Passion fruit (Passiflora spp.) is a tropical vine that can be grown in a food forest in central Florida. It is known for its unique, flavorful fruit and its beautiful, fragrant flowers. However, it’s important to note that passion fruit is sensitive to frost and cold temperatures, so it’s best to grow it in a protected location or in a container that can be brought indoors during the winter months. If it does die back during winter months, it may still return when temperatures consistently rise again.
When choosing varieties of passion fruit to grow in your food forest, consider selecting a cultivar that is well-suited to the specific growing conditions in your area. Some cold hardy varieties for central Florida include:
‘Incense’: This variety is known to be one of the most cold-hardy passion fruits, withstanding temperatures down to 30°F (-1°C).
‘Nellie Kelly’: This is another variety that can tolerate colder temperatures than most passion fruits, withstanding temperatures down to 32°F (0°C).
‘Sweetheart’: This variety is considered to be cold hardy and can tolerate temperatures as low as 28°F (-2°C)
And there is the native passion flower/fruit known as maypop (passiflora incarnata).
Passion fruit prefers full sun, well-drained soil, and warm weather. It can be trained to grow on a trellis or fence, or it can be grown in a container. When planting passion fruit, make sure to space the plants about 6-8 feet apart, and make sure they get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day.
Passion fruit requires regular watering, but be careful not to over-water, as they do not tolerate soggy soil. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Fertilize every 4-6 weeks with a balanced organic fertilizer. Passion fruit vines are heavy feeders, so they will benefit from regular fertilizing.
Passion fruit vines can be propagated from seed or from cuttings. When planting from seed, it’s best to use fresh seed as the germination rate is low for old seed. When propagating from cuttings, take cuttings from vines and root them in a rooting hormone. Once the cutting has rooted, it can be transplanted to its final spot.
Passion fruit plants are generally self-fertile, meaning they have both male and female flowers on the same plant. This means that a single passion fruit vine can produce fruit without the need for another vine for cross-pollination. However, it’s worth noting that the overall fruit production and fruit size may be improved with cross-pollination of different varieties.
In terms of reseeding, passion fruit plants can produce seeds that will germinate and grow into new plants. The passion fruit plant will produce seeds inside the fruit, which can be collected and planted. However, seed-grown passion fruit plants may not be true to the parent plant, and may be less productive.
Some varieties of passion fruit are known to be hybrid, so seed from those varieties will not produce plants identical to the parent plant. In that case, the only way to propagate is by rooting stem cuttings.
Passion fruit takes about 1-2 years to reach maturity and be ready for harvest. The fruit should be picked when it is fully ripe, which is when the skin turns from green to yellow or purple. To harvest, simply cut the fruit off the vine with a sharp knife.
Passion fruit is a nutritious and flavorful fruit that can be eaten fresh, used to make juice, or used in cooking and baking. The flowers of the passion fruit vine are also edible and can be used as a garnish or in salads.
Passion fruit is a flavorful and nutritious fruit that can be grown in a food forest in central Florida, but it’s important to choose cold-hardy varieties and to take extra precautions to protect the vines from frost and cold temperatures. A passion fruit vine can produce a bountiful harvest of delicious fruit for many years.