AFAIK, there are not many fruits that do well w/o a lot of sun. I do grow peppers in pots & they seem to do better than in-ground here. Peppers need a large pot to keep their roots cool, IMPE. Never had the best results w/ container tomatoes, tho - they never seem to taste as good or produce as much. I grow Egyptian & Welsh onions in pots - also lettuces, arugula, kale, Asian greens, chicory & spinach. Most greens are more cool weather plants, tho. Onions & chicory are perennials. I also have parsley in a pot & it's lasted through 4 seasons now, but it gets some shade. Ginger, basil & mints are nice container plants too. I also grow leaf/cutting celery in pots.

Brian, it all depends what you like and are going to eat. My tomatoes in containers can win a contest, they are delicious! but unless they are dwarf you have to figure it out a trellis. Half day of sun is actually perfect for me in my garden, for veggies like tomatoes. Peppers and cucumbers I have them in shadier areas. Leafy greens also benefit from some shade in the coming hot days.

Since you asked for easy care, citrus would not be in this category because to keep them alive they require spraying and a lot of other things now that greening is hitting everywhere.

I don't know your zone or if you like figs, but if I have to pick an easy and tasty fruit that can grow in a container would be a fig, if you plant them look for varieties that say good in a container, I have one now that is fruiting and is easy care in a pot.

Silvia

What size pots can you have? Tomatoes take at least a 5 gallon container. Peppers can do with 2 gals, but prefer 3. Eggplants need 5 gals. Fruit trees need at least 15 gals. You can grow beans in 5 gals. with a trellis, or just grow bush beans. LOTS of herbs can be grown in 1-2 gals. Those would be best for your east side, I guess, except rosemary, which needs 3-5 gals., needs stronger sun and gets pretty large. Vining squash can be grown on trellises in 5 gals.

If you want easy, I'd got with some edible ornamentals for the front, such as edible hibiscus with portulaca around (both edible), lemon grass, or maybe some of the prettier kales. Herbs, go with sages. They are the easiest. Fruits, I'd go with something you can't buy in the store easily, like a tropical fruit.

Thanks for the answers so far. I am in zone 9B, inland from Merrit Island. Dirtygardener, I don't know that there is a limit to the pot size I can have, but there is not a whole lot of room anyway, so I'd say 15ish would be the upper, and only one of them per side. Anything growing over 5 feet would start to get in the way.

Whgille, the little fig tree/bush looks like a winner. I would prefer something like that which will be around a few years. Any other similar options? Peppers sound good too, Carol; banana peppers maybe. I think I will stick with the trustworthy pineapple, and tomatoes seem within my skill/effort level.

So, of these four above, are they all OK to plant now, and would any prefer east or west side?

Also, is there any unusual thing I can try, as a little challenge? Dwarf banana, maybe?

Thanks again, all.

Brian this book is a great resource for container gardening as is this forum (http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/contain). The book is available to download from some Overdrive libraries.

Brian, I am also in zone 9b, I have tomatoes and peppers already planted but you can get big transplants in the store. You have to look at the sun, I like my tomatoes ideally in afternoon shade. They are on the west side and get shaded by the fence in the afternoon. I have the peppers around the avocado tree, they get a lot of light and some sun in the morning, they are on the south side of the house. Bananas I have them on the east side, I have never seen bananas to fruit in a container but if you grow as ornamentals it will be fine and if they are dwarf you may be lucky and fruit for you. I only have one banana clump that gives me fruit almost all year round, it is fruiting now and is huge.

I planted 3 different types of sweet peppers in a pot and put a tomato trellis to hold them.

Silvia

OK, so I have purchased some nice pots, and:

A dwarf fig tree, a pineapple plant, a couple cherry tomato plants, a couple banana pepper plants, and a few assorted succulent plants. I will be planting tomorrow, I hope. Any last minute planting tips, or general care instructions for these items?

thanks again, Brian

I would put the softer plants, like the peppers and tomatoes on the east side, where the tougher plants like pineapple on the west side. I'm growing all kinds of hot peppers in containers. I would water them every morning.

Thanks, plantsman.

