Gardening & Landscaping Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for gardeners and landscapers. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I have a small pot at home. I need a plant that produces fruits as much as possible in a very short time (1 year max) and lives as long as possible :) The place may have direct sun but it's in shadow most of the time.
Pot Dimensions: 8 * 8 inches.
Pot Depth: 10 inches.
Winter and summer weather: 50 to 115 °F
I need a plant with relatively small or short roots to fit in the pot.
Growing in containers in the shade isn't typically the easiest thing to do, as fruiting plants often need more light than is available from a single direction, and shaded plants attract pests easily in my experience; also, pollinators aren't attracted to shaded plants as often.
However, you'd probably be fine with wonderberries, ground cherries (such as Aunt Molly's), alpine strawberries, shade-tolerant peppers (such as Grandpa's Home), and such. Collin Beckingham already mentioned peppers and strawberries. Note again that shaded plants can be more prone to pests (such as aphids and whiteflies). So, watch out!
You might also try parthenocarpic, gynoecious cucumbers. They don't need pollinators. I'm not sure how much light they need.
I'd honestly try West India burr gherkins instead of cucumbers, but that's me; I planted some that were fairly shaded in 2018, and I got some fruit (not nearly as much fruit as I got this year with better conditions, however, but certainly it was enough fruit for me to consider it worth planting for the first time). If you want fewer spines, there's a variety called Liso Calcutta that may be of interest. I've never had pest problems with Cucumis anguria.
Red Robin tomatoes would probably work well.
There are probably other kinds of tomatoes that might work out better for you, with bigger harvests, but I haven't studied those conditions extensively for such tomatoes. The soil you use will make a big difference. I'm not sure the ideal soil, but I've heard great success stories with Miracle Gro soil with tomatoes.
Note that these are all annuals in areas with cold winters. However, wonderberries and ground cherries can reseed easily (and they'll probably do even better after they've been growing on your land for more than a year or two). Wonderberries do resemble black nightshade (and might hybridize with it), though; so, if that grows in your area, be careful.
I once grew a sweet pepper in a pot about that size on a semi-shady windowsill, but it required a lot of turning and fiddly attention to keep it growing straight and in light as much as possible and adequately watered. As I recall it produced about 3 green peppers. Alternatively strawberries would be closer to a fruit, would have somewhat restrained roots, have the lifespan you are seeking and are frequently grown in odd small containers by hydroponic enthusiasts. Your upper temperature might be a bit toasty for strawberries however so you would need to avoid that as much as possible.
