Best fruits to grow in pots

Adobe

Growing your own food isn’t reserved for those with big backyard gardens. Plenty of herbs, veggies and fruits do well in pots, and growing these plants in a pot instead of in the ground means you can overwinter many of them indoors, which will save you money at the garden center the next spring.

There are quite a few fruits you can grow indoors and move outside when the weather warms, including some fruit trees, such as kumquat and Meyer lemon trees. But you might be surprised to learn that certain other fruits do well grown in containers as well — even cantaloupe! Make some space on your patio and get ready for some home-grown juiciness.

Strawberries

Strawberries can thrive in containers, but they do require special care. That starts with choosing the right pot for your strawberries. Gardening Know How reports that container strawberries do well in urn-shaped pots that have holes down the sides, and they can do well in hanging planters, too.

Because strawberries thrive in temperate zones, you’ll need to create that type of climate for container plants. The roots can overheat above ground, and strawberries do best when they stay moist but not soggy. In summer heat, StrawberryPlants.org suggests watering them multiple times a day with less water to achieve the right balance.

strawberries
AP Photo/Gerry Broome

Pineapple

Did you know you can start a pineapple plant from a pineapple you pick up at the grocery store? It sounds incredible, but it’s true. All you have to do is cut off the crown of a fresh pineapple and soak it for about a day in water so it will soak up the moisture. Then, you can plant it in a gallon-sized container and put it in a warmer, sunny spot inside or outside. If your weather is warm, you should certainly grow the pineapple outside. Just be sure to bring it in at night if the temperature drops.

Empress of Dirt points out that it’s going to be a few years before your pineapple plant produces fruit, even under optimal growing conditions, so this one will require some patience. But isn’t it amazing that you could grow one in a pot at all? Seems worth the wait.

Pineapple on blue background
Adobe

Cantaloupe

With just a few large pots or containers, you can have farm-fresh melons at home. Smaller plants that produce smaller melons are a good choice if you don’t have a lot of space, but if you’re have a back deck or porch, you can go big.

Cantaloupe will grow out in vines, so if you’re growing bigger plants you will need bean poles or some kind of support system to help hold them up. Balcony Garden Web has instructions and tips for growing melons vertically in containers. You’re going to need a super sturdy trellis for this project, because as you already know, the fruits of this particular plant will be quite heavy.

Cantaloupes growing in pots
Adobe

What do you think? Will you try growing fruit in a pot this summer?

Food, Gardening, Home
,

Related posts

How to fertilize your strawberries for a bounty of berries
Ripe pineapple fruit cut in half
Use these simple tricks to tell if a pineapple is ripe
A pineapple plant grows.
How to grow pineapple as a houseplant
This pineapple casserole recipe makes a cheesy, sweet side dish

About the Author
Josephine Yurcaba
Josephine Yurcaba is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer. She specializes in lifestyle content, women's issues, politics, and New York music. She has written for Bustle, The Daily Meal, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone.

From our partners