Growing Fruit Trees Indoors
The list of vegetables and herbs that can be grown indoors is a long one. When it comes to fruit trees, however, the list is much shorter, and growing them is much more challenging.
All the fruit trees that can be grown indoors are mostly citrus varieties grown or native to warm regions where winter temperatures never go below freezing. They need warmth and lots of sunshine. Other fruit trees like peaches, pears or apples are deciduous (drop their leaves in winter) and need a lengthy period at temperatures below freezing to trigger the development of buds (and fruit) the following season; a natural process known as “vernalization.” Without vernalization, these trees will not produce fruit, and it’s impossible to reproduce the conditions needed for vernalization in an indoor setting at home.
Citrus trees require a lot of light and can be a challenge to grow indoors. They need a bright south-facing window where they get at least 8 hours of direct sun each day, or else the use of grow lights. Alternatively, the plants can be moved outdoors during warm summer months and brought back inside a few weeks before temperatures drop below freezing. The sunlight indoors is also less intense than outdoors, so it can be difficult to give these fruit trees exactly what they need to perform well. They need sufficient light – duration and intensity – at the right temperatures and level of humidity.
Most citrus varieties are self-pollinating (they don’t need a second tree to get pollinated for fruit development), but without bees indoors, the trees will need some help to spread their own pollen. When the tree’s in flower, you’ll need to use a small paintbrush to spread pollen from flower to flower.
When choosing citrus varieties to grow indoors, look for dwarf varieties like the popular Meyer lemon or Key lime. Eureka lemon or Bearss lime trees can also be maintained at a height of about 6 feet (180 cm) when grown in containers. Most orange varieties will grow too big for containers indoors, but one dwarf variety to try is the Calamondin orange (Citrus x citrofortunella mitis) that only grows to about 4 feet (120 cm) tall. It’s a cross between kumquat and tangerine; tart for eating but can be used to replace lemons in cooking or to make marmalade.
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