Container fruit suggestions for zone 5a

Hello all,

I love DG because of all the gardeners out there who love a challenge. I live in an apartment so I do the best I can with balcony gardening. I've had lots of luck with tomatoes in the summer, plus I have a Meyer lemon, Bearss lime, and calamondin orange that overwinter inside.

I'd like to expand my garden this spring and go with something I can overwinter outside. I'm not sure what would be best for my growing conditions. I'd love to grow dwarf apples/crabapples or blueberries but I do have the limitation of size. One day I'll have to move and I think a huge container like a whiskey barrel would be too heavy to carry down 2 flights of stairs! I'm also concerned about our cold Iowa winters since the roots will be above ground. I have an unheated garage but again, 2 flights of stairs. :) I plan on going for the super-hardy varieties that can stand zone 3 winters. (That goes for apples, too, if I decide to go that way.)

Should I just stick with my tomatoes and citrus until I get a house with a yard?

Thanks in advance!

Deirdre

Blueberries, currants and gooseberries will all do fine in containers smaller than a whiskey barrel. Most of mine are in pots and produce every year. You can also do Nanking cherries, Joel bush cherries and Korean cherries in pots. The smaller varieties of honeyberries will also work, but eventually decline unless you repot periodically. Regarding smaller fruits, lingonberries will do fine in small, wide pots.

Oh I'd love to have cherries! Thanks for the info!

I think Nanking cherries are a good place to start. Need two to pollinate. Edible Landscaping has a white fruited variety as well as the typical reds. Good luck!