Tropical Fruit Trees in the Florida Home Garden

While famous for its citrus, including oranges, grapefruits and lemons, Florida’s mild winters and heavy rainy season make it an excellent climate for growing more exotic (and not-so-exotic) fruit trees and plants. This two-part article shares a number of tropical fruit-bearing plants that can be grown in the Sunshine State, as well as some tips for successfully cultivating them.

Tropical Fruits Grown in Florida

Jaboticaba. This beautiful tree/shrub with peeling park, a dense lacy canopy, and dark maroon-purple grapelike fruit is desirable in any landscape. Fruit can be eaten fresh or used in jams, jellies and wine.

Jackfruit. This tree produces the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. Unripe fruit can be cooked as a vegetable. The ripe fruit flesh has a banana-like flavo and can be made into jelly, chutney, or ice cream. The tree is low maintenance and has a moderate salt tolerance.

Tamarind. Popular in Latin America and in other parts of the world, tamarind can also be grown in South Florida. It is often used in candies.

Loquat (Japanese Plum). This tree gives fruit in the winter, primarily February to April. Cultivars include the Advance, Champagne (self-infertile), Gold Nugget, Oliver, Premier, and Tanaka. Loquat trees are drought tolerant, but susceptible to frost. Watch out for the Caribbean fruit fly.

Lychee. This revered Chinese fruit can be sold for a sizeable sum in Asian markets. It needs a lot of water for establishment and during fruit production, but tolerates more frost than other tropicals. Lychee has a very low salt tolerance. The recommended varieties to plant in Florida are Brewster and Mauritius.

Mango. Not all varieties grow true from seed, so mango may need to be grafted. Mangos are susceptible to frost and prefer a pH of 5.5-7.0.

Muscadine Grapes. These grapes can tolerate temperature drops to 10 degrees F and can also be used for wine, as they are in many Florida wineries such as Henscratch Farms in Central Florida. Cultivars include Darleen, Supreme, Black Beauty, Summit, Doreen and Nesbit.

Papaya. Papaya is self-pollinating. Harvest fruit when the color begins to change and let it ripen indoors. Irrigate during dry weather to avoid growth retardation and flower/fruit drop.

Passion Fruit. Passion fruit trees prefer slightly acidic soil. Good drainage is necessary to avoid root problems. The tree can be grown from cuttings or seeds and has few pest problems.

Pineapple. Cultivars that grow well in Florida include Red Spanish, Smooth Cayenne, Natal Queen, Pernambuco and Abakka. Fruiting can be forced with ethylene gas and other means. Fertilize with granular fertilizer alternating with urea sprays every 4 months.

Sapodilla and Surinam Cherry can also be grown, but are considered invasive and dangerous to the local environment and should not be planted.

This list is by no means exhaustive. In fact, there are far more fruit trees that thrive in Florida, including guava, avocado, banana and Barbados cherry.

A number of cooler temperature fruits such as blueberries, strawberries and even some varieties of peach can also be grown in Florida. Of course, Florida’s climate also allows for a vegetable garden most months of the year. Keep in mind, some climates may be too cold or too salty for all tropical fruits. For information on growing fruit or vegetables in a specific region of Florida, visit the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences or contact a local IFAS Extension office.