6 Best Dwarf Fruit Bush Varieties for Containers

There are some amazing dwarf fruit tree varieties available for container growing in small spaces. Instead of needing a large, orchard-sized garden, we can now grow apples, pears, peaches, and more on our balconies or patios!

But what about berries and other fruiting shrubs and bushes?

Dwarf fruit bushes and vines

I’ve put together a list of some of the smallest fruiting shrubs, vines, and bushes and also some of the best soft fruits for containers.

If you’re only renting, or don’t gave space to store seasonal supports, these dwarf fruits will happily grow without staking. Plus they’re easy to move around!

These fruits are all perfectly suited to container growing in small spaces. They’re compact, high yielding, and most importantly — sweet, delicious, and fun to pick.

I don’t know about you, but homegrown fruits and berries always seem to taste sweeter than store-bought!

Best berries, fruiting shrubs, and vines for small spaces

From familiar berries to unusual tropical-tasting fruits, here are the best dwarf fruiting shrubs and vines that are all perfectly adapted to container growing in tiny garden spaces!

1. Dwarf Blackberries

One of the smallest blackberry bushes is the ‘Baby Cakes’ blackberry. It produces compact, busy vines that shouldn’t need staking. Like all blackberry plants, they’re very vigorous and easy to grow, and they will produce a great crop of fruits too.

Other patio blackberries include ‘Opal’, ‘Little Black Prince’ and ‘Coolaris’.

As an added bonus, their vines are thornless, which makes harvesting a breeze. So if your garden space is tight, you can enjoy juicy blackberries without worrying about brushing against any vicious thorns.

If you have a bit more space, other larger, thornless blackberry varieties include Apache, Loch Ness, Navaho, Freedom, and Colombia Sunrise.

Blackberries, in general, are fuss-free plants and grow very well in containers.

Best for:

• USDA zones 6-9
• Growing without supports
• A great crop of juicy blackberries (up to 7+ lbs)
• Thornless vines

2. Dwarf Pomegranate

Compared to apple or pear trees, pomegranate shrubs are relatively small. They’ll still however need large containers and will claim a lot of space on your balcony or patio. Dwarf pomegranate bushes on the other hand (Punica Granatum Nana) allow you to bring the sweet taste of pomegranates to your mini garden space!

Generally reaching 3 feet in height, it’s a much more manageable size compared to normal pomegranate trees which can hit 10+ feet!

Best for:

• USDA zones 7-10
• Delicious, Mediterranean fruits on your patio or balcony

3. Dwarf Grape Vine

There’s a dwarf grapevine called ‘Vitis Pixie’ which is the world’s first naturally dwarfing grape. It reaches about 2 feet in height, so it’s definitely the smallest grape and ideal for small spaces.

Best for:

• USDA zones 3-10 (depending on variety)
• Delicious fruits that bring a Mediterranean style to your garden

4. Dwarf Blueberry Bushes

High in antioxidants and other vital vitamins, blueberries are a really great crop to have in your garden. They’re satisfying to pick, and like most homegrown fruits, always taste sweeter when you grow and harvest them yourself.

Top Hat Blueberry

A popular dwarf blueberry bush for balconies and patios, Top Hat blueberry is usually easy to find on online plant nurseries. They usually reach about 1.5-2 feet, so they really are a neat and compact blueberry variety.

Northsky Blueberry

One of the smallest blueberry varieties, at only 18 inches tall, is the Northsky blueberry! It’s known as a half-high blueberry. This means it’s the result of a cross between a taller, high blueberry bush and the low bush varieties. It’s also one of the most cold hardy fruits you can grow — so it’s ideal for Northern growers!

Other small patio blueberry bush varieties include ‘Sunshine Blue’, and ‘Northblue’.

Best for:

• Mid-season fruits
• Very compact blueberry bushes, perfect for small balconies
• USDA hardiness zone 3a-9 (depending on variety!)

5. Bambina Pineapple Guava (Feijoa)

An unusual fruit in the Northern Hemisphere, the Pineapple Guava is a fruit native to New Zealand and parts of South America. The small green fruits look like guava, but they have a tropical banana/pineapple flavor.

Wild trees can often reach heights of 10+ feet, but this dwarf variety is perfect if you’re looking for unusual fruits to grow in a small garden. Its maximum height is 4 feet, with a spread of 3-4 feet.

Best for:

• USDA zones 8b-10b
• Unusual, tropical-flavored fruit
• Evergreen foliage
• Incredibly beautiful flowers 
• Late-season fruit (ripens in the fall)

6. Dwarf Raspberries

Most raspberry canes can reach up to 6ft in height and will need careful staking. However, there are now neater and bushier raspberry plants that are more compact and ideal for small garden spaces.

Raspberry varieties like ‘Ruby Beauty’ and ‘Raspberry Shortcake’ are dwarf raspberries that are ideal for patio containers.

They form a low-growing, mounded bush, so you won’t need to stake them. Simply enjoy picking sweet, ruby-red raspberries in the summer!

Best for:

• USDA zones 5-9
• Thornless vines
• Self-pollinating