Backyard Oasis

Small fruit varieties grow well in limited space garden designs. There are many fruit trees that you can train as espaliers or to grow in containers but strawberries, brambles, and melons will grow well in containers and on patios and balcony gardens with little care.
photo credit: quinn.anya

Raspberries are a good choice for fruit container for the small space garden. There are summer and fall-bearing varieties. Raspberries also cost quite a bit in stores and have been heavily sprayed for insects, so by growing your own you will save money and have a cleaner fruit

The summer bearing raspberry plants will produce fruits in early summer, with the season lasting around five weeks. The fall-bearing varieties, which are known as everbearing, will give you two crops each year – one in early summer and a late crop min fall. In my zone 5 this is late September and into October.

You can choose red, gold, purple or black raspberries for your fruit container garden. Some of the good red and yellow varieties of raspberries are named ‘Anne;’ and ‘Autumn Bliss.” If you want to go in for black or purple varieties, you can choose between ‘Brandywine’, ‘Munger’ and ‘Royalty are great selections in black and purple raspberry varieties.’ These varieties are summer bearing.

Blackberries also do well growing in containers. My suggestion for blackberry plants when selection a variety to grow is to get the thornless variety. The sting of a blackberry thorn seems to be worse than any other bramble bush. Brambles are usually spaced one foot apart when planted.

Another option for blackberries or raspberries is to train them to grow on trellises. You will make better use of the space and I also grow a small crop of lettuce or herbs in front of the berries for better use of space and to add color to the garden area.

Melons are also a nice fruit for the mini garden area, but they will take a large container. Melons will need plenty of water, fertilizer and soil that drains well. The reason for a large container is to ensure that the melon plants have enough fertilizer to produce a good crop.

Peach vine or Vine Peach is also a favorite heirloom fruit that I grow. It has a wide variety of uses and takes very little space. I grow this crop on a trellis and usually mix in a vining flower for color.

There are many fruits that will grow all year long. Strawberries are a perfect example. As long as they have fertilizer and decent lighting you will be able to harvest a crop all season long. I tend to grow most of my strawberries in hanging baskets. They take less space, look great and produce well this way.

Care of you fruit garden

I only use organic insect control on my fruit plants. By checking the plants regularly and making sure the plants have the proper water and fertilizer I rarely have an insect problem. I also check and remove any weak stems or leaves.

Raspberry plants tend to attract Japanese beetles so I grow an okra plant and place it 20 foot away from the berry brambles. It’s a pretty plant and Japanese beetles like the plant but the plant doesn’t agree with them. It’s a natural insect control for the raspberry plant.

Other insect controls are a homemade insect spray.

Most fruit varieties dislike frost and extreme cold and will damage easily if exposed to frost. Keep your fruit container gardening efforts in a cool place, away from the frost. And if they are located outdoors cover the crops during the late fall.