Fruit plants are not typically found as houseplants, mainly due to a lack of information about them rather than any environmental restrictions.
That said, this list will make you question everything you thought you knew about which fruiting plants grow inside and which ones don’t.
Read on below for all the juicy details on the 21 best fruit plants for indoor growing!
Lemons
Lemon trees are one of the easiest fruit plants to grow inside. Keep them near a window that lets in bright but indirect sunlight for most of the day, and keep the soil consistently moist.
Also, make sure that they have a well-draining soil mix in their container. Their roots don’t like being dry or overly wet.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Meyer and Eureka
- Light Requirement: 6 to 8 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 50°F to 80°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Limes
Lime trees are another of the easiest fruiting-type plants for growing indoors.
They also need to be kept near a window or on a balcony where they receive full but indirect sunlight for most of the day.
Likewise, they do best in containers with well-draining soil that retains a good deal of moisture.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Tahitian and Kaffir
- Light Requirement: 6 to 8 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 65°F to 85°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Oranges
Believe it or not, oranges are another citrus fruit plant that does exceptionally well indoors when given the right environment.
They require less light than their cousins, the lemons and limes, but they require a similarly fast-draining soil mix that holds enough moisture to keep them happy in between waterings.
That said, they are one of the easiest to deal with temperature wise.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Washington Navel and Moro Blood
- Light Requirement: 5 to 6 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 55°F to 100°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Avocados
Avocado trees are a fruit plant that you may not think of when considering what to grow indoors, but in reality, they are very much able to be houseplants.
They may take a few more years to reach a fruiting state (10 to 15 years), but they will indeed fruit inside.
Growing avocados from a seed can be a fun and rewarding activity as well.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Hass
- Light Requirement: 6 hours minimum
- Ideal Temperature Range: 60°F to 85°F
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
Peaches
Peace trees can also grow inside even though most home gardeners never attempt it.
To do so, just keep them out of the wind, provide steady temperatures, and ensure they receive up to 8 hours or so of bright light.
Protect them from the frost, and they will fruit just like outside in the yard.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Curl free, Frost, and Donut
- Light Requirement: 60 to 8 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 30°F to 45°F (in winter)
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Nectarines
Growing nectarines is easy to do whether from seeds or from an already established tree.
That said, you’ll need to place the pot somewhere that gets plenty of indirect bright light. You’ll also need to give your nectarine plant fertilizer each year.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Snow Queen and Heavenly White
- Light Requirement: 6 to 8 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: Below 45°F (during winter)
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Apricots
Apricot trees do best in south-facing windows that receive plenty of indirect sun all day. They also require consistently moist soil but not too wet.
And, like with nectarines and many other indoor fruit plants, apricot trees need you to fertilize them at least once per year.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Goldcot and Chinese
- Light Requirement: 6 to 8 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 45°F or lower (during winter)
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
Passion Fruit
Growing passion fruit indoors isn’t as hard as you may have been led to believe. That said, as it is a vining plant, it does require something on which to climb and grow (like a trellis).
Also, make sure to place your plant somewhere that it receives plenty of full sun through a window for several hours a day.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Panama Gold and Sweet Passion
- Light Requirement: 4 to 6 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 68°F to 82°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Figs
Figs are yet another variety of fruit plants for indoor growing that don’t come to mind as quickly (if at all) as other fruit trees and fruit-bearing plants.
They need quick-draining soil, to be kept moist, and to be placed somewhere that gets plenty of indirect sunlight each day.
They do need to reach temperatures of around 40°F during the winter though if you want them to fruit next year.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Mission and Brown Turkey
- Light Requirement: 6 hours (indirect)
- Ideal Temperature Range: under 50°F (during winter)
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
Bananas
If you have plenty of light in your home, you may have a great environment for growing bananas.
Banana trees require anywhere from 4 to 12 hours of light, depending on the type (grow lights or sun as well as indirect or direct).
They require extremely well-draining soil. Furthermore, they may need misting regularly if your home isn’t humid enough for their liking.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Cavendish, Green, and Lady Finger
- Light Requirement: 4 to 6 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 80°F to 95°F
- Difficulty Level: Moderate
Blueberries
A blueberry bush may be the last fruit on your mind when thinking of what may be the best fruit plants for indoor growing, but you might just be surprised to know that they do exceptionally well indoors.
That said, you are looking at a 3 to 5 year investment of your time before you’ll ever get to see blueberries growing on your new bush.
Check with our full guide to growing blueberries indoors before getting started.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Brightwell and Legacy
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Ideal Temperature Range: 35°F to 55°F
- Difficulty Level: Moderate to hard
Blackberries
Blackberry plants, like blueberries, aren’t the most common plant to find growing indoors. However, they are absolutely able to do so.
In fact, in hydroponic growing systems, indoor blackberries grow even better than the bushes outside!
- Best Varieties To Grow: Triple Crown and Navajo
- Light Requirement: 8+ hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 0 to 10°F (during winter)
- Difficulty Level: Easy
Raspberries
As with blackberries, raspberries are amazing indoor plants that are often overlooked for their outdoors brethren.
However, if placed inside somewhere where they receive 8 hours or more of sunlight or in a hydroponic system, indoor raspberries thrive.
