Hello, South Florida gardeners! We all enjoy eating fruits, and they’re quite healthy too. we all love to eat fruits and it's healthy as well. But the trees need huge space to grow. My uncle does not have a large space to grow fruit trees but he loves fruits a lot. Last year, he asked me for suggestions on growing fruit trees that don’t take up too much space. I have been growing veggies, fruits, and herbs since my childhood. So I made a list of fruit trees that we can grow easily in small spaces. In this article, I will share a handpicked list of fruit trees that we can easily grow in a little space.
Note: If you want a complete list of fruit trees to grow in Florida, check: Best fruit trees to grow in Florida
Factors need to be considered before choosing fruit trees for small space
Most of us are familiar with a lot of trees that produce delicious fruits. But while choosing fruit trees for this list we need to consider several factors:
- Is it a dwarf variety? - There are a lot of tasty fruit trees that also come in a dwarf variety. We can consider these dwarf varieties.
- Natural Growth Habit: Some trees, even without being dwarf varieties, naturally grow smaller or can be trained through pruning.
- Heat tolerance: South Florida's climate is tropical to subtropical. So our list should only contain those trees that can actually tolerate the heat and humidity of South Florida.
- Strong Roots: I will also consider trees having strong roots, as we can face Hurricanes in South Florida. You can read: how to protect plants and trees from Hurricanes.
There are a lot of other factors to consider according to our needs but I don't want to stretch the article. Let's jump to the list you are looking for.
List of 15 Fruit Trees that you can grow if you have little space
| Fruit Tree | Time to Fruit | Tree Size |
|---|---|---|
| Mango | 3-4 years | Dwarf varieties: 3-5 feet |
| Citrus (Orange, Lemon) | 2-3 years | Dwarf varieties: 3-4 feet |
| Avocado | 3-4 years | Dwarf varieties: 5-7 feet |
| Guava | 2-3 years | 6-10 feet |
| Fig | 1-2 years | Dwarf varieties: 3-4 feet |
| Pineapple | 1-2 years | 1-3 feet |
| Papaya | 6-12 months | 6-10 feet |
| Blackberry | 1-2 years | 3-5 feet |
| Passion Fruit | 1-2 years | 6-10 feet (vine) |
| Starfruit (Carambola) | 1-3 years | 6-10 feet |
| Pomegranate | 2-3 years | 4-6 feet |
| Cherry (Surinam) | 3-5 years | 15-20 feet |
| Mulberry | 1-2 years | 10-15 feet |
| Loquat | 2-3 years | 10-15 feet |
| Barbados Cherry | 2-3 years | 3-5 feet |
If you ask me to pick a few from this list for my yard, I will choose Papaya, as we can easily grow Papaya in Florida's residential gardens.
Then Guava, as it will give you fruits almost all year around and in a specific period (when there will be no rain) the guava will taste sweeter than ever. I will try to avoid Mango until I get the sapling or cuttings from a trustworthy supplier.
Starfruit is also a good one. I have one Starfruit tree which may be dwarf. It's only 1 year old and I am getting a lot of fruit. To be honest, I like the pinkish blossoms more than the fruits.
Another fruit that I did not add to the list as you may find difficulty in finding it in South Florida. I somehow managed to plant it. You can read my article: Grow Carissa carandas (Karonda) in Florida
It looks like this:
A fruit falling in the citrus category is named: Pomelo.
The fruit is still small and not yet ripe. The tree stands about 10 feet tall.
Here is the Barbados cherry that I have grown in my backyard garden:
Do not go for Lychee unless you get sandy soil. Otherwise, it will grow but will not produce much fruit.
If you are interested in birds and butterflies you can check: Best trees to attract birds in South Florida and Best Plants to Attract Butterflies in South Florida.
Bonus Tips:
Some fruit trees, like peaches and certain citrus varieties, are self-pollinating. This means that they don’t need to grow another tree to produce fruit. But if you look at avocados, they may need another tree of the same species (or a pollinator tree) nearby to bear fruit.
If you are going for any other dwarf fruit tree, check the mature canopy size of the tree. Even dwarf varieties have varying widths, and you’ll want to check if the canopy overwhelms your small area.
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