Sweet Harvests, Small Spaces: The Best Container Fruits
- alexisbumpers
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Most new gardeners that grow food, start off by growing vegetables. You may find an occasional strawberry plant, but it’s especially common to see fruitless urban gardens because of the limited space available to grow staple crops used in the kitchen.
I was always intimidated to grow fruit in my garden because of my lack of knowledge for how they grew. This was unfortunate because I love fruit, and we buy so much of it each week from the grocery store. So you can imagine how rewarding it was when I finally figured out how to grow different fruits in my “urban orchard”.
Here’s some lessons that I learned about growing fruit in my urban garden.
1. Strawberries
If there is one fruit that my family eats the most; its strawberries. Strawberries and watermelon are probably my most favorite fruits to eat. If you were to ask me to choose a flavor for any type of dessert or candy; it’s probably going to be strawberry. These were the first fruits that I started growing in our garden because they were readily available at plant nurseries.
Tips to consider when growing strawberries in small gardens:
Plant in containers with drainage holes
Fertilize early spring with balanced fertilizer
Consistently water to keep moist
Prune runners or replant them
Remove flowers the first year to allow plant to focus energy on growing roots
Select strawberry based on variety type
June-bearing - Produces one big harvest in late spring/early summer
Everbearing - Produces two to three small harvests throughout the season
Day-Neutral - Produces continuously throughout a season
June-bearing Strawberries
‘Jewel’
‘Earliglow’
‘Honeoye’
‘Chandler’
‘Allstar’
‘Sequoia’
Everbearing Strawberries
‘Quinault’
‘Fort Laramie’
‘Ozark Beauty’
‘Fern’
‘Ogallala’
Day-Neutral Strawberries
‘Albion’
‘Seascape’
‘San Andreas’
‘Monterey’
‘Portola’
2. Melons
Melons are heavy feeders and can get pretty large in size. I grew up seeing my late grandfather grow these huge watermelons on his acres of land and never imagined being able to grow something like this in my urban garden. You can imagine how proud I was to show him my first watermelon once I did finally grow one.
Tips to consider when growing melons:
Use trellis and stakes to support vines
Grow in 5+ gallon containers with drainage holes
Choose compact and bushing varieties
Plant in full sun 6+ hours
Consistently water and add balanced liquid fertilizer ever 2 weeks
Cantaloupe & Muskamelon
‘Minnesota Midget’
‘Sleeping Beauty’
‘Sugar Cube’
‘Tasty Bites’
‘Golden Jenny’
‘Green Machine’
‘Honey Bun’
Watermelon
‘Sugar Baby’
‘Mini Love’
‘Yellow Petite’
‘Blacktail Mountain’
‘Sweet Beauty’
‘Little Darling’
‘Early Moonbeam’
3. Fruit Trees
Apples are another family favorite. Each year we love going to local orchards to pick fruits like apples from trees. However fruit trees can seem intimidating to an urban gardener because of their large size. It wasn’t until the last few years that I realized fruit trees can be grown in containers.
