Growing your own fruit is fun, healthy, easy and tasty. Wondering which fruit you can easily grow by yourself? You don’t need an orchard to grow your own fruit at home. Apple trees, strawberries and figs can all grow in a climate such as the Netherlands or Belgium.
If space is limited, try growing fruit in a planter. You can even grow fruit in hanging baskets! Below we describe the top ten easy-to-grow fruit trees and fruit plants.
1. Strawberries
There are few people who do not like the fresh, juicy taste of sun-heated strawberries straight from the garden.
Strawberry plants are so versatile that they can be grown in containers, hanging baskets, plant bags and flower boxes. They can also be planted directly into the ground.
2. Raspberries
Autumn raspberries are self-sufficient, so you can plant them in trays or in lumps in the garden. This undemanding crop can be harvested during late summer until early autumn for a delicious dessert.
They are easy to maintain. All you have to do is cut out all the stems that gave fruit, low to the ground. This avoids a tangle of side branches.
3. Goji berries
Goji berries, often described as ‘superfood’, are rich in nutrients, with a sweet liquorice flavour. Despite their exotic name, these hardy shrubs are surprisingly strong and grow in almost any sunny position, even in windy coastal areas!
Add goji berries to your breakfast for a wonderful start to the day.
4. Figs
Why not grow your own figs? They should be grown against a hot, sunny wall and can best be harvested when the roots are restricted in their growth.
5. Gooseberries
These berries are perfect for any vegetable garden! Gooseberries are flexible enough to be harvested early for savoury sauces, or to ripen in the bushes and sweeten for example a cake.
You can also eat them directly from the bushes, nice and fresh!
6. Apples
An apple tree is a real addition for your garden. There is a suitable apple tree for every type of garden.
Think carefully in advance about which apple tree is suitable for your garden and which apples you like. If you have enough space, choose two different varieties that pollinate each other. An apple tree needs to be pollinated by another variety in order to have a good fruit yield.
Try to grow fruit trees in tubs if you have a smaller garden.
Blackberries
Grow blackberries in the corner behind the barn, or let them grow over an old ugly fence. Growing your own fruit couldn’t be easier! These delicious fruits grow almost everywhere and don’t need a lot of attention.
Tie the branches together to make it easier to harvest and to prevent sprawl. If you don’t want to be pricked, choose a thornless bramble.
8. Honey berries
This unusual fruit is full of antioxidants and the blueberry-like berries are a delicious treat that can be picked directly from the bush.
Honey berries are tough plants and are very resistant to winter. To get the best honey berries it is best to grow them in pairs. This is how you promote mutual pollination.
9. Blueberries
If you want to grow fruit in bins, try blueberries! Fragrant flowers in spring, fiery coloured autumn green and nutritious crops of fresh blueberries in late summer. What more could you ask more of a plant? All they need is an acidic (ericaceous) soil, which you can buy in an (online) garden centre.
Blueberries are low-maintenance and after about three years the plant grows fruits. In the meantime, blueberries have become a very popular terrace plant.
10. Berries
Red, black and white berries are perfect soft fruits for decorating desserts, making jams or sauces. They are easy to freeze, so you can also enjoy the taste of summer in the winter months.
