MINI FRUIT TREES for CONTAINERS
by Carole Schwalm

A lovely, and delicious thing to grow. There are mini apples, apricots, cherry, fig, olives, peach, pear and plum trees. There are also mini avocado, banana, kumquat, lemon, lime, mango, papaya, and star fruit.

You can plant fruit trees any time of the year, but March and April are best. The trees need full sun. And then:

• For your fruit tree start with a clay pot, best because it is heavy. And the size should be at least 18 to 20 inches in diameter.


• Place plenty (that would be at least 2 inches) of shards or broken clay pots in the bottom of the container to keep the soil inside during watering. And of course you need good drainage holes.


• Soil? Use good compost, mixed with perlite and each year refresh the compost by replacing the top layer.


• Water? Be generous, but let it dry between water. Never let it get bone dry, however. Raise up on pot feet so water doesn’t gather under the containers. Always remember that wind dries out the soil.

If the fruit you choose is hardy, your plants can winter outside. However, roots that are near the edges of the pot are vulnerable when it freezes, so wrap the container. If your plant can’t winter outdoors, bring it in, but let there be light.

Each year check to see if your plant needs repotting. You can root prune (like bonsai) to keep the size the way you want it.

Many of the plants pollinate each other so you have to choose more than one tree and it should be the same type of fruit (just apples, not apple and a pear). You can hand pollinate by transferring pollen between flowers with a soft brush.

Dare to give this a try!