Tips to consider when growing fruit trees:
Choose varieties like dwarf, semi-dwarf, and columnar which take up little space
Prune and trellis fruit tree branches using the espalier method to save on space
Fertilize tree in early spring with a balanced slow release granular fertilizer
Prune fruit trees in the winter or early spring before plants comes out of dormancy to manage branches
Plant in 10-15 gallon container with drainage holes
Protect fruit from animals with netting
Apple
‘Dwarf Gala’
‘Golden Delicious’
‘Granny Smith’
‘Queen Cox’
Columnar Apple Trees - ‘Fruit Snack’
Peaches
‘Bonanza II’
‘Honey Babe’
‘Pix Zee’
‘Garden Gold’
‘El Dorado’
‘Redhaven’
‘Reliance’
‘O’Henry’
Cherries
Tart Cherry:
‘Meteor’
‘Montmorency’
‘North Star’
Sweet Cherry
‘Mini Royal’
‘Sweetheart’
‘Lapins’
‘Stella’
Pears
‘Kieffer’
‘Orient’
‘Conference’
‘Seckel’
‘Bartlett’
Figs
‘Fignomenal’
‘Petite Negra’
‘’Little Miss Figgy’
‘Celeste’
‘Brown Turkey’
‘Chicago Hardy’
‘Violette de Bordeaux’
Citrus
Lemon
‘Meyer Lemon’
‘Lisbon Lemon’
‘Improved Eureka Lemon’
‘Variegated Pink Lemon’
Orange
'Calamondin Orange’
‘Kumquat’
‘Dwarf Mandarin/Clementine’
‘Dwarf Orange (Valencia/Navel)’
‘Owari Satsuma’
‘Dwarf Blood Orange’
‘Dwarf Washington Navel Orange’
‘Dwarf Clementine’
‘Kishu Mandarin’
Lime
‘Key Lime’
‘Bearss Lime’
‘Kaffir Lime’
‘Dwarf Limequat’
‘Australian Finger Lime’
4. Berries
Berry bushes are vigorous growers with branches and canes that grow tall and spread within a garden. I learned the hard way during my first and second year of growing them that they can spread throughout a raised bed. Growing dwarf berry bushes however allows gardeners to grow their favorite berries in small spaces like balconies and patios.
Tips to consider when growing berries in small gardens:
Choose 15-20 gallon container with drainage holes
Choose dwarf and self-pollinating varieties
Prune canes based on the age of the cane and variety type (i.e summer-bearing, ever-bearing, etc.)
Fertilize with slow release fertilizer 2-3 times per year (once early spring before buds open, second in late spring)
Consistently water to keep soil moist
Protect fruits from animals with netting
Blueberries
‘Peach Sorbet’
‘Tophat’
‘Sunshine Blue’
‘Northblue’
‘Blueberry Buckle’
Raspberries
‘Shortcake’
‘Glencoe Thornless’
‘Raspberry Razle’
‘Carolina Red’
Blackberries
‘Baby Cakes’
‘Prime Ark Freedom’
5. Grapes
I’m fairly new to growing grapes, only because they are a fruit that I underestimated as being a fruit that grows well in urban gardens. When I think of grapes, I think of vineyards with acres of land that grow multiple grape plants for wine and other purposes. Grapes can be a great addition to an urban garden if choosing a compatible variety for a small space.
Tips to consider when growing berries in small gardens:
Choose self-pollinating varieties
Plant in container with at least 15 gallons that has drainage holes
Support with a trellis or stakes
Prune each year to maintain plant’s shape
Grape Varieties
‘Concord’
‘Mars’
‘Reliance’
‘Himrod’
‘Pixie’
‘Glenora’
‘Carlos’
‘Muscadine’
6. Tropical Fruits
Tropical fruits are still my biggest gripe to grow because I live in a grow zone that experiences extremely cold temperatures, which doesn’t allow me to grow tropical fruits outside year-round. If you’re in a zone that experiences warm tropical temperatures year round, you should try growing these fruits in containers.
Pineapple
Banana (dwarf) - “Dwarf Cavendish”
Papaya
Guava
Dragon fruit (needs trellis)
7. Other Fruits To Consider
Pomegranate
Kiwi
Currants
Gooseberries
Elderberries
Mulberry
Olive Trees
Passionfruit
Pro Tips For Growing Fruit In Small Spaces
Use high quality potting soil
Grow short compact plants like strawberries vertically on walls, balconies, hanging baskets
Choose plants that are perennial to grow zone if growing outdoors
Bring tropical and citrus plants indoors during winter if grown in a zone with extremely cold temperatures
Plant flowers near fruiting plants to attract pollinators to help increase yield of plant
Companion plant shallow root and aromatic herbs nearby or in containers to help deter pests
I hope that this guide will inspire you to add more fruit to your garden, so that you too can enjoy a sweet harvest!
Happy Gardening!