Just make sure that you allow them to chill over the winter or they may not fruit the following year.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Polka and Tulameen
- Light Requirement: 8+ hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 0 to 10°F (during winter)
- Difficulty Level: Easy
Strawberries
The strawberry plant is one of the best fruit plants for indoor growing of crops. Strawberries do best grown in hydroponic systems or in hanging baskets or window boxes.
Keep them in temperatures around 70°F and in a location where they’ll get 8 hours or more of indirect sunlight each day, and watch them grow.
- Best Varieties To Grow: All Star, Ozark Beauty
- Light Requirement: 8+ hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 60°F to 80°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Olives
Olive trees require a bit more attention to grow indoors than many of the other fruit plants on this list.
In containers, olive trees need plenty of light, water, and monitoring for pests. They also need regular pruning, fertilizing, and repotting.
Many gardeners only keep them inside during the winter due to how difficult they can be to care for indoors.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Alfonso, Beldi, Gordal
- Light Requirement: 6+ hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: Down to 15°F (during winter)
- Difficulty Level: Moderate to hard
Mulberries
Perhaps the last fruit plant that you expected to find on this list, mulberries can and do grow inside.
Whether you prefer red, white, or black mulberries, place your plant somewhere that allows it several hours of fun sun each day.
Keep the plant in temperatures below 80°F for best results.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Black, red, white
- Light Requirement: Full sun / partial shade
- Ideal Temperature Range: 75°F to 82°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy
Goji Berries
The goji berry is another one of the best fruit plants for indoor growing, believe it or not. Even more, it’s actually quite easy to grow.
Just make sure that you use fresh soil, fertilize it, and keep it in as much sun as possible.
In the winter time, make sure that the plant is exposed to cold temperatures. Otherwise, it may not bloom and fruit.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Tibetan Crimson Star
- Light Requirement: Full sun / partial shade
- Ideal Temperature Range: Down to -18°F (in winter)
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Kumquat
Kumquat is another type of fruiting plant that grows well inside despite the fact that not many home gardeners ever attempt it, but it is simple enough to do.
Bring your new kumquat plant home and stick it near a window that gives 6 or more hours or light each day.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Meiwa and Murami
- Light Requirement: 6+ hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: Above 18°F (in winter)
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Cherries
A classic outdoor fruit tree, cherries may also be grown indoors with great results.
That said, they are only easy to grow inside if you have a big enough pot, healthy soil that stays moist but not too wet, and a place for it in the full sun.
Also, cherries need exposure to temperatures of less than 45°F during the winter, or they may not fruit the next year.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Bing, Queen Anne, Morello, and Black
- Light Requirement: Full sun
- Ideal Temperature Range: Below 45°F (during winter)
- Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate
Ground Cherries
In containers near windows that provide up to 8 hours of full but indirect sun (or under bright grow lights), ground cherries do well inside.
They are easy to look after – just keep them watered and inspected for pests regularly. Also, keep in mind that they thrive in temperatures of approximately 60°F.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry and Strawberry
- Light Requirement: 6 to 8 hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 55°F to 65°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy
Tomatoes
One of the most popular fruit plants for growing indoors or outdoors anywhere in the world is without a doubt tomatoes.
With so many varieties to choose from, you could try a different species every year for the rest of your life!
Place them under grow lights or near a window with 6 to 8 hours or direct sun in temperatures just shy of 70°F, and they will grow happy and healthy.
- Best Varieties To Grow: Beefsteak, Brandywine, Celebrities
- Light Requirement: 6+ hours
- Ideal Temperature Range: 60°F to 65°F
- Difficulty Level: Easy
Tips for Growing Fruit Indoors
Take Advantage of South-Facing Windows for Lighting
Placing your plants in south-facing windows is one of the best moves you can make for species that require a good deal of sun.
That’s because south-facing windows naturally receive the most sunlight.
In case you do not have enough direct sunlight – there is a solution! Read all about ‘Low Light Indoor Trees + Care & Tips‘
Choose a Self-Pollinating Variety When Possible
Growing self-pollinating fruit plants is another of the smartest things you can do to make the whole growing process easier.
For fruit plants that are not self-pollinating, they will either need to be manually pollinated by you (by hand with a brush) or set outside to be pollinated naturally.
Take Your Potted Fruit-Bearing Plants Outside
If you are growing fruit plants that need a good deal of light indoors, they probably don’t get quite as much as they would like.
For that reason, it is incredibly useful to take your plants outside for a while. The added exposure to sun, wind, and fresh air will definitely boost their growth.
Use a Moisture Meter
Rather than disturbing the soil in your plant’s containers to check the moisture level regularly, use a moisture meter instead.
That way, you can tell exactly how much moisture your plant’s growing medium has with no more than a glance at your plant.
I recommend this easy-to-read moisture meter with a 7.7 inch probe and no battery requirement.
Final Thoughts
If you’re thinking about growing a fruit plant indoors, any one of the 21 plants on our list above could be the one for you!
Just remember that each indoor fruit plant is quite different and requires special treatment.
Feel free to refer back to this guide for quick facts about fruit plants for indoor growing as often as needed!