The fruit plants used for container garden are mostly dwarf trained forms of apples, citrus fruit, nectarines, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, and plums. All these plants can be grown in pots and tubs whose diameter and depth should be round about 45-60 cm (18-24 inches). Soil based potting compost would be ideal along with proper drainage at the bottom of the container.

Fruits Container Gardens

Proper watering and feeding is necessary for all plants. Besides this, a proper sunlight and shelter will also be necessary for fruits. It is important to thin out the trees to remove the excess from the plant so that it will grow properly in the wooden tub. Remember, fruit trees require regular pruning depending on the fruit type and the circumstances in which it is grown.

Selecting Fruits

In the container garden the fruits grown are trained as dwarf pyramids or dwarf bush trees. As the space is limited these are procured on dwarfing rootstocks to keep their size small. For apples and pears, you need to grow varieties to make certain that cross pollination of the flowers takes place. Otherwise the fruit production would be the minimum. You can use 'family' apple or pear tree for extreme confined space.

Apples

Apples on dwarfing rootstock M9 or M27 should be grown as dwarf bush or dwarf pyramid trees. Make certain that the cross pollination take place. The best varieties you can grow together are 'Egremont Russet', 'Discovery', 'Cox's Orange Pippin', 'Ashmead's Kernel' and 'Greensleeves'.

Pears

These are grown in a pretty much same manner as apples. Two varieties should be grown to ensure that they cross pollinate. The well known varieties are 'Doyenne du Cornice' with 'Beurre Hardy' and 'Williams' 'Bon Chretien' with 'Conference'.

Cherries

Cherries don't need to cross pollinate. Buy a self fertile variety like 'Stella' on the dwarfing rootstock 'Colt' and grow as dwarf bush or dwarf pyramid.

Plums

Buy a self fertile variety like 'Victoria' on dwarfing rootstock 'Pixy' grow as dwarf bush or dwarf pyramid.
Peaches and Nectarines

These are grown as dwarf bush trees and what you need to do is to pollinate the flowers by hand that appear early in the year. You need to dab the centre of each flower with a soft artist's brush to transfer the pollens from one flower to another.

Citrus Fruits

Fruits like C. aurantium, the Seville orange, sweet orange and citrus sinensis should be grown as dwarf pyramid or dwarf bush tree. As these plants are tender plants, they need to be kept under a greenhouse to prevent frostbites.

Grape Vine

It is very open to training. The height of the grape vine would be about 1.8 m (6 inches) and it is grown as standard in container, i.e. a single permanent stem with new growth being produced at the top.

Strawberries

These are an attractive feature of any patio. The most modern patio usually have these grown in proprietary Tower Pots, whereas in strawberry barrels in cottage patio. The former is a tall cylinder with planting pockets on the sides, and the latter is an ordinary timber barrel with 5 cm (2 inches) diameters holes bored in the sides, 20 cm (8 inches) apart.