Edible fruit goes well beyond the basic grocery store varieties. Learn about literally dozens of types of tasty edible fruits you can grow in your backyard with minimal space and little effort.
Small edible fruit and berries. Left to right, starting from the top: Nanking Cherries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Bush Cherries, White Currants, Black Currants, Green Gooseberries, and Red Gooseberries.
One of our goals as we create our off-grid homestead is to grow as much of our food as possible. Planting as many varieties as possible in our orchard provides our family with as much fruit as possible year-round.
Since we live in Vermont, most fruit won’t grow all year round here, but since we grow so many different edible fruits, we can eat fresh and preserved year-round. Many fruits, such as apples, store well in a root cellar, or I preserve them – we love canned applesauce.
We have lots of room on our property to spread out and grow as many edible fruits as possible, but that’s not true for everyone. If you have a small backyard, finding a variety of fruits to grow feels like quite a challenge.
You have options, though!
If you want to grow fruit trees, opt for dwarf fruit tree varieties instead of standard-sized trees. The benefit of growing dwarf trees is that they produce fruits much sooner than standard trees.
That’s not all you can grow through! You’ll find a vast range of edible fruits that anyone can grow in your backyard that stays small and produce large crops of fruits with any pruning or serious maintenance.
Let’s look at some different edible fruits that anyone can grow – yes, even you with the small backyard!
Fruit Growing Basics
It’s possible to grow fruit in most regions, but different plants have different requirements. Knowing what each plant requires helps you produce a larger harvest from each one.
Trees, Shrubs, Vines, and Groundcovers
Edible fruits come in a variety of forms: trees, shrubs, vines, and groundcovers. Each type has a large variety of fruits you can grow.
Trees are the most common type of fruit that you might grow in your backyard. If you check out any nursery, you’ll find apple trees, pear trees, peach trees, cherry trees, and many other options.
When you pick out trees, they come in different sizes: standard, semi-dwarf, and dwarf. It’s essential to know the differences between each one. Standard trees take the longest to mature and typically are the largest, but the benefit is that they produce fruits for the longest. Dwarfs are the smallest type, perfect for backyards, and produce fruits the fastest, but they generally only produce fruits for ten years. Semi-dwarf are in the middle!
Most berries grow on shrubs, such as blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Berries are compact and easy to keep pruned to fit a small space. It takes around three to four years for a berry bush to produce a complete harvest, but they’ll produce for years when properly tended.
Vines are thin but grow large, sometimes up to 30 feet long. You’ll need a robust support system to hold them in place. The most common vines are grapes, but they aren’t the only vining fruit!
Groundcovers are precisely what they sound like – they expand and cover the ground. The most common is strawberries; these plants sprawl out wildly, producing tons of fruit, but don’t let their sprawling nature scare you. It’s possible to contain their growth and have a sizable harvest.
Growing Zone
When selecting edible fruits to grow, make sure you take a look at the recommended growing zones. If you live somewhere cold, you might assume that you have limited options, but that’s not always true.
Many plants prefer cooler temperatures. In some cases, hot temperatures greatly diminish the fruit harvest. On the other hand, some plants, such as honeyberries thrive in the cold.
Growing what works best for your climate is one way to ensure you have the best harvest. Unless I find a hardier variety, I typically don’t bother growing things that won’t excel where I live. If I attempt to grow something that might not work where I live, I end up spending too much time tending and caring for that plant.
Chill Hours
Have you ever heard of chill hours? Fruit trees and some other edible fruit plants have a set amount of chill hours needed to produce fruits.
This is another reason you should always research what you want to grow in your backyard.
Chill hours are the number of hours a plant needs to be below 45 degrees F. These hours are necessary for the tree to produce flowers and fruits. Every fruit tree variety has a different number of chill hours needed for fruit production. Some only need 100 chill hours, but others could need 1,000 hours or more.
