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carolinabluesky

Does anyone grow container edibles?

carolinabluesky
16 years ago

I'm new to this forum and need some experienced advice. Has anyone tried growing some of the "superdwarf" varieties of edibles in containers.

I have soil that is very high in clay content and while I can grow edibles like pears, elderberries, and filbert, I wanted to try some of these new varieties of peach, necterine, and grape in containers.

Has anyone tried these? Any advice will be appreciated.

Comments (6)

  • gcmastiffs
    16 years ago

    I grow dwarf Peaches, regular Nectarines and Peaches, and many, many other fruiting trees/shrubs in containers. Having lost many fruits to tree rats (squirrels) in the past, placing my trees on the patio allows us and the dogs to watch them closely.

    I grow Grapes in containers with the bottoms knocked out, so they can root in the ground. These containers are against a sturdy fence that the vines are trained up on. Having them in containers makes keeping the stem area weed-free much easier.

    Some of my other potted fruit trees/shrubs are Nonis, Pomegranates, Citrus, Dwarf Mulberry, Blueberries, Dragonfruit, Miracle Fruit, Jaboticaba, Cacao, Sapodilla, Apples, Figs, Papayas, Longan, Canistel, Sugar Apples, Camito, Cashews, and Bananas.

    You don't need Superdwarfs. Dwarfing rootstock and summer pruning will allow you to keep them any size you want. My Dwarf Bonanza Peach trees are actually too small for my taste. At 2' tall, the chickens can jump up and get the fruits before they ripen.

    Lisa

  • carolinabluesky
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    THANX! I appreciate the advice from someone with experience. But now I'm a bit jealous of your zone possibilities.

  • marymarie
    15 years ago

    What do you do with the containers in the winter? Is it okay to leave the containers sit out in the winter?

  • carolinabluesky
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Well, I am new to this but I do leave them out in the yard with a layer of mulch if they are zone hardy. With other things like my olive tree, I move them inside for protection when the temps drop. Maybe there is a better way, but this has been working fine for me. And I had peaches and nectarines last summer! I am also trying a raised bed hoop house this winter for veggies- it's not difficult and I'll let you know how it works.

  • freemangreens
    15 years ago

    I grow strawberries and tomatoes; each in containers. I'm a hydro grower, by the way. You can see pictures at my Web site (URL in my profile).

  • fruit_nut
    15 years ago

    Three years ago, we moved to a house with very little planting space, so I planted all these berries in containers: blueberries, blackberries, currants(red and clove), serviceberries, gooseberries, boysenberries, dewberries, quince and grapes. I got a couple of handfuls of fruit from each bush last year. I also have fruit trees, but they are only 2 years old, so I haven't got any fruit from them, yet. I did tomatoes, artichokes, beans, peas, soybeans, asparagus, and lettuce in containers last year and that worked great. Plus herbs like chives, mint, basil, parsley and cilantro did very well in containers the last few years.
    For the winter, I put them all against the north side of the house after the frost in the fall and cover them with wood chip mulch about 6 inches thick on top of the containers. Then move them out into a sunny area when they start showing life in the spring. I keep them all together so that the roots are shaded by the neighboring containers.
    I would also love to hear from other container edible gardeners. Most of what I have learned has been the hard way. Most nursery people that I talk to say that you can't do perennial edibles in containers. Hopefully we can prove them wrong!

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