🥝 Pineapple Guava
Acca sellowiana
The fruit that tastes like a piña colada's quieter, more interesting cousin.
Sun
Full sun to part shade
Days to harvest
2–4 years to fruit
Spacing
10–15 feet apart (or 5 feet for a hedge)
Soil pH
5.5–7.0
How to grow
Feijoa is Florida-friendly to its core — evergreen, drought-tough, handsome enough for the front yard, and the flowers are edible too (sweet petals, plant candy). Plant two varieties for better pollination, though single plants still fruit. It doubles as a hedge that pays rent in fruit.
Water & feeding
Drought-tolerant once established, but regular water during fruiting means bigger, juicier guavas.
Common problems
- Fruit flies in some areas; harvest fallen fruit promptly
- Guava rust in very wet years — mostly cosmetic
- Birds and squirrels consider your crop a community resource
Harvest
Ripe fruit drops when ready — check the ground daily in season. Eat the pulp with a spoon; the skin is technically edible but an acquired taste.
Nerdy fact: The petals of pineapple guava flowers are sweet and edible — the plant bribes pollinators (and gardeners) with floral candy. Dessert before the fruit.