How to plant and care for Feijoa (Pineapple Guava)

Acca sellowiana

🍓 Fruit 🔁 Perennial

An evergreen shrub with grey-green leaves and exotic red-and-white flowers whose sweet petals you can eat. In a warm spot it sets aromatic, pineapple-flavoured fruit in late autumn.

At a glance: harvest in November.

When to plant and care for it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Flowers

Harvest

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Growing Feijoa (Pineapple Guava): what it needs

Light: Full sun · 6+ hours a day
Watering: Water well while fruit swells
Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil
Spacing: 2 m
Height: 2 m
In pots: Only in large containers
Feeding: Sulphate of potash in late winter; mulch with compost
Hardiness: USDA zones 8–11

Step by step

On planting day
Plant
Plant 2 m apart in weed-free, well-prepared soil enriched with compost, and water in well.
0–3 days after “Plant”
Water In
Water well and keep moist while it settles in.
7–21 days after “Water In”
Mulch
Spread 5 cm of compost or bark around the plants to keep moisture in and weeds down.

Every year

June
In Flower
The fleshy petals taste of marshmallow — try one. Brush pollen between flowers with a paintbrush to help fruit set.
November
Gather Fruit
Ripe fruit drops from the bush. Leave it a few days indoors to soften, then halve and scoop out the flesh.
Starts from year 3.
December
Winter Protection
Protect young plants with fleece in hard frosts; move pot-grown plants into a cold greenhouse.