🔴 Pomegranate
Punica granatum
Ancient fruit, jewel-box seeds, and a bush that refuses to die.
Sun
Full sun
Days to harvest
2–3 years to fruit
Spacing
10–15 feet apart
Soil pH
5.5–7.5
How to grow
Pomegranates are Florida-tough — heat-loving, drought-tolerant, and handsome. 'Wonderful' cracks in our humidity, so try 'Angel Red,' 'Eversweet,' or 'Ariana' instead. Grow as a multi-trunk bush; it suckers enthusiastically, which is either a feature or a chore depending on your outlook.
Water & feeding
Drought-tolerant, but even watering during fruiting prevents the infamous rind split. Mulch and move on.
Common problems
- Fruit split from irregular watering — the number-one heartbreak
- Fungal fruit rots in humid summers; choose resistant varieties
- Leaf-footed bugs pierce ripening fruit
Harvest
Pick when the rind turns fully red and makes a metallic sound when tapped — the old-timers' test actually works. Cut, don't pull.
Nerdy fact: A pomegranate can hold over a thousand seeds, each one a tiny juice sac with its own seed inside — botanically, each aril is a complete snack-pack engineering marvel. Persephone's worst decision was also her most nutritious.