Thanks to dwarf modern cultivars, many of the most popular fruit trees can be grown successfully in pots.
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A lot of the most popular fruit trees, like apples, pears, cherries, and apricots, can be grown in pots without much trouble. There are now dwarfing varieties of most fruit trees, which make them perfect for growing in pots.
Fruit trees do make a fantastic addition to any backyard. These plants are not only beautiful to look at, but they also produce delicious fruits in the spring for all your cooking needs.
You no longer need an orchard or a lot of backyard space to grow fruit trees and pick a wide range of fruits. Newer varieties can do well in container gardens. Even on a dwarf patio fruit tree, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of delicious fruits.
Growing fruit trees in pots has become an increasingly popular way to enjoy fresh homegrown produce, even for those without an outdoor garden. With the right conditions and care, many types of fruit trees can thrive in containers. Here is a guide to the best fruit trees to grow in pots and how to ensure their success.
Which Fruit Trees Grow Well in Containers?
Many dwarf and naturally small fruit tree varieties are well-suited to container growing. Some top choices include:
Citrus Trees
Citrus trees like lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, mandarin, and kumquat make excellent container specimens They stay compact, rarely reaching more than 6-10 feet at maturity. Citrus prefers warm climates but can be grown indoors during colder months.
Lemon and lime trees are especially productive and adapt readily to pots. Dwarf cumquat is another good option, staying under 8 feet tall with sweet edible fruits
Stone Fruit Trees
Cherry, peach, nectarine, apricot and plum trees can all be grown in containers. Choose dwarf or semi-dwarf cultivars that mature at 6-8 feet tall.miniature cultivars like ‘Bonanza’ peach stay under 5 feet, perfect for pots.
Peaches and nectarines tend to be the easiest and most prolific fruiters. Avoid full-size fruit trees, which require frequent pruning and repotting when container grown.
Pome Fruit Trees
Apples, pears, and quinces are classic orchard fruits that take readily to containers. Colonnade and dwarfing rootstocks allow for extra compact growth, under 8-10 feet.
Columnar apple cultivars like ‘Scarlet Sentinel’ bear full-size apples on a tree less than 8 feet tall, easy to grow in a pot. Choose fruiting, not ornamental, cultivars when selecting trees.
Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Trees
Tropical fruits like mango, avocado, banana, papaya, guava, and fig can all adapt to life in a container with the right care. Most will stay around 6-10 feet tall in pots.
Protect more cold-sensitive trees like mango and banana when temperatures drop below 40°F. Move potted specimens into a sunny, frost-free location.
Berries and Vine Fruit
In addition to trees, bramble fruits and vines can be grown in pots. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, kiwi, and passionfruit take well to containers with proper support and pruning.
Opt for compact cultivars of cane berries. Table grape varieties and kiwi types like ‘Issai’ are naturally small and best suited for pots.
Choosing the Right Pot for Fruit Trees
When selecting a container for fruit trees, bigger is generally better. Here are some pot guidelines:
- Minimum 15-25 gallon pot for a mature dwarf tree
- Allow 1-2 feet between root ball and pot edges
- Drainage holes in base are essential
- Self-watering pots help maintain soil moisture
- Casters allow easy movement of heavy pots
For larger trees, half wine barrels, wood boxes, and other large vessels can be used. Avoid overly shallow pots, as fruit trees need adequate depth for roots.
Use heavy, stable containers that cannot be blown over in wind and are not damaged by freezing temperatures. Plastic, resin, clay, wood, and concrete pots all work well.
Best Soil for Container Fruit Trees
The soil mixture used in your fruit tree pots is vital to provide nutrition and proper drainage. Aim for these characteristics:
- Loose, loamy texture
- Good aeration and drainage
- Slightly acidic pH between 6.0-6.5
- Organic matter like compost for nutrients
Avoid heavy potting mixes or pure peat or coir, which can become waterlogged. A quality potting soil blended with compost and perlite provides an ideal growing medium.
Top dress annually with compost or slow-release organic fertilizer to replenish nutrients. Test drainage by watering pots thoroughly – excess should flow from the base within a few minutes.
Caring for Container Fruit Trees
With the right growing conditions, potted fruit trees require similar care to in-ground trees:
Watering
Monitor soil moisture frequently, watering whenever the top few inches become dry. Fruit trees need consistent moisture, never allowing pots to fully dry out.
Increase watering frequency during hot and dry periods. Self-watering pots help maintain optimal soil hydration.
Sunlight
Place containers in a spot receiving 6-8 hours of direct sun daily. Drainage and air circulation are better in open, sunny areas.
Rotate pots occasionally to prevent one-sided branch growth leaning toward the light. Light shade in afternoons can help during periods of extreme heat.
