Growing Fruit Trees in Your Apartment

It is almost impossible for people living in apartments in Singapore to maintain a small garden because of the limited space. If you have a small porch that gets a lot of sunlight, however, you can liven up your apartment with these beautiful fruit trees that can be grown in pots along with your collection of herbs and flowering plants. Not only will you add color to your home, but you’ll always have fresh fruits within your reach.

Factors to Consider

Before choosing a fruit tree, you should keep in mind that taking care of these plants also require the same time and effort as a garden. Use a nutrient-rich soil that contains a lot of organic matter and nitrogen. If possible, you should add some compost layer every 3 weeks to keep it healthy.

Fertilizers are not a requirement, but if the plant has not been able to bear fruit, you will only need to add a nitrogen fertilizer. Pruning is just as important as watering and weeding, but you should never remove the decaying branches and leaves if the plant is still producing fruit.

Finally, make sure to research about the fruit tree of your choice because each has specific care and nutrient requirements to produce fruits. These factors will help determine the size of the pots you need to use and how much water and sunlight are needed.

Here are the fruit trees you can grow on your porch.

Lemon. Look for a cultivar that is self-pollinating like the Meyer lemon. The soil required for lemon to thrive must be slightly acidic, but they need a lot of moisture, so you have to spray daily with water. If you need to water the plant, make sure that the soil is fully dry before doing so. Ideally, they should be placed in a brightly lit porch that gets a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight.

Lime. Taking care of a lime tree requires the same car as lemon trees. If you want to have lots of fruits, pick the Kaffir lime cultivar which is ideal for small porches.

Olives. Some cultivars do not bear fruit so you need to specifically look for self-pollinating varieties such as the picholine and the arbequina. Olives don’t need regular watering unless the top part of the soil is completely dry. It also needs at least 6 hours of sunlight so place them in a brightly lit part of the porch.

Avocado. The best avocado plants should be grafted from a variety that doesn’t need cross-pollination. It doesn’t need to be watered regularly, so avoid soaking up the soil completely. Its potting mix should contain sand at the bottom to avoid having too much water.

Figs. Some species of figs can tolerate most types climates, so make sure you pick one that is appropriate for a tropical climate. Edible figs need bright lights all the time, so your porch should get sunlight most of the day for the plant to be healthy. It can be watered once a week, but figs need pruning depending on the variety.