Five Fantastic Fruiting Plants for Your Summer Garden

by Laurelynn Martin, Logee’s Co-Owner

American Wonder ‘Ponderosa’ Lemon

American Wonder Lemon

Summer is here and now’s the time to harvest delicious, home-grown fruit.  At Logee’s, we specialize in fruiting plants that can be grown in the garden or in a large pot. No matter what climate or geographic area you are in, all of these fruiting plants below can be grown and enjoyed in your summer garden.

If you are new at growing fruiting plants, you may want to start with a perennial, such as a blueberry, which can be planted directly in the ground in zones 3-7 and will delight you with fruit for many years. And, another berry worth growing is the Mulberry, which can be grown in a pot during the summer season but will need to come inside if you live outside of zones 7-9. Or you may want to start with a citrus, such as a Ponderosa Lemon, which makes a great container plant for your outdoor garden and can be taken in at the end of the season. If you have a bit more experience with container plants and love avocados, then we recommend Day Avocado.

Let’s take a closer look at these fantastic fruiting plants…

Blueberry ‘Top Hat’

Blueberry ‘Top Hat’ (Vaccinium angustifolium)

Blueberry ‘Top Hat’ (Vaccinium angustifolium)

There’s nothing more rewarding then growing sweet berries in your summer garden. ‘Top Hat’ Blueberry makes a wonderful potted patio plant that will reward you with an abundance of large berries mid-summer. The dwarf, round growth habit and small leaves lends itself to container culture. ‘Top Hat’ can also be planted directly in the ground as a border plant. This self-fertile variety doesn’t need a cross pollinator to set fruit. Grow in well-drained, acidic soil. Best grown in zones 3-7.

Mulberry ‘Dwarf Everbearing’

Dwarf Mulberry ‘Dwarf Everbearing’ (Morus nigra)

Dwarf Mulberry ‘Dwarf Everbearing’ (Morus nigra)

Mulberries are an excellent choice for your edible garden or landscape. They are easy-to-grow and produce sweet, medium-sized fruit. If grown in pots, they generally produce two crops a year, even during the first season. The only real requirement is that they are given warm temperatures and full sun to keep the blooming-and-fruiting cycle going. You can maintain them under 2’ tall in a pot with moderate pruning or let them turn into a large bush if planted directly in the ground. You must take these inside you live outside of zones 7-9. A plus of growing Mulberries are their disease-and-insect resistant nature.

Ponderosa Lemon

The American Wonder Lemon ‘Ponderosa’ (Citrus limon)

American Wonder Lemon ‘Ponderosa’ (Citrus limon)

Also known as the American Wonder Lemon for its enormous size, each lemon can potentially reach five pounds or more. Of course, when starting out with a small plant, you must be sure to make a multi-branched specimen so your lemon tree can hold the weight of the fruit. Watch for a heavy surge of fragrant white flowers in the spring followed by tiny lemons. Grow your Ponderosa Lemon Tree in a container in your outdoor garden space in full sun. We recommend a clay pot for good root health and fertilize moderately in the active growing season.

Avocado ‘Day’

Avocado ‘Day’ (Persea americana)

Avocado ‘Day’ (Persea americana)

‘Day’ Avocado is known for its buttery sweet taste. It’s by far the easiest avocado to fruit in a pot. Many people have grown avocados from a pit they have eaten and wonder why their avocado doesn’t fruit. Our answer is the same, eventually your pit-grown avocado will fruit but it will take years to harvest. We recommend grafted plants since they will start bearing fruit in 2-3 years, once they get about 3’ tall. ‘Day’ produces a medium-sized, tapered-neck avocado which will hold onto the plant for six months with ripening occurring from July to September.

Fig ‘LSU Purple’

Fig ‘LSU Purple’ (Ficus carica)

Fig ‘LSU Purple’ (Ficus carica)

What we love about figs is that anyone can grow them anywhere with a few simple instructions. And, ‘LSU Purple’ is a great choice for beginners. The deepest purple of all figs on the outside with a light strawberry color inside is a reflection of its sweet, delicious pulp. ‘LSU Purple’ produces an abundance of fruit within the first year when grown in a container. But our favorite way to grow figs in the north is to plant them directly in the ground and cover them with insulation and plastic. Most figs work this way and you will be amazed that right away you will get a breber crop in the spring and then its usual crop at the end of the summer.

I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about some of my favorite fruiting plants that are perfect for a summer garden. You may also be interested in our article on how to grow tropical fruit plants. Before you go, please be sure to explore our selection of fruiting, rare and tropical plants. And don’t forget to request your free Logee’s catalog while you’re here, too!

Learn more about the fruiting plants mentioned in this article: