Growing a head of lettuce or a bunch of parsley at home is rewarding, but slicing into a homegrown fruit brings a different kind of magic. Even if you already have a strawberry patch or an apple tree in your backyard, you can expand your fruit game by venturing into the world of the tropics.

Since these tropical fruit plants can’t tolerate temperatures below freezing, most US gardeners can’t grow them outdoors. Fortunately, there’s another option. Placing the plants in pots makes it possible to move them indoors during the winter, allowing them to remain cozy and warm.

Not sure where to start? I’ll list close to a dozen tropical fruits you can grow in containers, and provide info about selecting the proper pot, soil, and environment.

Strawberry Guava

This compact tree produces masses of fruit.

A close relative of the common guava, the strawberry guava is a smaller plant that produces many small fruits. The plants can be safely grown outdoors in areas where temperatures dip as low as 25°F (-4°C), but growing these tropical fruits in containers makes them available to gardeners everywhere.

Most varieties produce deep pink fruits that are the size of golf balls when ripe, but you can also find yellow cultivars. Plants flower in the late spring and produce ripe fruits in the late summer into early fall. When you bring the plants indoors during the winter, you’ll enjoy their shiny green leaves and smooth bark.

Strawberry guava is more forgiving than many citrus and can tolerate lower light and varying levels of soil moisture. Choose a pot that’s at least three gallons, and keep the temperature above freezing. 

Next, you need high-quality soil. I prefer FoxFarm potting soils for all my container plants. They contain aged forest products, bat guano, and earthworm castings for a dense nutrient mix. For strawberry guava, I recommend Happy Frog^® potting soil, which contains microbes that improve root health and nutrient uptake.

Be aware that strawberry guava can become invasive in locations where it can survive year-round. After its introduction to Hawaii 200 years ago, it began choking out native vegetation. It remains one of the most problematic invasive species on the islands. Fortunately, it’s unlikely to become a problem if you’re growing it in a container in a temperate climate.

Lemon

Choose dwarf varieties for container growing.

Lemon trees are one of the best plants for gardeners just starting to explore growing tropical fruits in containers. With dozens of different cultivars available, it’s easy to find a dwarf variety that will easily fit in a large pot in your home. Dwarf Meyer lemons (actually a hybrid of a lemon and Mandarin) are a popular and easy-to-find option, but you can also find varieties that produce pink lemons and mottled foliage.

Healthy lemon trees brighten your home with evergreen foliage and intoxicatingly sweet flowers. After the flowers are pollinated (you’ll need to help with this if your plant is inside), tiny lemons appear and spend the next few months growing into mature fruit.

When growing these tropical fruits in containers, choose a pot that’s three to ten gallons. Fill it with a coarse and well-draining potting mix like one designed for citrus trees. Make sure to provide the plants with at least eight hours of direct light, water when the top third of the soil is dry, and keep the temperature above 50°F (10°C).

Although lemons are some of the most common tropical fruits grown in containers, caring for them isn’t always easy. A lack of light, too much or too little fertilizer, and wet or dry soil can all cause your potted lemon tree to suffer or die. Paying close attention to your plant will help you recognize any issues early on and get back on course ASAP.

Lime

Plant in a large pot to accommodate the roots.

After lemons, limes are some of the most commonly grown potted citrus. They have similar growth habits and care requirements as lemons, but they produce green fruits with a slightly different taste. If you want to grow these tropical fruits in containers, choose a dwarf variety that will remain small.

You can find numerous varieties with large, juicy fruits, like ‘Bearss.’ Key limes can also grow well in pots and produce iconic small limes with a unique flavor. Makrut limes are another option if you want to use the foliage and fruits like an herb rather than a fruit.

To grow these tropical fruits in containers, choose a pot that’s at least three gallons and fill it with a well-draining soil mix designed for citrus plants. Place your lime tree in a location that receives at least eight hours of bright light. If you’re growing indoors during the winter, you can use a grow light to provide supplemental lighting.

Keep the soil moderately moist, watering when the top third of the potting soil is dry. Decrease the amount you water in the winter to avoid root rot, and keep an eye out for pests like mealybugs and spider mites.

Surinam Cherry

This unique shrub has delicious fruits.

You may not have heard of this South American native shrub, but you’ll remember it once you taste the bright red fruits. The fruits have notable lobes that give them a rounded, star shape, and the flavor is sweet with notes of citrus. It’s also known as pitanga in Brazil and the Brazilian cherry in other parts of the world.

Temperatures below 20°F (-7°C) threaten the plant, so bring the potted plants indoors during the fall and move them outdoors once temperatures warm in the spring. Provide them with a bright location, and don’t be afraid to utilize grow lights if your home only receives a few hours of bright light.

These tropical shrubs produce white flowers in the spring—adding a balanced fertilizer in the spring will support flower and fruit production. The fruits appear bright green before changing to yellow, orange, and then red. Expect to harvest the fully red, ripe fruits in the late summer and fall.

Suriname cherries can become an invasive species in tropical and subtropical climates, so be careful if you live in a frost-free area. Growing the plants in pots on a patio or in a sunroom will decrease the chances that they’ll become problematic.

Calamondin 

This fruit tree is suitable for growing indoors.

Calmondin is a hybrid that results from crossing kumquats and mandarins. The plants grow as small trees and produce golfball-sized fruits throughout the year. The flesh and juice are highly acidic, so try using them to brighten dishes or create sauces or marmalades.

Although the calamondin is more cold-hardy than many other types of citrus, it can’t tolerate temperatures below 20°F (-7°C).  Growing it in a container allows you to properly care for it, no matter where you live. Choose a pot that’s between three and ten gallons, and fill it with a rich and well-draining potting mix, like Happy Frog^®.

