Growing and maintaining fruit can be challenging, especially in small spaces or containers. However, plenty of low-maintenance fruit plants are well-suited for easy growth.
This article will guide you through the easiest fruits to grow. You’ll learn practical tips like choosing the right location and providing adequate sunlight.
You’ll discover how these simple steps can help you enjoy fresh produce from your garden.
Top Easiest to Grow Fruits in Small Spaces or Containers
Many types of fruit can be grown in small spaces or containers. Some fruits are perfect for patios, balconies, and even windowsills.
1. Strawberries
Strawberries are among the easiest fruits to grow in small spaces or containers. They thrive in various containers and grow well on patios, balconies, and decks.
Popular varieties include full-season collection packs like ‘Just Add Cream.’ These soft fruits are partially self-fertile but produce better yields with another variety nearby.
To grow strawberries successfully, choose a sunny spot with quality soil. Regular watering is essential for juicy berries. Use mulch to retain moisture and keep weeds away from your strawberry plants.
Prune runners to encourage more fruiting, ensuring you get plenty of sweet berries all season.
2. Raspberries
Raspberries are perfect for small spaces. They grow well in raised beds, containers, or the ground. You can expect an average yield of 1-2 gallons per plant.
Try planting varieties like ‘Polka,’ ‘Glen Coe,’ or dwarf Raspberry ‘Yummy.’ These raspberry bushes thrive and produce delicious berries. Even beginners find them easy to care for with essential pruning and regular watering.
3. Blueberries
Blueberries are perfect for containers and small spaces. They thrive in moist, acidic soil with a pH of 4.5. Types like ‘Duke,’ ‘Top Hat,’ and ‘Pink Sapphire’ work well.
These bushes grow to about 8-10 feet tall and spread 3-4 feet wide. Plant them 4-6 feet apart in full sun and well-drained soil. Blueberry plants need regular watering to stay healthy and produce fruit set successfully.
4. Figs
Figs are easy to grow and don’t need much space. Recommended varieties include ‘Brown Turkey’ and ‘Little Miss Figgy’. Fig trees can reach a height and spread 10-12 feet, making them perfect for small yards or containers.
They prefer deep clay loam soil with a pH in the 6’s.
Fig trees love sunny spots but can also handle partial shade. Water them regularly, especially during dry spells. Pruning helps keep fig trees healthy and ensures better fruit production.
Enjoy sweet figs right from your backyard!
5. Gooseberries
Gooseberries are great for small spaces and containers. They grow well in alkaline soil and need little maintenance. The ‘Giggles Gold’ and ‘Hinnonmaki Red’ varieties are perfect.
You can quickly grow gooseberries in pots on your porch or even inside as houseplants. They love sunlight, so place them where they can soak up the rays.
Gooseberry plants also enjoy moist but well-draining soil, making mulching an excellent practice to keep them happy and healthy.
6. Apples
Apple trees are an excellent choice for small spaces. Varieties like the apple duo patio fruit tree and ‘Appletini’ are perfect for containers. They grow to a height of 8-10 feet and a spread of about 6 feet.
These trees produce delicious apples from mid-summer to late autumn. The ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ is another excellent variety worth considering. Ensure your apple tree gets plenty of sunlight and water, and it will reward you with tasty fruits!
7. Blackberries
Blackberries are an excellent choice for home gardens. They can grow to 8-10 feet tall and spread about 6 feet wide. With proper care, each plant yields 1-2 gallons of fruit.
Varieties like ‘Black Cascade’ and ‘Apache’ are easy to grow. These blackberries need well-drained soil with good fertility. They also need plenty of sunlight, at least six hours daily.
Regular pruning keeps plants healthy and productive. Enjoy fresh blackberries in pies, jams, or as a tasty snack straight from the bush!
8. Honeyberries
Honeyberries proliferate and boast high antioxidants. Recommended varieties like ‘Kalinka’ and ‘Balalaika’ thrive well. These tough fruits make them simple to cultivate, even for beginners.
They can reach heights of 12-15 feet and spread 6-8 feet wide.