Fertilizer
Apply a balanced organic fertilizer or compost top-dressing in early spring when trees start growing. Fertilize lightly every 6-8 weeks until late summer.
Excess nitrogen can inhibit fruiting and growth. Have soil tested to determine any nutritional deficiencies needing correction.
Pruning & Training
Train young trees while flexible to encourage horizontal branching. Remove any inward-facing or problematic branches.
Prune annually to open up the canopy for sunlight and air penetration. Remove crossing branches or those growing toward the center of the tree.
Pinch back new growth to encourage branching and contain size. For espalier trees, prune and train branches along support wires or frames.
Overwintering
Move containers to a sheltered location before frost arrives in fall. Avoid exposed sites where pots could experience freeze-thaw cycles.
Insulate root balls with mulch or wrap pots to protect from hard freezes. Limit watering during dormancy. Bring tropical plants indoors until spring.
With the right cultivar selections, growing conditions, and care, fruit trees can be just as productive grown in containers as those planted in an outdoor orchard. The benefits of versatility, mobility, and easy access to harvests make container fruit trees a rewarding horticultural adventure for many gardeners.
9 of the best fruit trees to grow in pots
When you choose trees to grow in pots, you need to be careful because not all fruit trees can do well in a shallow container. There are small fruit trees or dwarf varieties that make them perfect for pots and small backyards. These fruit trees are grafted onto dwarfing rootstock to restrict their growth. Make sure to read the label or description carefully to make sure the type will do well in a pot.
When growing in pots, trees will need a lot of watering, especially during periods of hot weather. Besides being fed and trimmed, fruit trees will also need to be pruned, though not as much as with full-size mature trees.
Self-fertile varieties of apples mean you can get a crop with only one tree( credit: Getty/Mike Powles)
One of the most common fruit trees in backyards is the apple tree. It’s very satisfying to pick an apple right off the tree. Apples are ideal for growing in pots and dwarf rootstocks can provide full-size apples but on compact trees.
They can also be grown in containers in a number of trained shapes, such as columnar or cordon, and are one of the best fruit trees to espalier. The Tangy Green Columnar Apple Tree, which you can get at Fast Growing Trees, is an example of a trained apple tree in a pot. It grows straight up and produces tangy apples in a small space.
Many types of apples need to be near another tree to be pollinated. If you only want one, pick a type that can produce its own fruit.
It’s fine to have apple trees in USDA Zones 3–8 as long as they are in full sun and not near any cold spots or strong winds.
Other recommended varieties for planting apple trees in pots include the likes of ‘Discover’ and ‘Falstaff’.
Protect early flowers from spring frosts to ensure you will get an apricot harvest( credit: Future)
Apricots want a sunny and sheltered site on a patio or deck. Even though they are hardy trees, they do need some extra care because frost can damage their early flowers. It pays to protect them with fleece or move them undercover if a frost is threatening. A failure to protect the blossom will result in no fruits come summer.
Peaches can be grown from a single tree because they are self-fertile and grow on dwarfing rootstocks. For a good apricot harvest, you need a long, hot summer. But a ripe apricot right off the tree is a real treat.
People often think of a greenhouse as a good place to grow apricots, but you can also get a good harvest outside if the weather stays between 65°F and 85°F during the growing season.
Most apricots do best in hardiness zones 5 to 8 in the US. They do need a period of cold dormancy to bear fruit the next year.
Recommended varieties include the likes of Pixie-cot and Petit Muscat.
Take care harvesting cherries as the fruit can bruise easily( credit: Future)
There are two great things about cherry trees: in the spring, they have beautiful flowers, and in the summer, they have sweet, shiny fruits.
Modern cherry trees can reproduce themselves and come on dwarfing rootstocks. There are even varieties that were bred to be small and perfect for patios, like the Romeo Dwarf Cherry Tree, which you can buy at Nature Hills.
They need a warm, sunny spot and can grow in trained shapes, such as columnar shapes that save space, or as a fan or cordon against a sunny wall. Putting nets over the trees will keep birds from getting to your cherries when they’re hungry.
You can get the Stella Cherry Tree at Fast Growing Trees, as well as the Star, Sunburst, and Sylvia varieties. All of these are great for pots.
In very warm climates, figs trees can crop twice a year( credit: Future)
If you live in a warm or cool climate, you can still get a good crop from a fig tree.They can make your yard feel like a Mediterranean garden. Figs are typically seen as sprawling trees, but will grow happily in large pots. When you grow plants in a pot, they are limited in space. This helps the tree stay compact and encourages fruit growth instead of leaf growth.
