Passion fruit

About Passion fruit

Passion fruit is a fast, evergreen vine from South America that climbs by tendrils and bears round, 2- to 3-inch fruit filled with tangy, fragrant pulp around the seeds. Purple passion fruit is the type most U.S. gardeners grow; the yellow form is more tender and needs a second plant to set fruit. It is a frost-tender cousin of our native maypop (Passiflora incarnata), and a vine usually stays productive for only 3 to 5 years.

UF/IFAS lists zones 9b-11 (another UF/IFAS publication says 10-12). It grows year-round outdoors in south Florida and in mild coastal California; in north-central Florida it needs frost protection, and a hard freeze can kill a mature vine (UF/IFAS; UC). Heads-up: the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants rates Passiflora edulis a high invasion risk in all of Florida (advisory, not a law).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Plant once frost is no longer a worry, 6-10 ft apart in Florida or 8-12 ft apart in California, next to a strong trellis or fence (UF/IFAS; UC). A healthy vine starts flowering in about 6 months to a year, and fruit ripens about 70-80 days after the flower is pollinated (UF/IFAS). Inland in California, give it some afternoon shade, since it dislikes hot, dry heat (UC).

Soil

Fast-draining, slightly acid to neutral soil rich in organic matter; good drainage matters most, so use a raised bed or mound on heavy soil (UF/IFAS; UC Cooperative Extension). Sources give pH ranges from 5.5 up to 7.5.

Pick a well-drained spot (or build a wide, shallow raised area) and work in compost; aim for slightly acid soil, about pH 5.5-6.5 (UF/IFAS Marion County).

Feeding

• Young vines, while they are building roots and stems: balanced fertilizer with secondary and micronutrients, such as 6-6-6 or 8-3-9, or a slow-release 14-14-14. Feed young vines to push root and vine growth (UF/IFAS); follow the label for the amount.
• Every 4-6 weeks from the late-winter pruning into early fall: balanced fertilizer such as 8-3-9 or 6-6-6 with micronutrients. UF/IFAS (Marion County) feeds on this schedule as granules, liquid feed or a foliar spray; cut rates back once the vine is mature.

Too much nitrogen gives lots of leaves but few flowers and hollow fruit, and uneven watering makes fruit drop (UF/IFAS).

Harvest

Fruit is ripe when it has turned fully purple (or yellow) and drops on its own; gather fallen fruit every day or two (UF/IFAS; UC). Fruit picked with at least half its skin colored keeps ripening, and ripe fruit wrinkles as it dries but keeps its flavor for weeks (UF/IFAS). In north-central Florida the crop comes in about June to August (UF/IFAS).

Flowers open over several months and each fruit ripens 70-80 days later, so fruit keeps dropping through the season (about June-August in north-central Florida). Gather fallen fruit every day or two; the vine bears well for about 3-4 years, then plan to replace it.

Varieties (23)

Good neighbors

Salvia (ornamental sage), Bee balm

UF/IFAS suggests planting bee flowers such as salvia or bee balm nearby to bring in the carpenter bees and honey bees that pollinate passion fruit; that is the only pairing an Extension source gives.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Twospotted spider mite, Stink bugs, Root-knot nematodes, Brown garden snail, Thrips

Diseases and problems

Passion fruit woodiness virus, Brown spot (Alternaria), Fusarium wilt, Collar rot, Root and crown rot, Anthracnose, Bacterial spot, Septoria spot

In the kitchen

Scoop the pulp and seeds out of the shell and eat it fresh, or use the juice and pulp in drinks, fruit salads, ice cream, yogurt, jam, jelly, sauces and cake or frosting flavoring (UF/IFAS).

Keeping it: Ripe fruit keeps 2-4 weeks at room temperature, wrinkling but keeping its flavor (UC); purple fruit keeps 3-5 weeks at 41-45 F, but colder storage can damage it (UF/IFAS).

Safety: The sources we checked list no toxic parts for the ripe fruit and give no research-based guidance on pregnancy, drug interactions or allergies; eat only the ripe pulp.

Pets: Not listed by the ASPCA