Passion fruit
Passiflora edulis
A fast vine for a sunny fence.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 20 ft tall, 10 ft wide
Harvest: July to October
From: South America
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, pollinators.
Native to: Tropical South America, Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.
The story
Purple passion fruit comes from southern Brazil and Paraguay; Spanish missionaries named the flower for the Passion of Christ. It reached Hawaiʻi in the 1880s and Australia and Kenya soon after, becoming the flavour of juice and pavlova.
Planting
Full sun, rich drained soil and a sturdy trellis or fence; it climbs 15 feet a year. Plant in spring after frost; it fruits in its first or second year.
Growing
Feed and water steadily; a hungry vine drops its fruit. Prune back by a third after harvest to keep new wood coming. Replace after four or five years.
Harvest and use
The fruit falls when ripe; gather it from the ground and let the skin wrinkle for the sweetest pulp. Two flushes a year in warm places.
What to watch for
Fusarium wilt and nematodes in old ground, so rotate the planting spot; frost kills the purple type at about 28°F.
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More tropical and subtropical food plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home