Having your very own garden where you can grow anything you want is a great thing. Gardening is a beloved hobby by many people, and it just keeps gaining popularity.
There are varieties of gardens, like only vegetable or fruit, you can choose to grow. It all boils down to personal preference and what you want in your backyard, home or balcony.
It doesn’t matter if you are just starting, or if you are an avid garden grower, having such a hobby is time and space consuming. A good option is to grow fruits that are easy to sprout and look after. Some of them are suitable to be grown in pots inside an apartment or on the balcony. That’s why these plants will suit every gardener, who wants to learn, or who wants to look after plants without putting too much time into it.
If you are sure you want to give gardening a try, then all you need to do is to find a suitable plant to grow in a pot, and, well… start growing.
Let’s go over the plants that are great for indoor planting, outdoor growing and, of course, they are all pretty easy to take care of afterwards.
Fruits to grow in containers:
Easy plants and trees to grow in pots
Let’s take a look at the easiest fruit trees and plants that you can grow in the convenience of your apartment, balcony or backyard.
Suitable containers:
- Plastic – Plastic pots might be cheap and lightweight, however, that’s also their weaknesses. They can break from the pressure, and that just makes more work for you.
- Clay – Clay pots can be quite durable. However, they also have their downside. Containers made out of clay require you to water the plant more often because the pot will absorb a portion of the water.
- Ceramic – Possibly the best choice you can make when it comes to growing fruit trees in pots. That is, of course, if you don’t mind the extra weight that they come with.
Strawberries
When growing any type of plant, the container that you are going to use might be the most important thing. Even though strawberries are quite easy to grow, there are some things that you’ll need to settle before you can plant.
The first thing is to choose a suiting pot, in which you can grow the plant. Because of how adaptive strawberries are they can be grown in almost any type of container.
We would suggest that you go with a ceramic pot, however, each one is suitable. There are several steps you need to follow for growing healthy strawberries in pots:
- Pick the type of container that you are going to use.
- Then it’s time for you to choose the soil.
- Plant no more than three to four seeds per container.
- After you are done planting, water the seeds thoroughly.
Even though strawberries are tough little plants, they need good soil to start growing. Soil enriched with fertilizers is always good to use.
Strawberries also thrive in temperatures in the range of 21°C to 30°C. Depending on where you live, and the season, this might mean that you leave them in the sun, or in partial light. They might require more watering.
Pineapples
Having the luxury of the tropics right in your house is not only for those who can afford a year-round trip to the most exclusive places in the world. It’s a pretty long process, don’t get fooled. Between the planting, rooting and actually getting fruit can take about two to three years.
That’s why with pineapple growing, patience is the key because taking care of it is really easy.
Rooting a pineapple from crown.
It’s probably the easiest plant to grow from crown. What you need is just:
- A ripe pineapple from the store.
- Cactus potting mix and a ceramic pot.
We suggest that you use a clay pot around 18 litres in size (You can buy this after the pineapple has rooted. Before that, you can use a normal pot that you think is suitable.
- Get a ripe, healthy pineapple from the store.
Make sure that the fruit is healthy-looking and that it has a nice crown with green leaves. - Cut the crown from the pineapple and remove all the fruit that is left. Because pineapples can rot pretty easily it’s very important that any fruit flesh is removed. Leave to dry for two or three days.
- Plant the stalk. As we mentioned above it’s important that you have the right mixture. A cactus mixture will do an amazing job, as it’s a fast-draining mixture, that’s why you can go for it. Make sure the crown is at least 2 to 2.5 cm deep in the soil.
- Water the plant. Water the plant gently with a spray bottle. Keep spraying it whenever the soil is dry, just enough to keep it moist.
After three months you can check how the pineapple plant is growing by lightly trying to lift the crown, but without harming the roots.
After a year you can replant the pineapple in the big 18-litre pot that we mentioned. When there are actual fruits of the pineapples, make sure that you pick them when they are evenly ripe.
Melon
If you want it to grow your very own piece of heaven in your home, then give melons a go. Although they require a bit more skill to grow, you can still manage to do it.
Full-sized cantaloupes aren’t the most suitable fruit to grow inside. However, a ‘Sugar Cube’ can be a suitable plant to grow in a pot. Its fruits are around 1 kg and are really sweet. It’s best to plant the seeds in a pot that can hold at least 18 litres of soil.
- Before you plant the seeds, you have to fill the 18-litre pot almost to the top with soil.
- Then add a small amount of fertilizer.
- Add four to six seeds per pot, this will do the job.
- After that, top with soil and mulch. Mulch is needed to keep the moisture in the soil.
- Water the soil and set aside.
When the seeds start growing, it’s time to remove some of them and leave only the strongest ones. Weak seeds should be snipped at soil level.
The melons are ready for harvest when they are easily separated from the vine and feel heavy for their size.
Raspberries
Raspberries are very delicious, especially in the form of a raspberry pie. If you want to have these yummy fruits in your home, then you’re lucky because newer varieties aren’t that hard to look after.
Most raspberries grow too large for pot plants, and they can’t be held in a container. However, varieties like ‘Raspberry Midget’ are perfect for a pot.
Besides, growing raspberries in pots is a pretty straightforward process:
- You need a 18-litre container for these fruits. Space gives freedom for future plants to grow.
- When planting for the first time three to five canes, depending on the size, are enough.You can use soil mix for container raspberries.
You can get some berries on the first year, yet complete bearing begins in the second year. You should remove dead sprouts in order to keep the plant healthy.
Blueberries
Another delicious fruit – the blueberry – is also quite easy to grow in a container. Blueberries are pretty picky of the soil that they grow in. You should go for a soil mix for plants that prefer more acidic soil. A pH between 4 and 6 seems to be perfect.
Any deadwood must be pruned and removed. Research what type of blueberry you are growing and make sure if it’s self-pollinating or if it needs another blueberry plant around it in order to pollinate.
Figs
If you love eating figs all year round, but don’t have the climate and the space to grow those trees in your backyard, then don’t worry because they are suitable to grow in containers. And guess what! It’s quite easy.
- Pick the right container – The material of the container doesn’t matter at all, the size is important. We highly suggest that you stick to a 40-litre container, preferably on wheels. They get really heavy when you fill them with water, soil and a fig tree.
- After you plant the fig, make sure to put mulch on top of the soil. The mulch will retain water in the soil.
- Plce the growing plant on a sunny spot and water it regularly. On hot days this might mean that you water it daily.
- Keep an eye on it. If the leaves start to get yellow, this might mean that the plant is being overwatered.
In the growing stages, you can go for a smaller container. However, make sure you change the container once the plant has filled it.
Apples
Apple trees are kind of tricky when you want to grow them in a pot. You have a lot of factors to consider before you start, and that’s kind of the hardest part.
If you are looking for the right kind of apple tree, make sure you research what varieties thrive in your region.
Another thing that you’ll have to consider is if the trees are self-pollinating or if they need other apple trees around them. We have an extensive guide on How to Safely Prune Apple Trees that can help you with this task. If you don’t have a lot of room for planting trees, we would suggest you stick with self-pollinating trees.
For the soil, you can use a mix of potting soil and compost. With a few clay shards at the bottom to control the drainage of water and voila, you’re ready. Place the tree in the container. If the roots don’t fit, you can trim them.
Watering is very important. Make sure you water the apple tree twice a week or every day during the hot months. Keep an eye on the soil because you don’t want to have a stressed plant.