Plant honeyberries in a sunny spot with rich soil. Regular watering helps them grow strong. Planting near blueberries or other berry plants can improve yields through companion planting.
Honeyberries also attract wildlife, enhancing your garden’s ecosystem naturally.
9. Goji berries
Goji berries are a superfood that’s easy to grow in your garden. They thrive even in windy coastal gardens because of their hardy and salt-tolerant nature. These plants can reach heights of 8-10 feet with a spread of about 6 feet.
Choose varieties like ‘Synthia’ or ‘Sweet Lifeberry.’ Goji berries need well-drained soil and full sunlight for best results. Plant them where they can get at least six hours of sun each day.
Use quality soil and ensure proper watering to keep plants healthy and productive.
10. Currants
Currants are easy to grow and come in various colors, such as white, pink, red, or black. Redcurrant’ Rovada’, whitecurrant ‘White Versailles,’ and blackcurrant ‘Ben Connan’ are recommended varieties.
These fruits can be used in desserts, jams, jellies, and sauces.
Plant currants in a sunny spot with well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.5. They grow to about 8-10 feet tall and spread to 6 feet wide. Currants attract beneficial wildlife to your garden and provide delicious fruit each season.
11. Peach
Peaches are easy to grow in small spaces or containers. They need full sun and well-drained soil, making them perfect for patios or balconies. Use dwarf or patio peach tree varieties, as they fit better in containers.
Peach trees are self-fertile and do not need another tree for pollination. Ensure you prune, water, and fertilize the trees properly. Enjoy peaches fresh, bake them into desserts, or use them in jams and preserves.
These beautiful fruits make home gardening rewarding and fun!
12. Passion Fruit
Passion fruit is a tropical vine that produces sweet, fragrant fruits. It grows well in pots and doesn’t need much space. You can plant it along a trellis or fence for support.
Passion fruit loves sunlight and thrives in warm climates. To keep the vine healthy, water it regularly and use rich soil. Passion fruit vines do best with some pruning to encourage more growth and produce more fruit.
13. Lemon
Lemon trees thrive in containers and small spaces. Place the pot near a sunny window or on a patio. Lemons love well-drained soil rich in organic matter.
Water the tree regularly, but avoid overwatering. Fertilize it with citrus-specific nutrients to boost growth. Prune branches to shape the tree and remove dead wood to keep it healthy.
14. Red Mulberry
Red Mulberry grows well in warm climates. These mulberry trees, or Morus Rubra, can reach up to 70 feet tall. They fit perfectly into more extensive gardens but might not be ideal for small containers or British gardens.
When ripe, the fruit is dark and sweet. Red Mulberries attract wildlife, such as birds and insects, making your garden lively. They need full sunlight and moist soil for the best growth.
Water regularly and check the soil pH to ensure it stays slightly acidic to neutral.
15. Apricot
Apricots can be a little tricky to grow in small spaces or containers. They need lots of sunlight and good airflow to thrive. Make sure you plant them in well-draining soil.
These fruit trees also benefit from regular pruning. This helps keep the tree healthy and produces better fruit. You may have to wait a few years before seeing an entire harvest, but the reward is worth it!
16. Pineapple
Pineapples look fun, but they need special care. They do better in warm climates with lots of sunlight and good drainage soil. Pineapple plants take two to three years to produce fruit.
They also don’t fit well in small spaces or containers.
You should water your pineapples sparingly, as too much can cause root rot. For best results, use quality soil mixed with organic matter. Growing pineapples may not be ideal if you have limited space or live in more excellent areas.
17. Cherries
Cherries grow best in well-drained soil and need full sun to thrive. If you lack garden space, they are ideal for larger containers. Provide regular water, especially during dry times.
You can also use mulch to keep the soil moist and healthy around your cherry trees. Pruning helps maintain their shape and encourages healthy growth. Make sure to protect them from birds, who love ripe cherries just as much as we do!
18. Plums
Plum trees are perfect for small spaces or container gardening. Varieties like ‘Victoria’ and ‘Opal’ grow well in pots or tiny gardens. They produce fruit within a few years of planting, offering a quick reward for your efforts.