Shade v. Sun Exposure
Most edible fruit plants love plenty of sun exposure. For some, the more sunlight they receive, the better, but if you have some shade in your backyard, that doesn’t mean you cannot grow fruits.
Several fruit trees produce a decent crop if they receive as little as six hours of direct sunlight, such as pears, plums, and pawpaw trees. Raspberries, blackberries, and several other brambleberries handle lower sun exposure. Some grape varieties, like muscadines, produce hefty harvests with only six hours of sunlight.
If you have deep shade all day in your backyard, growing fruit will be difficult. However, all plants need some sunlight to produce a harvest. Some plants handle filtered sunlight well, including serviceberries, blueberries, huckleberries, gooseberries, and shade.
Soil Preferences
Most edible fruit plants want to grow in fertile, well-draining, loamy soil, but that doesn’t mean they want soggy or soaking wet ground. Wet feet, aka standing water, are never a good thing, so make sure that the soil is well-draining is a standard recommendation.
Some edible fruit plants thrive in wetter conditions than others, such as currants or gooseberries. That’s why you always need to research what you want to grow before getting started!
Adding compost is the easiest way to boost the soil’s nutrient level when planting fruit plants. Compost also helps to increase drainage. Typically, it’s not recommended to fertilize your fruit trees the first year you plant them, so it’s even more essential to use compost.
Something else you need to consider is the pH range of your soil. Most plants prefer a slightly acidic to neutral soil, around 6.0 to 7.0, but some prefer more acid, such as blueberries.
Pollination Needs
Something else you need to consider is whether or not the fruits you want to grow are self-pollinating or if they need other plants nearby for pollination needs.
For example, most apple trees require at least one other apple tree planted nearby of a different variety to ensure the flowers are pollinated. On the other hand, many apricot trees are self-pollinating, so all you have to do is plant one tree and get fruit.
Before you buy any edible fruit plants for your property, make sure you find out if you need pollinators or not. That’s a mistake you don’t want to make, or you won’t end up with any yummy fruits to enjoy!
Edible Fruit Varieties
There are hundreds of fruits possible for you to grow in your backyard, but some of those don’t grow well in the United States. Therefore, this list only contains fruits that you can grow in North America.
I also didn’t include any tropical fruits, such as bananas and papayas. These fruits only grow in the hottest locations in the United States, typically USDA zones nine and ten, the only subtropical regions. I only included options that grow in zones two to eight.
You’ll also notice that I skipped fruits like apples. If you have a small backyard, I suggest only growing two of these trees or skipping them entirely, opting instead for tasty berries and other highly productive plants.
Cane Fruit Varieties
Cane fruits, sometimes called cane berries or bramble berries, are among the most common edible fruits grown throughout the United States. There are hundreds of varieties, including strange ones like low-growing red blackberries, but most are common berries. You can find many cane fruits in your local grocery store.
Blackberries
Blackberries are hedgerow fruits that often grow wild throughout the United States. My grandmother had a wild blackberry patch on the edges of the woods behind her house. These fruit bushes grow in most soils; they’re not too picky.
These plants have vigorous growth, but you can also buy compact varieties and thornless plants for easy picking for kids.
Boysenberries
Boysenberries are a cross between raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and loganberries. If you search different online nurseries, you’ll find many varieties, some of which are thornless.
These cane fruits are known for growing low with a trailing nature. The berries have a deliciously soft texture with a sweet-tart flavor that you will love.
Raspberries
Most people know about raspberries – you find containers in your local grocery stores. However, you might not realize that raspberries come in red, black, golden, and a pink-golden color. Black raspberries are a highly popular variety to grow.
These fruit canes are a classic choice for backyard gardeners. You have to decide if you want summer-fruiting or fall-fruiting varieties – or both! I prefer to have both to extend my harvest season.
Salmonberries
Salmonberries grow wild in the Northwest area of the United States. The berries are a pretty pink-orange-red color, and the bushes have beautiful pink blossoms. These berries prefer to grow alongside streambanks or wet spots; wet feet don’t bother them as much as other fruiting canes.
