White sapote

Casimiroa edulis

Custard-sweet fruit from a tree that takes cool summers and light frost; made for the Bay Area.

Type: small tree · tropical and subtropical food plants
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 25 ft tall, 25 ft wide
Harvest: August to November
From: Mexican highlands
Drought-hardy once established
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.

Native to: Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.

The story

White sapote grew in the highlands of central Mexico, where the Aztec called it cochiztzapotl, the sleep-making sapote, for its mildly sedative seeds and leaves; Spanish friars carried it to California missions, and it fruits in cool coastal climates where tropical sapotes fail.

Planting

Full sun, drained soil, and a mild climate with light frost; it takes 25°F once mature. Plant a grafted variety ('Suebelle', 'Vernon'); a 25-foot tree.

Growing

Water deeply but infrequently; mulch. Prune to keep it low. It drops leaves and fruit in drought.

Harvest and use

Fruit ripens from late summer into winter, turning pale yellow-green and softening; pick and ripen indoors. Custard-sweet; spoon out the flesh, discard the seeds.

What to watch for

Fruit fly, and fruit drop in heat; the seeds are not edible.

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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