Figs do well in USDA Zones 8–10, but they will need extra care during cold winters to make sure they stay alive. If you have a greenhouse or sun room inside, you can move the fig to a safe place for the winter. This will help any young figs that formed in the summer to ripen.
Brown Turkey figs are always a popular variety of fig tree and they can grow successfully in pots. Nature Hills and Fast Growing Trees are both places where you can buy Brown Turkey fig trees.
Lemons are harvested when they feel firm and are two-to-three inches in size( credit: Tetra s/Getty s)
A lot of people like to grow lemon trees in pots because they smell great and make people think of sunny summers. The flowers are also very pretty, and the fruits are sweet. Lemon trees can also flower and fruit year-round in ideal conditions.
Lemon trees need a long, warm growing season. They need at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day and temperatures above 68˚F. You can get a Meyer Lemon tree and a Lisbon variety at Fast Growing Trees. Both are great for growing in pots.
Orange trees in pots can be moved to a protected area when temperatures drop( credit: Getty/ROMAOSLO)
You can grow orange trees in pots, and they do best in warmer climates. They can handle temperatures as low as 23˚F, but they do best in USDA Zones 8–11.
Oranges want temperatures between 60-90˚F during the growing season to produce a bumper crop of juicy oranges. If you live in a cooler area, on the other hand, you can get strongly scented fruits from a heated greenhouse or sun room.
To take good care of citrus trees, you need to protect them when the temperature drops to about 25˚F. You can do this by moving the trees to a safe place or covering them with fleece.
The best orange trees for pots are dwarf cultivars, such as Calamondin, Trovita, or Buddha’s Hand. Fast Growing Trees sells the Calamondin orange tree, which grows small orange fruits that are mostly yellow and have a slightly sour taste.
Peaches love sun and aspire for summer temperatures of 75˚F( credit: Future)
Peach trees need a lot of sun to grow well and produce a lot of fruit. This is possible in warmer places like USDA Zones 5–9. Some types of peach trees, like the Bonanza Patio Peach Tree from Fast Growing Trees or the Bonfire Peach Tree from Nature Hills, are designed to grow in patios and are great for small gardens. Even though a dwarf tree can’t grow very big, the fruit can, and the peaches still grow into big fruits.
In the spring, peach trees have beautiful flowers that need to be protected from frosts so they can bear fruit. In the summer, they have sweet, juicy peaches.
Fruit trees often have problems with peach leaf curl. You can fix the problem by moving plants undercover in the winter and spring to protect them from rain.
Other varieties of peach that work in pots include ‘Peregrine’ and ‘Garden Lady’.
Pears are very versatile fruits and picked before they are fully ripe( credit: Getty/Alter_photo)
Pear trees are commonly available on dwarfing rootstocks that makes these fruit trees ideal for growing in containers. Even though it is still small, a pear tree grown in a pot gives a lot of flowers in the spring and a lot of full-size fruits when it’s time to harvest. Some great varieties of pear trees available on dwarf rootstocks include Moonglow, Bartlett, and Seckel.
You can also grow pears successfully in pots as cordons, fans, or espaliers, which will let you get a lot of fruit in a small area. Pears need to be out of the wind and away from late frosts. During the summer, they need to be in a warm, sunny spot. Because they are grown from dwarf rootstock, pear trees in pots don’t need to be pruned very often.
Plums fruit in late summer and need picking regularly to stop fruits falling from tree( credit: Getty/Mike Powles)
Plum trees are one of the fastest growing fruit trees you can get. They are self-fertile and there are many modern dwarf varieties available to grow in pots. That means you don’t need a big kitchen garden to enjoy the summer plum blossoms and juicy fruits.
Johnson, Victoria, and Damson are all good plum varieties for pots, but make sure they are grafted on dwarf rootstock. Fast Growing Trees’ Hollywood Plum Tree is naturally a dwarf tree that bears deep red plums in July and August.
Plum trees in pots need to be in a sunny, protected spot. The spring blossoms need to be kept safe from late frosts so that the fruits of the tree don’t go bad. Plums also grow successfully in trained forms that are great for small backyards.
As you plan your small garden, you might want to keep in mind that fruit trees do best when they are grown in pots. They combine their beauty with the addition of edible fruits, making them a valuable addition to any space.
With the new dwarf varieties of fruit trees, you can now grow even more types in pots. For example, you can now grow a persimmon tree in a pot. This means that more people can enjoy fruits that they grow in their own backyards or on a small patio, deck, or balcony. You will love homegrown fruit more than store-bought fruit once you try it, whether you eat it right off the tree or use it in the kitchen.
The Best Fruit Trees for Containers, Pot Sizes, Requirements & More!
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