These berries aren’t as common as some of their other varieties, but it’s worth growing these canes. The berries have a subtler taste when compared to raspberries or blackberries, but they’re delicious.
Tayberries
Never heard of tayberries? These are a hybrid cross between red raspberries and blackberries, created in Scotland near the Tay River.
Tayberries produce a large harvest of fruits from late July into August. They taste like raspberries but sweeter with less tartness. Don’t confuse tayberries and loganberries; these are both crossings, but they use different blackberries and raspberries.
Wineberries
Sometimes known as dewberries, wineberries are an Asian species of raspberries native to Eastern Asia. In some areas, this is an invasive species.
Currants and Gooseberries
Gooseberries and currants are woody, perennial shrubs that reach up to three to six feet tall. They’re closely related in the Ribes family, and many cultivars exist between these two plant types.
Years ago, a federal ban prohibited gardeners from growing gooseberries and currants because they hosted some devastating diseases, but the federal ban was lifted in 1966. However, some people still think you cannot grow them.
You can, and you should absolutely do so!
These plants are a bit different from others. Red currants and gooseberries are self-fertile plants but produce larger fruits if planted close to another cultivar. All three of these plants tolerate partial shade; a cool, moist, partial-shaded location is ideal.
Let’s look more closely at these plants.
Currants – Red, Black, and White
Currants offer several varieties for gardeners to grow. Red, pink, and white currants all come from the same species, and these plants are self-fertile. However, if you prefer less acid, try growing the pink and white currants, which are typically preferred for fresh eating.
Black currants are commonly grown throughout Northern Europe, and these fruits are known for their high vitamin C content. Some varieties are self-fertile, but it’s best if you grow them with some other plants. Black currants have a strong, unusual flavor, but many people love them.
Gooseberries
Gooseberries are self-fertile and produce a large number of fruits on each plant. These berries have translucent skin; it’s a unique-looking berry. Different varieties produce different colored skins – green, pink, or red.
If you’re brand new to growing fruit bushes, gooseberries are an excellent option. They grow well in most soils, and they produce so many fruits. Plus, the plants are easy to prune. You need to grow one or two!
Jostaberries
Jostaberries are a cross between black currants and gooseberries. These berries are sweeter than typical gooseberries, naturally thornless, and easy to grow. The fruits are larger than currants, similar to gooseberries.
Many people find the texture and quality to be less appealing than other fruits, but you can find new and improved crosses arriving on the scene.
Blueberries and Acid Loving Fruits
Many people assume that all berries are related, but that’s not true. Blueberries and raspberries, for example, come from different species of plants. Raspberries and other cane fruits belong to the Rubus family, while blueberries, cranberries, and other acid-loving berry bushes belong to the Vaccinium species.
I separated this because they require extra care. One of the most noticeable differences is that you will need to adjust the pH range of your soil for these plants. They prefer more acidic soil for optimal growth.
Let’s take a look at some of the different acid-loving fruit bushes for your backyard.
Blueberries
Blueberries are the most recognizable berry from the Vaccinium family. These plants excel in full sunlight and a soil pH between 4-5, but 5.5 is ideal. Gardeners throughout North America can grow blueberries in their backyard.
Blueberries are a versatile fruit with a sweet flavor. The bushes produce beautiful white blooms in the late spring before ripening to dark-blue berries.
In some areas, blueberries grow wild in the forests and fields, but most prefer the cultivated blueberries sold for home growth. Wild blueberries, if you manage to find them, are smaller but tastes sweeter.
Huckleberries
People often confuse huckleberries and blueberries; they come from the same genus after all, and the fruits look similar at first glance. Both fruits are small and bluish. However, huckleberries are tarter than blueberries, and when you take a bite, you’ll notice seeds immediately.
Huckleberries are native to the eastern and southeastern United States, thriving in acidic, moist soil and partial shade. These plants grow best when planted as rhizomes rather than cuttings. The rhizomes should be collected in the late winter or early spring.
