Growing fruit in containers is the perfect solution for small space gardens, offering incredible flexibility, easy maintenance, and a delicious crop. Here are some of the best fruits to grow on balconies and patios, along with simple techniques to help you maximise every inch of soil. 

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Strawberry ‘Albion’

Strawberry ‘Albion’ thrives in containers
Image: Strawberry ‘Albion’ (Everbearer) from Suttons

Almost all strawberries grow well in containers but, if you want to maximise the yield from a small space, Strawberry ‘Albion’ is a particularly good choice. From the latest breed of everbearers, these bright red berries start appearing in June and continue cropping until the end of October. What’s more, the superb flavour remains consistent throughout while improved disease resistance keeps the quality high.

Plant your strawberries in autumn or late spring in a sunny spot with well-manured, free-draining soil. A great option for containers, they also grow well in hanging baskets and windowboxes.

Raspberry ‘Yummy’

This new raspberry variety is perfect for patio containers
Image: Raspberry ‘Yummy’ from Suttons

Growing to a height of just 45cm, Raspberry ‘Yummy’ is a neat and compact variety that’s perfect for container growing. Not only does it start producing fruit in its first year, it’s low-maintenance and easy to grow. Harvest the juicy berries from May until July.

If you want a longer season of delicious raspberries, try combining the early-fruiting ‘Yummy’ with Raspberry ‘Little Sweet Sister’. Slightly taller at 90cm in height, this autumn-fruiting variety is also suitable for containers and crops from mid-July until September.

Lowberry® Blackberry ‘Little Black Prince’

These sweet and tasty fruits are produced on almost thornless stems
Image: Lowberry® Blackberry ‘Little Black Prince’ from Suttons

You don’t need a huge garden to grow your own fruit. The result of modern breeding, Blackberry ‘Little Black Prince’ is a thornless, dwarf variety that reaches a maximum height of 1m. Thriving in a container on a sunny patio or balcony, this ever-bearing primocane produces bumper crops of big, sweet berries on both old and new wood from August until October.

Plant Blackberry ‘Little Black Prince’ in containers of good quality compost like John Innes No. 2. Move your pots to a sunny position and keep them well watered.

Blueberry ‘Flamingo’

Blueberry ‘Flamingo’ has beautiful pink and green foliage
Image: Blueberry ‘Flamingo’ from Suttons

This compact little blueberry plant reaches a mature height of 100cm, making it ideal for patios where you can enjoy its beautiful mottled foliage as well as its sweet and juicy summer fruits. A self-fertile variety, it produces even higher yields when grown alongside another blueberry to increase pollination. And when you’ve harvested all the nutrition-packed berries, the crimson autumn foliage provides a wonderful display as winter approaches.

Plant your Blueberry ‘Flamingo’ bush in a large container of ericaceous compost and position it in a sunny or semi-shaded spot.

Mountain Cranberry

This evergreen perennial is perfect for window boxes and containers
Image: Mountain Cranberry Seeds from Suttons

Also known as ‘Lingonberry’, Mountain Cranberry is a low-growing, acid-loving evergreen plant that reaches just 15cm tall and fits perfectly into containers and window boxes. To make the most of your space, try underplanting it around other acid-soil-loving fruits like blueberries.

A traditional favourite in Nordic countries, the fruits of Mountain Cranberries are bright red and have a tart, acidic and slightly sweet flavour. Delicious in juices, jams, cakes and sauces, the berries contain high levels of pectin which helps homemade jams and jellies set.

Sow Mountain Cranberry seeds from September to February and keep in a cold frame until they sprout the following spring. They need a period of cold to germinate.

Wild Blueberry

With beautiful foliage and delicious fruits, wild blueberries are hard-working plants
Image: Wild Blueberry Seeds from Suttons

Also known as bilberries, Wild Blueberry plants grow to just 30cm tall and are a great way to generate lots of flavour from a small space. Attractive, self-fertile and slow-growing, these stunning little plants produce bumper crops. Plant them in windowboxes, containers or even hanging baskets for a hard-working ornamental edible.

Sow wild blueberry seeds on a sunny windowsill from late February to April. Germination can take up to 28 days.

Strawberry ‘Strawberry Sticks’

This striking plant has edible leaves and berry-like seeds that resemble tiny strawberries
Image: Strawberry ‘Strawberry Sticks’ (Chenopodium) seeds from Suttons

For an attractive and fascinating addition to a small garden, the ‘Strawberry Stick’ plant is a great container crop. Also known as Strawberry Spinach, the pale green arrow-shaped leaves make a tasty addition to summer salads and the ruby red fruits make a delicious dessert in the autumn. Each ‘stick’ reaches a height of 60-80cm

Sow ‘Strawberry Stick’ seeds from February to April and, when the plants are big enough to go out, move them to large 35cm pots and put them in a bright spot that gets at least 3 hours of sunshine a day.

With a little planning, your small space garden can provide huge harvests of homegrown fruit, veg and herbs. If you love growing fruit, our Ultimate guide to growing soft fruit is a helpful resource. And if you want to branch out and try other crops, read our best expert advice on growing vertical veg. 

Lead image: Raspberry ‘Yummy’ from Suttons