The plants produce their fragrant flowers throughout the year. Although the blooms are self-fertile, they’ll benefit from help with pollination when grown indoors. Gently touch a Q-tip or paintbrush to a mature flower to collect pollen, then move it to another flower.

Kumquat

The tart fruits can be eaten whole.

The kumquat’s tender rind means you can eat the juicy fruits whole, skin and all. Biting into the whole fruit allows you to enjoy the nice balance created between the sweet rind and tart flesh. There are multiple kumquat species and numerous hybrids, so you can choose from dozens of cultivars. 

Kumquats may die when temperatures drop below 20°F (-7°C), so bring the plants indoors before this cold weather arrives. Choose a pot that’s at least five gallons and fill it with a well-draining potting mix. You can use a blend designed for citrus or mix peat moss or coco coir with compost and perlite.

Allow one-third to one-half of the soil to dry before watering, and ensure to fully moisten the soil each time you water. Apply a slow-release citrus fertilizer multiple times during the spring and summer to give the plants the nutrients they need to remain healthy, produce flowers, and develop fruits.

Finger Lime

These fruits need protection from sudden temperature drops.

You can grow all kinds of interesting tropical fruits in containers, but the finger lime is one of the most unique. The oblong fruits are filled with round pearls that explode with a sweet and sour juice, hence the nickname citrus caviar. Finger limes are native to Australia, but gardeners across the world can grow them in containers.

Choose a pot that’s at least three gallons and fill it with a coarse and well-draining potting mix. You can use a mix designed for citrus, or mix peat moss with perlite and compost to form a rich, well-draining, and acidic mix. Water when the top third of the soil is dry to avoid root rot and keep the plant well-hydrated.

Finger limes become stressed when temperatures dip below 40°F (4°C), so make sure to bring them indoors before your first fall frost arrives. Place them in a well-lit and warm location, and slowly transition them outdoors in the spring once the danger of frost has passed.

Cacao

The fruit pods take about six months to mature.

You may not think of chocolate as a fruit, but one of our favorite sweets starts as the large fruits of the cacao tree. Cacao grows as small understory trees in their native habitats, but you can grow them in large pots in temperate climates. Keeping the plants indoors year-round is an option, but the plants appreciate the warmth and light present outdoors during the summer.

Choose a pot that’s at least five gallons, but a ten or twenty-gallon container is preferable. Cacao trees need to grow at least five feet tall before they can produce their unique pods. Fill the pot with a well-draining potting mix with a pH between five and six.

Fertilize the trees with a balanced fertilizer in the spring and summer, but don’t apply any nutrients in the fall or winter. Your goal is to help the plant get through the stressful winter, so discourage any steps that would encourage new growth heading into the cooler months. You can prune the plants before they head indoors, and this may be necessary due to their rapid growth during the summer.

The pods start small and green and take about six months to mature. They’ll eventually grow four to six inches long and turn yellow, orange, or red when ripe.

Pineapple

Pineapples are technically bromeliads, ideal for growing in tropical climates.

Choose a container that’s five to ten gallons, and fill it with a rich and well-draining potting mix. These bromeliads can tolerate dry soil, but keeping the soil moderately moist will lead to healthier plants and a higher likelihood of fruit production.

Pineapple plants need full sun and warm temperatures to remain healthy when growing these tropical fruits in containers. Place them in a spot with at least eight hours of bright light and keep the air temperature above 50°F (10°C), ensuring you move the pots inside before cold weather arrives.

Healthy plants will eventually produce a flower that looks like a small pineapple. Cold weather, short day length, and dry soil can all encourage the plants to produce fruit, so you’ll often see them appear during winter.

Each bloom is actually many individual flowers that join together to form the fruit we know. The pineapple takes 14 to 18 months to mature. Since the growing fruits are heavy, supporting them with a stake will prevent them from falling over and snapping.

Lychee

Although it’s possible to grow in pots, you’ll need a large one for these tropical fruits.

Lychees aren’t as widely available as some other tropical fruits, but a lack of flavor isn’t the reason why. Peel back the red skin to reveal sweet white flesh surrounding a large seed.

Since they are difficult to find in stores, growing these tropical fruits in containers is one way to enjoy them at home. However, be warned that they are one of the more difficult tropical fruits to grow in pots.

Lychee don’t like when their roots are constricted, so plan to regularly repot your plant into a larger container or prune the roots. Starting with a five-gallon pot, then gradually increasing to a 20-gallon container is a good plan. Fill the pot with a well-draining, acidic soil mix and water when the top few inches are dry.

Although lychee can grow into large trees outdoors, they’ll remain under ten feet tall in pots. Pruning in the late winter or early spring will help keep the plant a manageable size and encourage new growth.

Soursop

Choose a container that’s at least ten gallons to keep your soursop happy

The soursop, also known as the guanabana, is native to tropical parts of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The small trees reach a height of 20 to 30 feet and produce a small number of spiky green fruits that weigh between 2 and 15 pounds. Slicing into the fruit reveals a creamy white flesh that tastes a bit like a sour pineapple.

Growing soursop in containers is trickier than planting it in the ground, but these plants can still fruit when grown in pots. Since large outdoor trees only produce a few dozen fruits per year, expect only a few fruits from indoor, potted plants.

Choose a container that’s at least ten gallons to keep your soursop happy. Fill the pot with a rich, well-draining, and slightly acidic soil mix; a combination of one-half peat moss, one-quarter compost, and one-quarter perlite works well, but other mixes can also work.