How to plant and care for Pomegranate (Provence)

Punica granatum

🌳 Tree 🍓 Fruit 🔁 Perennial

A compact, glossy shrub-tree with brilliant scarlet flowers in summer. This hardy variety can set fruit after a long, hot summer — best in a big pot on a sunny patio.

At a glance: harvest in October.

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 Pomegranate (Provence): what it needs

Light: Full sun · 6+ hours a day
Watering: Water when the top of the compost is dry; less in winter
Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil · pH 6.0–7.0
Spacing: One per 45 cm pot
Height: 1.5–2 m
In pots: Grows well in containers
Feeding: Tomato feed every two weeks in summer
Hardiness: USDA zones 7–11

Step by step

On planting day
Plant the Tree
Pot into loam-based compost with extra grit, in a pot 5 cm wider than the root ball.
0–2 days after “Plant the Tree”
Water In Deeply
Soak the root area with a full can, then keep the soil moist (not wet) for the first few weeks.
7–21 days after “Water In Deeply”
Mulch the Base
Spread 5–8 cm of compost or bark mulch in a 1 m circle, keeping it clear of the trunk.

Every year

May
Move Outside
Once frosts are over, move the pot to the sunniest, most sheltered spot you have.
July
In Flower
Scarlet, waxy flowers — take a photo.
October
Pick Pomegranates
Pick if fruits have coloured and sound hollow when tapped. Many UK summers only give flowers.
Starts from year 3.
November
Bring Under Cover
Move pots into a cold greenhouse or unheated porch for the winter; water sparingly.