Plums need some sunlight and regular watering to thrive. They don’t require much maintenance, making them easy for beginners. Enjoy fresh plums off the tree, bake them into pies, or make delicious jams and cordials from your harvest!
5 Tips for Growing Fruit Successfully
1. Choose the Right Location
Pick a spot with plenty of sunlight for your fruit plants. Most fruits need at least six hours of direct sun daily to grow well.
Make sure the soil drains well. Water should not puddle around the roots, as this can cause rot. Find spaces that allow proper spacing for raspberries and blueberries: 4-6 feet apart for blueberries and 10-12 feet apart for figs.
Use trellises or hedging techniques to support climbing fruits like blackberries and passionflowers. These structures help keep the plants upright and healthy.
2. Provide Adequate Sunlight and Water
Fruit plants need plenty of sunlight to grow well. Blueberries, for example, thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. Ensure your fruit plants get at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily.
Water is just as essential. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Blackberries can tolerate various soil types, including sandy loam, but they still need regular watering to produce juicy fruits.
Always check the soil before watering again; it should be slightly dry on top before you add more water.
3. Use Quality Soil and Fertilizer
Good soil and fertilizer are essential for healthy fruit plants. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries thrive in rich soil with organic matter. Blueberries need acidic soil with a pH of around 4.5.
Figs prefer deep clay loam soil with a pH in the 6’s.
Use compost or store-bought fertilizer to provide nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Apply fertilizers according to the plant’s needs. This helps fruits like apples, blackberries, and citrus grow strong and yield more.
4. Prune and Maintain the Plants
Pruning helps plants grow better and stay healthy—light hedging in mid-winter is excellent for blueberries. Crossing branches can be removed to let more sunlight in.
Figs need little pruning, but branch thinning helps them produce the best fruit. Use quality tools like pruners for clean cuts. Regular maintenance keeps diseases away and boosts growth.
5. Utilize Companion Planting
Companion planting involves growing different plants together to help each other grow better. Blueberries, for example, can benefit from being grown next to strawberries since they both like acidic soil and can boost each other’s growth.
Fig trees love having herbs like basil or dill nearby because these herbs keep pests away and attract helpful insects.
Apple trees do well when paired with chives, garlic, or nasturtiums, which repel harmful bugs and enhance fruit production. Blackberries thrive with marigolds and yarrows around them as these flowers deter pests and draw in pollinators.
Goji berries flourish when planted near comfrey or clover since these plants improve soil health.
Benefits of Growing Your Fruits
Growing your fruits can save you money. It’s also a fun and healthy way to spend time with family.
Save Money
Growing your fruits can save you a lot on grocery bills. You get fresh fruits from your garden instead of buying expensive produce. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are great to start with.
Growing these in small spaces or containers cuts down costs significantly.
You don’t have to spend money on transportation or packaging. Plus, there’s no need for storage fees since the fruit goes straight from the plant to your table. You’ll see better yields with proper care and quality soil like peat mixed with compost.
In addition to strawberries and blueberries, try apples or blackberries for even more savings!
Health Benefits
Eating home-grown fruits boosts your health. They are rich in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries can improve heart health. Honeyberries are loaded with antioxidants that help fight harmful free radicals.
Home-grown fruits like apples and peaches are free from pesticides. This means fewer harmful chemicals enter your body. Fresh fruits help maintain a robust immune system and provide vital nutrients daily.
Education and Family Activity
Growing fruits in your backyard can be a fantastic family activity. Kids love to help with planting and watering, and this hands-on experience teaches them about nature and responsibility.
Use this time to explain how different plants need varied care. You’ll all learn together as you watch strawberries, apples, or blueberries grow from tiny buds to ripe fruit. It’s also a perfect way for parents and children to bond outdoors while having fun.
Final Thoughts
Fruits like strawberries and blueberries are easy to grow. They thrive in containers, making them great for small spaces. Growing your fruit saves money and boosts health.
Many varieties are beginner-friendly, such as “Duke” blueberries or “Heritage” raspberries. With the right spot and sunlight, anyone can start a fruitful garden at home!