I keep a lot of rosemary around for cooking. Kumquat is a nice small sized edible citrus that makes a great container plant. The size of the fruit makes it one of the few citrus that is suitable for bonsai.

Calamondin would work, but it's not that great as far as eating.

randy

I was thinking about currant, but don't know where to get seeds. thanks.

I think that kind of seed would be readily available now at most stores that sell garden seed.

randy

Seedy,

I purchased some currant bushes last spring about this time at the local home center. Blueberry has been used for bonsai, and I think that I read something about mullberries. My brother-in-law has a pepper, (Capsicum), that he has kept in a pot for years, I wouldn't exactly call it a bonsai but that is due to his lack of training. This may not be practical as I don't think you can expect to harvest much from a plant trained as bonsai.

Norm

My main purpose would be the bonsai, but I thought it would be cool to eat what I pruned from the tree. I've decided on using Rosemary, but may start a pepper plant as well. Thanks, Seedy

Don't forget Barbados Cherry -- malpighia glabra, which is easy and will bear fruit as a bonsai.

Or you could go for one of the smaller guava species, like littorale or guajava -- Logee's carries several of them.

For more hardy plants, look into figs, although they're not very graceful, quince varieties, and bay leaf (laurus nobilis).

In the "edible but not necessarily tasty" dept., there's fuschias, which produce berry-like fruit, triphasia trifoliata or limeberry (haven't tasted so I can't comment)and a few others -- check out a tropical bonsai book like Leisnewitz's.

Jim

Thyme, if you wait long enough, develops a trunk. Look for old forlorn plants at a garden center.

... scented pelargoniums / geraniums, of course.

Edible, fragrant, very useful, showy, drought resistant, little care and very forgiving ... what else do you want from your bonsai ?!

http://www.scentedleaf.com/bonsai/pelargoniums-bonsai
http://scentedleaf.blogspot.com/search/label/Scented%20Pelargonium

Here is a link that might be useful: Pelargoniums edible bonsai

I'm just getting my feet wet with Bonsai, so I've been scouring the net for anything to do with the topic. It's quite interesting what is out there.

chili seeds suggested for bonsai: http://fataliiseeds.net/search?query=bonsai

These guys and their chilie seeds look like an interesting bunch. I might try my hand at some Chupetinho seeds, once I have a grow light area setup at my place. (I hope in the next 2-3 weeks)

I am growing chiles in pots. One developed a woody trunk in 4 months. Another cultivar/ species is in asmall pot and is bearing fruit and looks liek a small tree. Will start training after the fall.

Some varieties have larger leaves, some very tiny.

i think they can bear fruit easily under fluorescents or windowsill