Grow your own - Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis)

Want an edible evergreen screen? Try growing a passionfruit over the shed, along the fence or even over a balcony rail.  And they are super-fast.  Grafted vines put in during spring will flower in a few months, and be bearing fruit by autumn.  And who doesn’t over passionfruit on ice cream, passionfruit curd, passionfruit with yogurt and even the odd passionfruit cocktail in summer?

 

Top Ten Growing tips

  • Shallow roots require mulching
  • Water regularly
  • Shelter from wind
  • Requires a fence or trellis to twine on
  • Plant in pairs for best pollination
  • Prefers full sun position – north east frost free position is ideal
  • Fruit is produced on current season’s wood so don’t be afraid to prune them
  • Use complete fertiliser with added potash (too much nitrogen will encourage leaf growth instead of flowers)
  • Grafted cultivars are best producers. Varieties include: Nellie Kelly (black skin), Panama Gold (yellow skin) and Panama Red (red skin)
  • Renew vines after 4-5 years for maximum cropping

 

Harvest Tip

Allow fruit to drop and harvest it from the ground.  Excess fruit can be stored frozen or keep the pulp frozen in ice cubes.

 

By: Meredith Kirton

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