Do you have any perennial fruits planted in your garden? I love the idea of putting a little work in upfront and then enjoying the “fruits of my labor” for years to come. In fact, I pretty much like anything that requires minimal effort with maximum output, don’t you just wish all of life was that way?
A lot of perennial fruits take space–like lots of space, even if you don’t have room for an orchard, though, you still can have a pretty sweet fruit garden. Several fruits can be grown in containers or take up very little space. Most fruit perennials require full sun. Several of them, also require more than one tree in order to fruit.
If you want a super low maintenance garden, you might want to take a list of these fruit perennials {remember, perennials vary by region, so make sure to check and see if they are actually a perennial in your area before you buy and plant} and see if they might work in your space:
- Apples {some dwarf varieties can be kept in containers}
- Apricots
- Avocado
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Currants
- Figs
- Goji Berries
- Huckleberries
- Grapes
- Kiwi {cold hard kiwi vines actually exist}
- Lemons {work well in containers}
- Limes
- Nectarines
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Pears {self-pollinating varieties exist if you don’t have room for 2, though, I have heard that they don’t produce as well}
- Persimmon
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Strawberries {I personally think these only last 3-5 years before you have to start over in order to get good crops, they can definitely be grown in containers}
Have you had any luck growing any of these in smaller spaces?
~Mavis
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Kelly says
We built a new home 2 years ago and so started from scratch landscaping-wise. Perennial fruits & veggies were a big part of my landscaping plan. On our small-ish city lot, we have a grafted pear tree, grafted cherry tree, plum tree, three apple trees, strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, blueberries, grape vine, and perennial elephant garlic. I’ve failed miserably so far at asparagus, but everything else is doing well! 🙂 Gardening is so much fun!
Christine says
wow, that sounds like my dream yard! and in a city too!
Kelly says
Sorry, I just now saw your comment, Christine! 🙂 It’s a work in progress but it sure is fun. I’ve read a lot of books from the library about urban farming and have gotten great ideas from there.
Teckla says
Have you tried asparagus in containers? I recently read that it works great, but haven’t actually tried it yet. Might be worth a try?
Kelly says
Teckla, what a great idea!! I will have to try the asparagus in containers. Thanks!
THefrugalchick says
We have blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries that we planted last year. I’m putting in some rhubarb this year. We are propagating/grafting tons of fruit trees that we got from family and collected peoples grape clippings.
I’m trying to focus on perennials this year. Asparagus is going in…and any perennial herb I can find. I’m most excited about the berries 🙂
Megan says
Hi Mavis!
I moved into my house two years ago and planted Raspberries right away. The soil here is mostly clay, and what do ya know, the Raspberries love it! I have both spring and fall plants so I have a constant harvest which I love. I’m also trying my hand at a square foot garden this year, so thanks for all your info on that!
Glenda says
We recently moved from a property in town where we lived for 34 years. We had five plum trees, 2 – 4×8 strawberry beds, three large herb beds, 8 – 4×12 vegetable beds, two apple trees, 12 nanking cherry bushes, three hansen cherry bushes, five currant bushes, three chokecherry trees, four elderberry bushes, five rosa rugosa bushes (rose hips), plus various flowers. It was hard to leave :).
We are now starting over in a new yard, in a new town. It is only an 11,000 square foot lot compared to the 13,000 we had before. We have already consulted a nursery to plant two plum trees and two apricot trees for us next month. We will, also, plant two elderberry bushes, five aronia bushes, three hansen cherry bushes, six saskatoon blueberry bushes, and various herbs this year. Next year we will add more fruit, vegetable beds, herbs, and edible flowers.
Kate says
While it is true that many fruiting plants need two different types for ideal pollination, it is not true that you must own both of those fruiting plants. If you have a small yard, look at neighbors–even a block or two (or more) to see if others have that desired tree/bush. If so, you only need to plant one. The bees can find both. Really they can.
Pam says
When we bought this place a couple of years ago, most of the 10 acres was COVERED in blackberries. We moved in just in time to take full advantage of the crop…..:) We ended up transplanting many of them into a manageable sized bed and now have about 1/2 acre of tended blackberries. We planted strawberries last year and are already getting the beginning of our crop now. Strawberries cover about 1/4 acre and have net covers over them (I refuse to fight the birds for my berries). We had a fig tree and a lemon tree on the property when we moved in and have added 1 tangerine, 1 lime, 4 apple (2 types), 1 peach, 1 pear, 2 plum and 2 avocado trees. So now our “orchard” and “berry patch” cover about 2 acres of our homestead.
Sandra says
Be careful with kiwifruit vines. My parents’ neighbor planted them and they grew aggressively, up into the power lines. The electric utility had to remove them (for a fee, of course!).
Jen Y says
I grow a small garden in a large space – basically I have a lot of trees & a little vegetable garden. Some of our fruit is wild & some not; blackberry, apple, pear, mulberry, elderberry, strawberry & raspberry. I also grow some perennial vegetables & herbs; asparagus (I’m starting a 2nd bed this year) thyme, sage, parsley (reseeds), spearmint & catmint.