These fruits are great when added to recipes. While it’s possible to eat fresh huckleberries raw, most prefer to use them in jams, puddings, candies, syrups, and other delicious treats.
Cranberries
Too many people assume that it’s impossible to grow cranberries unless you have a swamp or bog in your backyard because of the commercials during the holiday seasons, but that’s not true. As long as you have the right conditions, anyone can grow cranberries.
Cranberries are woody, low-growing perennial vines native to the east coast and the central United States. While commercial growers harvest cranberries in water, they grow well on dry land. The runners grow from one to six-foot-long.
Cranberries need a pH range of less than 5; this is one of the keys to growing cranberries on dry land. You also need to ensure your region has sufficient cold periods since these plants need cold weather to trigger a dormancy phase.
Lingonberries
Lingonberries are native in Scandinavian countries and grow throughout North America and Canada. They’re found in the Pacific Northwest into Alaska and some parts of Maine and Massachusetts. Sometimes, people refer to these plants as cowberries, lowbush cranberries, or red bilberries.
The berries taste like cranberries, but most people don’t eat them raw because they’re considerably bitter. If they’re cooked with sugar, these berries create delicious recipes.
Bilberries
Bilberries are a native shrub that grows around, blueberries that look similar to blueberries. However, these berries have more nutrients than blueberries! Some people refer to these plants as whortleberries, and they grow wild in the arctic and subarctic regions of the Northern hemisphere.
One of the biggest confusions is the difference between bilberries and blueberries, and the truth is that there isn’t a huge difference. Both plants are berry bushes in the Vaccinium genus. The fruits look similar and taste similar. One of the only significant differences is that bilberries aren’t grown commercially, but blueberries are.
Bush Cherries and Small Stone Fruits
Stone fruits get their name because they have a small pit or “stone” in the middle of the fruit. Most stone fruits have thin skins that are either smooth or fuzzy. These fruits are highly seasonal because they won’t ripen after harvesting. They must be picked at their peak, giving them a small time window for eating or preserving.
Chances are you know some of the most common stone fruits that you can grow in your backyard, like peaches, plums, apricots, and mangoes. However, those aren’t the fruits I want to include on this list; let’s look at a few more uncommon edible fruits that you can grow in your backyard.
Nanking Cherry
Nanking cherries grow native in China and other Asia countries. The flowers are edible with a lovely, light flavor. These plants are cold-hardy in USDA zones 3-6.
The fruits ripen in July and August, creating heavy harvests. Each bush produces between 12-15 pounds of fruits per bush. Nanking cherries are dark red fruits that taste similar to tart cherry.
Birds love these fruits, so make sure you put a net over the plants to stop them from stealing all your fruits! The cherries are best harvested when fully colored and juicy, but they have a pit at the center like other stone fruits.
Bush Cherries
Bush cherries are a fun alternative to growing cherry trees. They’re smaller than typical cherry trees but produce impressive harvests, and the plants have lovely foliage and huge blooms. It takes a few years to produce, but expect pounds of cherries from each plant once they do.
These lesser-known forms of cherries are extremely hardy down to zones two and typically have few pest or disease problems. If you’re looking for edible fruits for your backyard, I highly suggest a few bush cherry plants.
Beach Plums
Beach plums are a tree native to North America that grows natively on the eastern coast. The trees fill up in the spring with blooms that change to small purple fruits in August. These small shrubs are perfect for most backyards, and the plums are perfect for making jams, jellies, and wines.
Beach plums have a long history in North America. We know that the early settlers enjoyed them as a staple crop. The shrubs rarely grow taller or wider than six feet, but you can prune them to the size you need to fit your property.
Sand Cherries
Sand cherries are one of many types of fruiting shrubs, and these plants grow well in USDA zones 2 to 8. They’re known for being edible and ornamental fruits. These are an excellent choice for gardeners in cooler areas who want to grow more fruit. Since they grow as far north as zone two, most people can grow sand cherries.
