Running into mixed messages while reading about whether mulberries can be grown indoors or not. Does anyone know if they require their cold periods to live and function, or will they be healthy but simply not make fruit? I’d love to grow a berry bush or a similar sized ornamental shrub inside, but I do not have access to an outdoor space to give it chilling time. Has anyone done this before?
mulberries do require chilling hours. If you check out this site your might find something that fits.
https://www.foodforestnursery.com/shop/berries/by-climate-zone-berries/berries-for-zone-10/
A dwarf blueberry might be fine in a container, or a dwarf citrus tree like lemon or orange. Or a fig that doesn’t require chilling hours
Just gonna toss out holly and elderberry for consideration. Would need to hand pollinate the holly for berries (maybe the elderberry too).
It looks like those (and unfortunately most of the common indoor fruits) are incompatible with pets. Appreciate the suggestion though
They’ll grow assuming you get a suitable variety, just not fruit much if at all.
The issue here is comparative advantage: the #1 factor in the plant growing well is going to be your lighting. Unless your residence is a houseplant paradise, good lighting is probably a limited resource you could put to better use with a more traditional indoor plant.
I decided to get a norfolk pine. Not quite a berry bush or a flowering shrub, but still a little tree known to be happy indoors that gets decently big and looks a little bit like the outdoor plants in my region. :).


