3 Easy Tropical Fruits To Grow
We all look forward to the summer months when tropical fruits are available to buy at the supermarkets. The only downside is that quite often, most of these fruits are imported from other countries, meaning they aren’t as fresh by the time they reach you, and you end up paying a higher price for them.
However, there is a way to enjoy tropical fruit at a much lower cost, where the fruit is sweeter, fresher, and better quality. Growing tropical fruit from home will offer all of these benefits.
Depending on where you live and the space you have may narrow down what you can grow, but this shouldn’t hold you back.
Fruits such as bananas are generally out of the question for cooler climates as they require a lot of space, heat, and sunlight to grow. Passion fruit, figs, and pineapple guava are easy tropical fruits to grow with the right conditions and space.
Keep on reading to find out how to grow these 3 tropical fruits in your garden.
3 Easy Tropical Fruits To Grow
Passion Fruit
- Botanical Name: Passiflora edulis
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Soil Type: Medium to Moist, Well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Neutral (6.5-7.5)
Passion fruit is easily recognized for its round shape and clear pulp with black seeds. Two types are most common: purple and yellow.
Purple passion fruit is the most widely known, with its classic purple skin and small tennis ball-sized fruits. It is smaller and sweeter than the yellow variety. Yellow passion fruits are quite a lot bigger than purple passion fruits, growing the size of a grapefruit.
Both varieties of passion fruit originated from Brazil and tropical America. Though this vine grows best in tropical climates, it can grow well and with relative ease in cooler weather.
If you live in a cooler climate that does experience frost in the winter, it might be best to grow passion fruit in a greenhouse. They prefer to be planted in well-drained soil with access to full sunlight.
As a vine plant, passion fruit does require something to climb that offers support such as a trellis. In terms of everyday care, for best results, ensure the soil does not dry out by regularly watering to keep the soil moist. They are also heavy feeders requiring a high-potassium fertilizer.
Pruning should be carried out after harvesting the fruit to encourage growth the following year by making space for new vines and checking for dead or unhealthy vines.
With general seasonal care, your vines should produce fruit for up to 7 years. Fruits are ready to harvest around 70-80 days after pollination towards the end of the summer.
Figs
- Botanical Name: Ficus carica
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Soil Type: Medium, Well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic (5.8-6.5)
Native to Syria and Persia, fig trees offer sweet, purple fruit ready to harvest in August and September. Though they originate from warmer climates in the Mediterranean, certain varieties of fig trees are hardy enough to grow in cooler climates such as the UK.
Fig trees can grow well planted in pots, which makes them ideal for smaller outdoor spaces. However, they can also be grown well in greenhouses, which protects them from harsher winters.
Planting fig trees is best in winter or early spring as this allows them time to settle and establish a good root system. If planting in a pot, ensure that the pot is deep enough for its roots.
When planting directly into the ground, it is recommended to constrict their root growth by adding rubble in your dug hole or using slabs to create a wall around the roots. It is believed that restricting their root growth benefits your fig tree’s health.
Fig trees are relatively easy to grow once planted. They require overwintering if you experience frost in the winter. This can easily be done by covering your tree base in mulch and being careful not to touch the base of the tree. As well as ensuring to cover the branches with a horticultural fleece.
Otherwise, ensure to prune your fig trees annually in the winter to make space for new growth and remove any dead branches.
Pineapple Guava
- Botanical Name: Feijoa sellowiana
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Neutral (5.5-7.0)
Pineapple guava is an incredibly easy tropical fruit to grow and extremely tasty. As its name suggests, pineapple guava offers green fruits that offer a mixed taste of pineapple, guava, banana, and kiwi.
Though it can take a few years to establish and produce any fruit, the wait is worth it. Also known as feijoa, pineapple guavas originate from tropical areas of South America.
They’re popular not only for their fruit but also for their flowers, which bloom in spring and are also edible.
Pineapple guavas can grow up to 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide, so do require quite a lot of room. However, they can be pruned and maintained to the size you require.
This tropical plant can thrive when planted in a container and can be pruned regularly without being detrimental to fruit production as it grows slowly. On average, pineapple guavas can take 3-4 years before they begin to produce any fruit.
Due to originating from tropical climates, they produce the best fruit when planted in full sunlight and in a sheltered position. They require well-draining soil to avoid root rot.
As with most tropical fruit plants, ensuring your pineapple guava is protected during the winter months is best. If you experience frost, you can move your potted pineapple guava indoors. Alternatively, consider wrapping the tree with a horticultural fleece and adding mulch around the base.
These three plants are some of the easiest tropical fruits to grow. With the right protection, they can grow well and continue to produce fruits even in colder climates.
Ensure to provide them with full sunlight and plant them in a sheltered position. Over the winter, your tropical plants can be moved inside or in a heated greenhouse. Alternatively, your garden plants can be protected with mulch and horticultural fleece in the winter.
