Everyone knows the power of flowers and houseplants to brighten up our homes but these aren’t the only plants that can be grown inside. There are many fruits and vegetables which you can grow inside even easier than you can grow them in your garden. From berries to grapes, from figs to pomegranates, you will soon be able to create your very own fruit salads without ever having to leave your home. Different fruits have different needs in terms of light, heat, and water, so we have put together a list of the options available to you.
Here are some of the eight best fruits why you can go grow in the comfort of your own home.
1. Nectarines and Peaches
Many people wrongly think that it is impossible to grow peaches or nectarines inside because the trees are so big. In fact, with these fruits (and with others on this list), their dwarf varieties are perfect for indoor growing. Bonanza peaches and nectarellas can both be grown on 30-inch steams as short standards. They need to be kept in a sunny, well-lit position with temperatures of 10 to 13 Degrees Celsius until their fruit sets. At that point, they will need temperatures increased to 18 to 21 Degrees Celsius. During warm weather, you can keep them ventilated all through the day.
2. Strawberries
Various types of strawberries can be grown inside with alpine strawberries doing particularly well in most homes. You can find out more from this guide to growing indoor strawberries, but alpine strawberries, if grown in a pot on a sunny windowsill, will continuously produce fruit from the start of the summer until well into autumn. Large-fruited plants also do well inside, and will often produce fruit early if stimulated. To do so, pot the plants in six-inch pots in autumn in a well-lit room. By late spring, the plants will start developing fruit after which you can move them to the garden or throw them away. If you live in a warmer climate, you may need to consider the local species of strawberries and also the temperature of your home’s natural environment.
3. Apricots
Apricots are delicious, healthy fruits, which much like peaches and nectarines, can be grown inside if you cultivate the dwarf version. You can plant Goldcot or Shipley’s apricots in pots against a particularly sunny wall and they should thrive. The best potting material for apricots is soil-less compost with a lot of drainage material underneath. To guarantee fruit, pollinate the plants by hand using a paintbrush to transfer the pollen from one flower to another flower.
4. Mulberries
Mulberry trees grow very slowly so they are ideal for large indoor pots. If you want the tasty fruit to ripen in the early summer weeks, try growing the black mulberry tree (Morus nigra Chelsea) in a bright, well-ventilated spot, but out of the exposure of direct light. The ideal temperature conditions for mulberry trees to grow is between 13 and 21 Degrees Celsius. Mulberry flowers are white and fairly nondescript and should start to bloom in early spring before transforming into fruits a few months later.
5. Gooseberries
There are many different strains of gooseberries but there are two strains, the cape gooseberry, and the ground cherry gooseberry, which are particularly well suited for indoor growing. Both fill out into attractive bushy plants with small white flowers and yellow and red cherry-size fruits. When you grow these plants in large pots they can grow to more than 30cm across, especially if you place them near a window in direct sunlight.
6. Pomegranates
Growing full-size pomegranates can be very difficult inside but dwarf pomegranates are perfect for indoor growers. In particular, the smaller pomegranate strain, Punica granatum var. nana, only grows to around 90 cm high and will often produce the famous scarlet flowers before it reaches full maturity. Beautiful miniature pomegranate fruits will then follow the flowers in the first weeks of autumn but these fruits rarely ripen. It can be very difficult to produce edible fruit from indoor pomegranates but it is possible. You will need to give the plants a lot of sunlight and ventilation, especially as the summer fades into autumn.
The fantastic thing about growing different fruits in your home is that you can cultivate them all year round. In the summer, there is the most warmth and natural light, while in the winter, the different plants can help to add some color to your home to help you get through the dreary days.
