Would you like to know what types of fruit plants for the garden or terraceIf you're one of those who wants to dedicate your land, patio, or terrace to growing edible plants, you should keep in mind something you'll probably love: there's a wide variety of plants that will be useful to you. But it's important to know a little about them, otherwise you'll end up wasting money.
For example, you have to inform yourself about its light needs and its rusticity, since a, let's say, mango will not grow as well in an area where the climate is tropical and humid than in another where frosts are registered. Therefore, below we show you a selection of fruit plants, suitable for growing in temperate and subtropical climates (that is, areas where the minimum temperature drops below 0 degrees).
Fruit trees
All trees bear fruit, but not all are fit for human consumption. Also, there are some that are deciduous and others are evergreen. Not sure which one to choose? Do not worry.
To make it easier for you, we will tell you a few examples of each type:
Deciduous
Almendro
Image - Wikimedia / Diego Delso
El almond, whose scientific name is Almond, is a deciduous tree native to Asia, but it has been in the Mediterranean region for about 2000 years (according to Wikipedia), which was when the Phoenicians introduced it. Reaches a height of 3 to 5 meters, and it is one of the fruit trees that needs the least cold hours (between 200 and 500). Learn more about sea breeze-resistant plants to complement your garden.
He wants sun. It is a plant that has to be cultivated in clay or neutral soils so that it can grow. Likewise, it is convenient to water it from time to time, since although it resists drought somewhat, it develops much better if it receives water regularly, especially in summer. For the rest, it resists up to -7ºC, although the spring frosts harm it.
Damasco
Image - Wikimedia / Fir0002
The apricot or apricot tree, whose scientific name is Prunus armeniaca, is a deciduous tree native to Armenia. It reaches between 3 and 6 meters in height, and it is somewhat thorny. It produces subglobose or ellipsoidal fruits, with velvety yellowish or orange skin.
Requires fertile, well-drained soils, as well as sunny exposure. As for the risks, they must be moderate. For good fruit production, it is also necessary that the climate be temperate, with frosts down to -12ºC.
Manzano
El manzano, whose scientific name is Malus domestica, is a deciduous tree native to China. It can reach a height of 12 meters, but in cultivation it is rare that it is allowed to exceed 3 meters. Unlike other Malus, it has no spines. Its fruit is a globose pommel with thin skin, green, yellow, or reddish depending on the variety.
Evergreen
Orange
The orange tree, whose scientific name is Citrus, is a tree native to China and Indochina that reaches a height of up to 10 meters. Its leaves are large, green, and it produces white flowers that give off a delicious aroma. The fruit is a hesperidium, rounded, with an orange peel and a pulp divided into numerous segments.
It can be grown in hot climates, in full sun and on sandy or sandy loam soils, whose pH is between 6 and 7. It tolerates limestone, but in these it will be necessary to apply iron chelate from time to time, or fertilize it with a specific fertilizer for acidic plants. It resists weak frosts, down to -5ºC, but it is preferable that it does not drop below -2ºC.
Medlar
El medlar, whose scientific name is Eriobotrya japonica, It is a fruit native to China that reaches a height of 10 meters. It should be noted the beauty of its leaves, which are large up to 30 centimeters, dark green on the upper side, and with dense pubescence on the underside. The fruits are pyriform, ellipsoid or subglobose pommel, yellow to orange when ripe.
It is not demanding. It tolerates a large amount of land and climates, being able to live both in the subtropics and in the temperate-warm ones. All you need is regular sun and water. It resists up to -7ºC, but you must bear in mind that in order to bear fruit it is necessary that the average temperature of the whole year is equal to or greater than 15ºC, which is why it is considered a coastal fruit tree.
Olive
Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr
The olive tree, whose scientific name is Olea europaea, is an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region, which grows up to 15 meters high. Its crown is wide, and its trunk is thick, and as it does not have thorns, it is used both to beautify the garden and for its fruits. These are olives, that is, succulent drupes of green or blackish color depending on the variety.
Fruit shrubs and vines
We rarely think about these plants, but the truth is that they can give us a lot of play. For example, to delimit paths, or to grow them in pots, they are very interesting:
Blueberry
El blueberry, whose scientific name is Vaccinium corymbosum, is an evergreen shrub native to the United States. It has a rounded bearing, and reaches a maximum height of 2 meters. It produces small, rounded fruits, bluish in color when ripe.
It is a bush sensitive to wind, which favors its development.
Blackthorn
The blackthorn, whose scientific name is prunus spinosa, is a deciduous shrub that reaches a height of 4 meters. It has a very branched and tangled bearing, as well as thorny. The fruits are oval drupes of bluish, purplish or blackish color.
Grows in a wide variety of soils, and since it can withstand temperatures down to -15ºC, it is very interesting for cold climates and diverse terrains.
Kiwi
El Kiwi, whose scientific name is Delicious actinidia, is a deciduous vine native to Asia, specifically China. It can reach 9 meters in height if it has support to climb on. It produces aromatic white flowers and fruits that are oval shaped berries. The skin of these is very fine, brownish green, and the pulp is bright green.
Other fruit plants
You have seen trees, shrubs and some climbing plants that bear edible fruits. But ... there are other types of plants that are also highly recommended:
Date
La date, whose scientific name is Phoenix dactylifera, is a palm native to southwest Asia. It is generally multilayered (that is, it develops several trunks), but it can be monocaule (one trunk). Reaches a height of 30 meters, with a diameter of 20 to 50 centimeters. Its leaves are pinnate and spiny, up to 5 meters long. It produces fruits that are oblong-ovoid orange berries, called dates.
In cultivation it is not demanding, but Choose high-performance plants for your spaces and in well-drained soil. Resistant to temperatures down to -4ºC.
Strawberry
La strawberry, whose scientific name is Fragaria vesca, is a perennial herb (lives several years) that reaches a height of about 30 centimeters. Its leaves are rosette, composed of three leaflets. The flowers are whitish, and its fruits are polyaquenian, reddish in color when ripe.
Resists many conditions, perfect for grow in your garden or terrace and can grow in semi-shade.
Banana tree
Image - Wikimedia / Dinesh Valke from Thane, India
There are many types of banana trees, but not all of them produce edible bananas. One of those that do is the hybrid Muse x paradisiaca. It is a megaforbia (giant herb) that reaches a height of 7 meters, with whole and smooth leaves about 3 meters long by 90 centimeters wide. It produces fruits that are false berries up to 30 centimeters long by up to 5 centimeters in diameter, with a yellow skin and a slightly lighter pulp.
The soil must drain well, although it tolerates occasional waterlogging as long as it doesn't last more than 48 hours. It's not a plant for growing in cold climates: temperatures below 0 degrees kill both the leaves and the stem, but the rhizome survives mild frosts down to -2 degrees Celsius. In Spain, it can grow along the Mediterranean coast, where the average annual temperature is 14 degrees Celsius or higher, and where frosts are very rare and brief; it is also cultivated in many parts of the Canary Islands.
