How to Grow a Passion Fruit Plant

The passion fruit is of the genus Passiflora, which encompasses about 400 species. Domestic gardeners are most likely to grow one of the variants of Passiflora edulis if they want to harvest edible fruit. Passion fruit is also grown for its intricate flowers, which come in blues and purples. You can start a passion fruit in your garden from seed or from a young potted specimen from a garden store. The plants are tropical in origin and so grow best in the southern states. Even there, they may need protection in the event of heavy frosts. The fruit is round and has a purple or yellow wrinkled skin when ripe. Break through the thick skin and pith to enjoy the sweet pulp and seeds.

Seed tray
Compost
Trowel
Trellis
Wire
Ties
Pruners

Instructions

- 1
  Sow seeds in compost in a seed tray, which should be kept moist and stored in the dark until the seeds sprout. Once they do, thin them out and plant out the most vigorous after the last frost.
- 2
  Plant young specimens in a sunny spot in a free-draining bed that has been amended with compost. Dig a hole slightly larger than the plant’s root ball, place the plant in it and backfill. If you’re planting more than one passion fruit plant, space them 8 to 10 feet apart.
- 3
  Create a support for the plant with a freestanding trellis, or with wires fixed to a wall. With a little training and tying, the plant quickly climbs its support. Alternatively, let this vine-like plant scramble up a tree.
- 4
  Water the young plants whenever the soil around them appears dry. Passion fruits have shallow roots and will quickly suffer without ample water.
- 5
  Prune the mature plants. Once established, the passion fruit is a vigorous plant that can grow to a height of 30 feet and requires cutting back to keep it in bounds.
- 6
  Harvest the fruit when they turn from green to their final yellow or purple color.

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