Colorful, fresh, beautiful, and sustainable, that is what every garden out there should look like! There are great deals of plants that we can grow in our gardens, from trees and flowers to vegetables and fruits. Now, for me personally, growing your fruits in your garden is the best idea, not only will it give your garden more color but also a lot of beautiful scents. Just imagine how great it is when you can go out in your garden and pick some seasonal fruit and eat it on the spot. Quite scenic, right? Another perk is that you don’t have to buy those processed fruits from your supermarket or very expensive organic ones. It is also inexpensive to have your little fruit garden!
To help you pick the best for you and your family, here are 12 fruits everyone should have in their garden:
Strawberries
Strawberries are one of the first spring fruits to ripen, as well as one of the most adaptable. They may be grown in hanging baskets, pots, raised beds, or in-ground gardens, so it doesn’t matter what style of garden you have.
When growing strawberries, keep in mind that they prefer full sun and well-draining soil. June bearers (one crop in June), ever bearers (two to three harvests per year), and day-neutral strawberries are the three varieties of strawberries available to gardeners (sets small amounts of strawberries all season).
When planting strawberries, keep in mind that they are spread by runners, so keep an eye on their progress. For the optimum fruit output, limit the runner to a few plants and trim the rest. To avoid fruiting in the first season, you should always trim off the flowers; this will result in a higher crop the next year.
Melons
When you picture the summer and fruit, you’re probably thinking about watermelon, which is one of the most iconic fruits. Growing melons is a fantastic option to acquire homegrown fruits if you don’t want to commit to a permanent fruit tree or bush.
Most people believe that melons require too much area to grow in a tiny garden, but this is not the case. Some types of melon do nicely in containers!
Melon varieties, no matter what they are, require a lot of sunlight and heat to thrive; they are not frost-resistant. Some vines may grow up to 20 feet tall, so if you don’t have a lot of areas to cultivate them, you’ll need a trellis. Melons grown on a trellis only work if the fruits are tiny; watermelons will pull the vines down.
Ground Cherries
Have you ever heard of ground cherries before? The majority of individuals haven’t! They’re a little-known garden gem that produces a delicious fruit that most gardeners can grow with minimal difficulty. These little fruits come from Central America and are linked to tomatoes!
Annual ground cherry plants may grow up to three feet broad and tall. They yield a plethora of little, golden-orange, cherry-sized fruits with a papery shell. If you’ve never tried ground cherries, they taste like a tomatillo with a hint of pineapple.
These fruits will never be found at a supermarket. They may be stored for up to three months in their paper husks, but they don’t transport well or last after being opened. They’re also difficult to harvest in huge quantities.
Fig Trees
If you reside in a subtropical, tropical, or similar climate, fig trees are an excellent alternative. Because figs cannot handle frost or cold weather, you must plant them in a container if you live anywhere where the average temperature drops way below freezing.
Fig trees, while being trees, rarely grow to be enormous; thus, they do well in pots. Make sure your tree gets lots of suns; this tree is native to the Mediterranean, so it requires a lot of warmth.
Fig trees are one of the simplest fruits to plant in your garden because they don’t need much trimming and are usually pest-free.
Cherry Trees
Consider planting cherry trees on your property if you want to add another fruit tree to your landscape. Cherries are one of the most simple fruits to cultivate, especially for novices, because the trees require little to no trimming and are resistant to pests and illnesses.
You can choose between sweet cherries and sour cherries while selecting cherry tree kinds. Sweet cherries are finest for eating fresh; sour cherries, on the other hand, are great for baking and creating preserves since they can be sweetened. Sweet cherries require two trees for cross-pollination, but sour cherries just require one fruit tree.
Cherry trees require some pruning in the winter when they’re dormant and have regular watering. Make sure you plant cherry trees in rich, well-draining soil and full sunlight.
Blackberries
Because they grow practically anyplace, blackberries are one of the easiest fruits to plant in your garden. They love damp, somewhat acidic soil, but birds disperse the seeds all over the place. Plants spring up all over the place with little to no effort on your part.
Blackberry bushes should be planted in the early spring and pruned down to six inches the following year to improve fruiting. The stems may be trained on wires to make harvesting easier. Consider planting a thornless kind of blackberry if you don’t like the thorns.
Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the easiest berry shrubs to grow. In the summer and fall, they generate crops. Raspberries do best in raised beds or in-ground gardens, but they may also be grown in containers. Make sure you have well-draining soil and enough sunlight wherever you’re planting raspberries.
Raspberries come in a variety of colors and sizes, and they ripen at different times. You’ll get homemade berries for several months if you plant a combination of early, mid-season, and late-season raspberries. Also, while you may believe raspberries are solely red, this is not the case! You can get light to dark red raspberries, as well as dark purple ones!
Honeyberries
Honeyberries aren’t as well-known as raspberries or blackberries, but they’re tasty and one of the most straightforward fruits to cultivate. These berries are high in antioxidants and make a tasty snack for the whole family.
Honeyberries are blueberry-like berries that are elongated and similar in color to blueberries. Honeyberries are a good choice for gardeners who have trouble producing berries because they don’t require much attention.
They require full sunshine and well-draining soil in order to thrive. Honeyberries may be grown in containers, but they must be raised off the ground to allow for enough air circulation. If you want to cultivate honeyberries in pots, you must replace the pot every three years.
Gooseberries
Gooseberries are often overlooked in favor of more popular berries such as blueberries and raspberries, which is a pity. They are low-maintenance, resilient shrubs that produce juicy, tasty fruits. Not to mention that they are suitable for use in any kitchen garden.
Gooseberries are adaptable, which is one of the finest reasons to plant them. You may pick them early for savory meals or wait until they’ve ripened and sweetened for the ideal cake or preserves. When eaten fresh off the bush, they are delicious.
Currants
Currants are sometimes overlooked by gardeners, but if you want to cultivate delicate fruits that taste fantastic in jams and jellies, you should try growing them. They may be grown in black, white, or red varieties, and they all taste delicious as a fresh snack.
Currants will freeze well, so if you don’t have time to make a jam right away, you can do it later during the year. They have the advantage of being able to grow in small places and containers. And they grow effectively in patio gardens if you don’t have a huge property.
Blueberries
Who doesn’t like fresh blueberries from their own garden? Blueberries are ideal for container gardening if you don’t have enough space for cultivating berries in the ground. The berries are harvested in the late summer, but you may enjoy the wonderfully perfumed blossoms throughout spring.
If you want to cultivate blueberries, make sure the soil is wet and acidic. A blueberry shrub takes three years to fully mature, but after that, they’re rather low-maintenance. They’re lovely plants that look fantastic in your yard or patio till that time comes.
For effective pollination, you’ll need two types of blueberries if you want a substantial crop. Think about the blueberry variety you wish to cultivate in relation to your environment. Highbush blueberries should be grown in cold locations, whereas southern highbush variants or rabbiteye blueberries should be grown in warm climates.
Apple Trees
New gardeners frequently try apple trees as their first fruit tree. Everyone likes apples, and because there are varieties for most climates, it’s a popular choice for most people.
Apple trees will do best when they are planted in the ground. Examine all of the types that grow well in your area and choose ones that fit your needs. Some apples are best eaten raw, while others are better baked or used to make applesauce.
To guarantee adequate pollination, you’ll need two distinct apple tree kinds. If you don’t have much room, cultivate two dwarf types that only grow to be 7-10 feet tall.