These fruits are quite tart, so they’re most often used in jams and jellies with sugar combined. Unfortunately, they don’t have an incredibly long storage life in the refrigerator; they typically only last for one to two weeks. So, make sure you’re prepared to preserve or eat them.
Edible Dogwoods
Most people have no idea that a few varieties of dogwood trees produce edible fruits. While these plants typically are only ornamental, adding these to your property serves both purposes!
Kousa Dogwood
Kousa dogwood, or Cornus kousa, is a North American native dogwood species that add interest to your landscape almost all year round. As fall approaches, kousa dogwood produces small, ping-pong-sized edible berries that ripen every spring. Birds love these treats, but they’re also edible fruits for you to enjoy as well.
Kousa dogwood berries are delicious for making jellies and wines. You’ll find that these berries are small, globe-like fruits that are typically two to four centimeters in diameter. The skin is rough with lots of bumps, changing from green to orange to dark red when they finally ripen. Some say that the flavor of these berries is like a mix of stone fruits, mango, and persimmons with plenty of tang.
Cornelian Cherry
Cornelian cherries are a member of the dogwood family, native to Eastern Europe and Western Asia. These are shrub-like trees that reach up to 25 feet tall if you don’t prune them. The plants live up to 100 years; that’s a lot of fruit!
Cornelian cherries aren’t just ornamental; they’re edible. We know that the ancient Greeks grew these cherry trees over 7,000 years ago. The fruits are very tart and look like olives; some say you can pickle them like olives. However, you can use cornelian cherries for syrups, jellies, jams, pies, and desserts.
Edible Viburnums
There are over 150 species of viburnum to pick, and most of them are ornamental plants for landscaping. Gardeners love them for their beauty, but they also have the side benefit of being edible. Some species can be eaten raw or used to make jam. However, other species are mildly toxic and might cause vomiting.
That’s why you should always know what you are growing before consuming any type of berry.
Highbush Cranberry
Despite their name, highbush cranberries aren’t cranberries, but their fruits look like cranberries in appearance and taste. Both mature in the fall and grow native in North America. The biggest difference is that highbush cranberries belong to the honeysuckle family.
These plants grow through USDA zones 2 to 7. They’re a large, hardy, deciduous shrub that typically reaches up to 15 feet tall.
You can eat these fruits raw, but they’re not super tasty this way. They’re better when cooked because of their tart, acidic taste. Highbush cranberries work great as a substitute for traditional cranberries, and You can use them for preserves, jams, jellies, sauces, and more.
Nannyberry
Nannyberry plants are another large, shrub-like tree that grows native in North America. The plants reach up to 18 feet tall, so they look more like trees while they are technically a shrub. Most people grow nannyberries for their ornamental appearance, but their berries are edible as well.
These plants produce large clusters of drooping purple to black fruits. Like many other edible viburnum plants, nannyberries prefer wet soils alongside rivers and ponds. My kids love these berries; they taste like a blend of bananas and prunes.
Wild Raisin
Some people confuse nannyberries and wild raisins, but these are different plants but closely related. Wild raisin plants grow the fruits in upright clusters, and the fruits are much smaller, tasting just like raisins.
These fruits are harder to process, so most people eat them fresh. On the other hand, wild raisins have dry, sweet, pulpy fruits. You’ll notice that these plants ripen sooner than nannyberries; the birds make sure the shrubs are cleared off by the first frost.
Other Edible Fruits
Not all edible fruits can be grouped into these categories. This is because there are so many different types of edible fruits that you can grow in your backyard.
Here are a few more you don’t want to forget.
Aronia Berries
Many people call these plants chokeberries rather than Aronia berries, but these are ornamental plants with edible fruits. These shrubs grow up to six feet tall, and a mature Aronia berry bush produces up to 38 pounds of fruits.
