold” apricot tree, which does well in mild winter areas. It requires 350 hours of less than 45 degree weather temperature, so this tree is best planted in a container is areas like the south or west coast.
Keep in mind when you are planting your fruits in their containers that you will need at least a 15-gallon pot to hold most sizes of fruit trees and Garden.org recommends fertilizing each month. Also, never let the soil dry out completely and make sure to water more in the summer months than the winter!
Do you know of other fruits grown in pots?
Resources:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/fruit-trees-can-grown-containers-59229.html
http://www.garden.org/subchannels/landscaping/containers?q=show&id=99&page=2
Image: iStockPhoto
