Passion Fruit

[christdiedforus]

Well after several years of growing them and getting some decent crops, this year we have watered and fertilized them and it looks like we are going to get a bumper crop. In just a few weeks we should be getting the first ones as the begin to change from a grass colored green to a golden color and fall off the vine all on their own. I am looking forward to getting some of that sweet taste in my mouth, and my wife is too.

 

[keith99]

Well after several years of growing them and getting some decent crops, this year we have watered and fertilized them and it looks like we are going to get a bumper crop. In just a few weeks we should be getting the first ones as the begin to change from a grass colored green to a golden color and fall off the vine all on their own. I am looking forward to getting some of that sweet taste in my mouth, and my wife is too.

What is the climate where yuo live? I'm in Los Angeles, hot and dry.

Also how fast growing and animal hearty is the vine. I have rodent problems, I've lost several new plants to rabbits and ground squierrls.

 

[christdiedforus]

What is the climate where yuo live? I'm in Los Angeles, hot and dry.

Also how fast growing and animal hearty is the vine. I have rodent problems, I've lost several new plants to rabbits and ground squierrls.

I live in zone 7 but these vines grow at least down to zone 9. I'm not sure how far north they are above us. They grow pretty fast but it takes the entire season for the fruit to mature. Even though they are not native to your part of the country I don't know why they would not grow there too. The flower as awesome and have a pungent sweet fragrance. Bees love them but other insects will pollinate them as well. Rabbits and squirrels don't mess with them at all but the deer will eat the fruit when ripe and destroy the vine in the process. We have them inside our garden area with an electric fence around them and nothing has messed with them this year. Last year after about half the crop was in the deer destroyed what was left of them. Anyway check out this link and it will tell you all about the plants. I'm sure you can get seeds somewhere online. But if you can't I may be able to help you out with seeds late in the fall for next year as it looks as if we are going to get plenty of fruit and seeds to boot.

http://artsci.wustl.edu/~gjfritz/Passiflora_incarnata_L.html

BTW despite what that article says the fruits taste outstanding to me and others that I know who have been fortunate enough to get to try it. Why they say the taste is not outstanding I have no idea.

 

[lifesinsane]

What is a passion fruit?

 

[keith99]

I live in zone 7 but these vines grow at least down to zone 9. I'm not sure how far north they are above us. They grow pretty fast but it takes the entire season for the fruit to mature. Even though they are not native to your part of the country I don't know why they would not grow there too. The flower as awesome and have a pungent sweet fragrance. Bees love them but other insects will pollinate them as well. Rabbits and squirrels don't mess with them at all but the deer will eat the fruit when ripe and destroy the vine in the process. We have them inside our garden area with an electric fence around them and nothing has messed with them this year. Last year after about half the crop was in the deer destroyed what was left of them. Anyway check out this link and it will tell you all about the plants. I'm sure you can get seeds somewhere online. But if you can't I may be able to help you out with seeds late in the fall for next year as it looks as if we are going to get plenty of fruit and seeds to boot.

http://artsci.wustl.edu/~gjfritz/Passiflora_incarnata_L.html

BTW despite what that article says the fruits taste outstanding to me and others that I know who have been fortunate enough to get to try it. Why they say the taste is not outstanding I have no idea.

Bolding mine.

Based on my recent experiences with scouting for Pluots I may have the answer for the difference in opinion of fruit taste.

They are not tasting vine ripe fruit and you are.

I was trying to try some pluot varieties before planing a tree. Only found one Dapple Dandy and my eh was far better than my wifes opinion, sour. Nothing indicated the possibility for any pluot in what I found online, until one site with posts where one poster said store bought pluots were nothing like the ones from his tree. I then put 2 and 2 together and got 4. A lot of the Pluot varieties need all summer to ripen.

When is the right time to plant seeds? I was able to find seeds online, but no planting information.

 

[lifesinsane]

May is the right time to plant, that is why they are called maypops in the southeastern part of the USA, that is what I am told anyway.