Passionfruit · Tianjin, Tianjin, China
When to plant passionfruit in Tianjin
Main outdoor window
21 Apr - 19 May
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
7 April
In Tianjin, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Mar - 30 Jun
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Tianjin
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant the vine
21 Apr - 19 May
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
Harvest
1 Mar - 30 Jun
Passionfruit through the year
Against the frost risk in Tianjin
Why these dates
Damaged below about -1C and killed at -2C. In a marginal climate it is grown as a container plant that overwinters under glass.
Passionfruit are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Tianjin has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Tianjin sits in zone 7a, which is colder than this crop is rated for, so it will need winter protection or a container that can be moved under cover. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.
Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.
Also in Tianjin
Other fruits to time
Growing passionfruit in Tianjin
When should I plant passionfruit in Tianjin?
Aim for 21 Apr - 19 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 27 Apr - 25 May - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will passionfruit be ready to harvest in Tianjin?
Expect to start picking around 1 Mar - 30 Jun, based on 150 to 240 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will passionfruit tolerate?
Damaged below about -1C and killed at -2C. In a marginal climate it is grown as a container plant that overwinters under glass.