That is the way I was going to set them anyway, but not because I knew what I was doing. I did not think the peppers would want so much water. I expect the tomatoes would want a lot of water, too, but the fig tree and pineapple would want much less, right? I'm pretty sure over watering would be bad for the succulents, but less sure about how to know how often or how much to water.

Also, what about feeding for any of these? I was thinking Miracle Grow for the tomatoes and peppers, and maybe some fruit tree stakes for the fig. Do succulents or pineapples need feeding? I suspect there is a time to feed and a time not to feed, no?

If you don't know what you are doing, I would get some "Dynamite" at Home Depot. The 18-6-8 formula. Mix it in the soil, or just make sure it gets covered a bit, and you won't have to worry about fertilizing for 6 whole months. I'd fertilize everything. So what kinds of succulents do you have? They vary a lot on culture. BTW, do you ever get near Lakeland? If so, I can show you how to take care of lots of things.

Thanks again, plantsman. I will check out the 'dynamite'; easy works for me. I am afraid I don't know the names on the succulents, but they all said part to full sun. Lakeland is a haul for me. I rarely get that far unless I can have my sister sit for my dog.

I got everything out. Pics follow:

The Charlie Brown fig, with a few small trailing annual dealies:

The bulletproof pineapple, with a few small succulents:

A few succulents.

You can see the pattern on the pots in this one; the photos don't do them justice.

"Merckx" was not happy to see me right outside the window and not be part of the action. I finally brought her out and let her sit with me, and she was fine.

Assuming there is a photo limit, I will carry on (one more batch)...

In the back (facing east) cherry tomatoes with marigolds. I have 3, but I could thin; think 3 will do OK in this pot? (I don't know the gallons, but it is about 20 inches wide and 30 inches tall--pretty big).

I'm sure I'll need a cage for these. What I thought were banana peppers actually have a tag that says purple sweet bell peppers, so, I'll roll with that. There were two together in the pot, so I left them together:

And a few more succulents:

A different pattern in the pots in the back:

And the garden gator:

Those are beautiful pots! Are all the tomatoes the same variety? It doesn't really matter if you don't intend to save seeds, but I'd say that pot is plenty big enough. Everything looks good! I like your succulents. I have had no luck with succulents at all, and I've never figured out why. It's not overwatering, so I can't figure it out, but I can't grow roses either.

Yes, all the same cherry tomatoes, which I chose because they are supposed to do well in the heat. With three plants, I should get a decent harvest if the birds don't eat them.

I don't know if the succulents can survive my attention. But, I wanted a small-medium-large for each set of pots, and I didn't know what else to use in the little pots.

Brian, nice pots and doggie!

When planting, did you use potting soil? if so it has some fertilizer, for the tomatoes and peppers you can add extra liquid fertilizer because they are heavy feeders, I only use light doses. Figs don't need fertilizers when recently planted.

For watering, when it does not rain water tomatoes and peppers, fig and pineapple when almost dry and succulents when dry to the touch.

If the pots are ceramic, they will hold the moisture, so make sure to water only when needed.

My tomato pots are 13x14 1/2 and I have 1 plant in each, Cherry tomatoes can get big, you can use a pole or a bamboo tepee to hold them in place.

My succulent box is in mostly shade by the porch and gets very little water about once a week.

Silvia

Silvia,

I used a container mix soil recommended by the garden center guy. He said it was good for everything, but I cut it 50/50 with cactus mix for the pineapple and the succulents (I figured they needed good drainage). I don't know if it contained fertilizer--none that I could see, but it appeared very dark and rich to me.

Thanks for the advice on the watering and feeding. Do you ever use indicators to tell you when watering is needed, like the little ceramic worms? I would prefer an easy way to know when to water, especially if those pots may hold in more water than I expect. Since they are also going to be in the hot sun, I could see them being over or under watered pretty easily.

I hope my succulents hold up as well as yours. Thanks again to you and all the others for the good advice.

Brian, it is always a good idea to read the labels in the bag, that way you know what is in it, if it is the peat based or bark based? I think most bagged products have some fertilizer in them.

The only thing I use to judge the water needs are my eyes and fingers, sometimes if the pot is small I lift it and feel the weight, you will get the idea after trying a few times. With the succulents is better to under water than too much, you also have to think that with the rains they can get saturated, let them dry before watering again.

Good luck with your new plantings!

Silvia