We know that Aronia berries have been enjoyed for centuries. Native Americans and early settlers used these berries as food, medicine, and clothing dye. In recent years, gardeners realized how easy these fruits are to grow. So don’t miss out on these!
Chokeberries come in red, purple, and black varieties. Each of these cultivars is slightly different, but all are native to North America. So if you live in USDA zones 3-8, it’s possible to grow these berries.
Honeyberry
Honeyberries are related to honeysuckle, and the plants produce oblong, blue fruits that taste like a mixture of blackberries, cherries, and grapes – yum! Chances are you’ve never heard of honeyberries, but these fruits have been cultivated to grow well in cooler regions.
Honeyberry bushes reach up to five feet tall when mature. The berries measure around one inch in length, and they’re blue. Most people who grow these berries struggle to figure out how to describe their flavor, but the overwhelming agreement is that they’re delicious.
Make sure you grow at least two honeyberry bushes for pollination purposes!
Sea Buckthorn Berries
Sometimes called seaberries, sea buckthorn berries grow on large, unruly bushes that produce large quantities of orange berries. These berries are truly superfoods, containing high levels of vitamins, oils, and antioxidants.
One cool thing about seaberries is that the plants grow well in cool climates, and they add nitrogen to the soil. The berries are commonly used to make jelly or juice. I grow these on my homestead, and our kids enjoy eating them fresh.
Ground Cherries
Sometimes called golden berries or cape gooseberries, ground cherries belong to the same family as tomatoes. These small plants typically reach two to three feet tall; they’re perfect for growing in your garden or containers.
The fruits grow in little paper lanterns and fall to the ground when ripe and ready to eat. My kids love these little treasures, especially searching for them. Ground cherries have a sweet pineapple flavor that works great when eaten fresh or used in jams.
Elderberry
Elderberries might be best known for their medicinal purposes, but the berries are edible and perfect for making jelly, jams, syrups, and desserts. In late August to early September, the plant fills up with dark purple berries in clusters.
You need to grow more than one elderberry for ideal pollination, and make sure you use proper spacing since some of these bushes reach up to 12 feet wide!
Oregon Grapes
Despite the name, Oregon grapes aren’t grapes at all, nor do they taste like the grapes you buy at the store. These are super tart yet edible berries. These edible fruits grow native to the Pacific Northwest, and they have a long history as a source of food with medicinal properties. The berries were often used for dye.
Oregon grapes are sour, so most people won’t enjoy these fresh. Instead, they taste much better when you add some sugar to them. Try growing these and making some jam or wine with the fruits.
Grapes
Everyone is familiar with grapes, and growing grapes at home is a great idea. You can find many different varieties, but they all grow on vines and require a support system no matter what type of grapes you grow.
Grapes grow and produce fruits for decades. The second-year after planting, the vines start to produce fruits, and by the third year, each vine should produce around 15lbs of fruit per year. All you need is a few vines unless you have a huge family or use the grapes to make wine.
Strawberry
Another edible fruit that everyone needs to grow is strawberries. A family can grow plenty of strawberries in a single raised garden bed or several containers. One strawberry plant produces, on average, one quart of strawberries.
There are different types of strawberries, and some come to harvest at different times. For example, some harvest in late spring, while others produce in the fall. Then, some strawberry plants harvest all summer long!
Strawberries are, without a doubt, one of the best edible fruits to grow in your backyard. They grow well in containers, pallets, or other vertical gardening methods. Try growing strawberries in hanging baskets!
Rose Hips
Rose hips are the rose plant’s seed pod or fruits. Most gardeners don’t get tons of these because the plants are pruned back to encourage more blooming in the following year. It’s easy to spot rose hips; they look like small, oblong cranberries or mini cherry tomatoes on a rose plant.
Rose hips are tart and have a crabapple-like flavor. We know that these little edible fruits are full of vitamin C and other nutrients. These fruits also have a variety of medicinal properties that you can use to treat heart diseases, diabetes, menstrual cramping, and more.
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