ᐉ How to grow feijoas - Exotic fruits and vegetables

If you have ever walked past a nondescript shrub in San Diego and suddenly caught a whiff of perfume that smells like a collision between a pineapple, a strawberry, and a mint leaf, you have likely encountered the Feijoa. I still remember the first time I tasted one right off the branch in a friend’s yard in Encinitas; the explosion of grit-free, custard-like sweetness changed my entire planting schedule for the following season.

Alexander Mitchell

Here at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables, we've found that this is arguably the most forgiving yet rewarding fruit producing plant you can stick in California soil.

The Feijoa (Acca sellowiana), commonly known as the Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen, is not actually a true guava, despite what the local nurseries might tell you on the label. It hails from the cool highlands of southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northern Argentina, which makes it practically bulletproof in our Mediterranean climate.

While mangoes might pout during our “May Gray,” the Feijoa just keeps pushing out new growth. It is an evergreen shrub that doubles as an ornamental hedge, offering silver-backed leaves and alien-looking flowers that are as delicious as the fruit itself.

Did you know the scientific name Acca sellowiana honors Friedrich Sellow, a German botanist who collected specimens in Brazil? In New Zealand, where the fruit is practically a national obsession, they simply call them “Feijoas,” and the fruit is as common as apples are here in the States.

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Contents

Choosing the Right Variety for Your Microclimate

Not all Feijoas are created equal. I learned this the hard way when I planted a generic seedling from a big-box store ten years ago; the fruit was the size of a golf ball and tasted like medicinal turpentine.

If you want spoon-able, sweet fruit, you must buy named cultivars. In San Diego County, we have a unique range of microclimates from the coastal fog belt to the inland heat of El Cajon, and your choice of variety matters.

Some varieties require cross-pollination to set decent fruit, while others are self-fertile. However, I always tell my clients to plant at least two different varieties. Even self-fertile plants yield 30-40% more fruit when they have a buddy nearby. It is all about genetic diversity triggering a heavier set.

Variety	Self-Fertile?	Flavor Profile & Traits
Coolidge	Yes (mostly)	The standard California variety. Mild flavor, reliable production, medium-sized fruit. Good for beginners.
Nazemetz	Partially	My personal favorite. The pulp is non-gritty and translucent. Tastes like pure pineapple-mint candy. Needs a pollinator.
Mammoth	No	As the name suggests, these are huge. The fruit can weigh 8+ ounces. Essential to plant with a Coolidge or Apollo.
Apollo	Yes	Large, oval fruit with a thin skin. Very aromatic. Great for coastal growers near Del Mar or La Jolla.

Ever wonder why your neighbor’s bush is loaded with fruit while yours is barren, despite having plenty of flowers? It is almost always a pollination issue—birds are the primary pollinators for Feijoas, not bees!

Site Selection and Soil Preparation

Feijoas are tough, but they are not magic. They thrive in full sun, meaning a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct light. If you plant them in deep shade, you will get a lovely ornamental bush with zero fruit. In the hotter inland valleys like Escondido, they appreciate a little relief from the scorching 2:00 PM sun, but here near the coast, give them everything you have.

Regarding soil, think of the earth as a battery storing nutrients and water for the plant; if the battery is corroded, the machine won’t run. Feijoas prefer a sandy loam with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. Our San Diego soil is often heavy clay or decomposed granite (DG). If you have heavy clay, do not just dig a hole and drop the plant in; you will create a swimming pool that drowns the roots. I mound my planting sites, creating raised berms about 8-10 inches high to ensure drainage.

Never bury the trunk deeper than it was in the nursery pot. Burying the root flare is the quickest way to kill a Feijoa through crown rot, especially during our wet winter months.

I amend my native soil with 30% compost and 10% perlite before backfilling. I avoid putting fertilizer directly in the planting hole, which can burn tender feeder roots. instead, I top-dress with a layer of mulch. Speaking of mulch, I apply a 3-inch layer of wood chips around the base, keeping it 4 inches away from the trunk to prevent moisture buildup on the bark.

The Planting Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

Getting the plant in the ground correctly sets the stage for the next twenty years of harvest. I prefer planting in late winter or early spring, just before the new growth flush kicks in. This gives the roots time to settle before the summer heat demands high water uptake.

Dig the Hole: Excavate a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper than the pot. The roots need lateral space to spread.
Check Drainage: Pour 5 gallons of water into the empty hole. If it hasn’t drained in 12 hours, you must plant on a mound or choose a different spot.
Tease the Roots: Most nursery plants are root-bound. I gently loosen the outer roots with my fingers or a soil knife to encourage outward growth.
Position and Fill: Place the plant so the top of the root ball is 1 inch above the surrounding soil level. Fill with your amended native soil, tamping down gently with your foot to remove air pockets.
Water Immediately: Soak the plant with 3-4 gallons of water right away to settle the soil around the roots.
Stake if Necessary: If you are in a high-wind area like Santee, use two stakes perpendicular to the prevailing wind, but leave the ties loose enough for the trunk to sway and build strength.

Watering and Fertilization: The Secret to Juicy Fruit

There is a misconception that because Feijoas are “drought tolerant,” they don’t need water. Sure, they will survive on rainfall alone once established, but the fruit will be dry, hollow, and tiny. To get lush, spoon-able fruit, you must provide 1 inch of water per week during the flowering and fruit-set period, which usually runs from May through August.

I use drip irrigation with 2-gallon-per-hour emitters. For a mature shrub (5+ years old), I run the system for 2 hours, twice a week during summer. If we get a Santa Ana wind event, I hit them with an extra deep soak. You can tell if you are under-watering if the leaves start to curl inward like a taco shell.

For feeding, I treat Feijoas like citrus. I use an organic granular fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of roughly 7-3-3. I apply 1 pound of fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter, split into three applications: once in late February, once in May, and a final light feed in July.

Our experience at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables has shown that feeding too late in the year pushes soft growth that can get nipped by winter frosts, although frost is rarely a killing issue for us.

Pro Tip: Feijoas are heavy nitrogen feeders. If your leaves are turning pale yellow with green veins (chlorosis), it is likely an iron deficiency caused by our alkaline tap water. A soil drench with chelated iron usually fixes this within two weeks.

Pruning and Maintenance

You can let a Feijoa grow wild, and it will become a dense, impenetrable sphere. However, fruit forms on new growth, so strategic pruning encourages production. I prune my orchard in late winter after the harvest is fully done. I aim for a vase shape, clearing out the center to let light penetrate the canopy.

Think of pruning like decluttering a closet; if you can’t see the back wall, you have too much stuff. I remove any branches crossing over each other, dead wood, and suckers shooting up from the base. I also skirt the trees, removing any branches lower than 2 feet from the ground.

This is crucial for harvest because Feijoas drop when ripe, and you don’t want your premium fruit hiding in low-hanging foliage or rotting against the mulch.

The Pollination Quirk

Here is where things get interesting. Feijoa flowers are edible—the petals taste like marshmallow cotton candy. I eat them right off the bush, but I am careful not to eat the center piston (the stigma and stamens). The main pollinators are not bees, but birds like mockingbirds and towhees that eat the petals and get pollen on their heads.

Do not spray insecticides on your Feijoas when they are blooming. You want to invite the birds in, not poison them. If you see birds tearing at your flowers, do not panic! They are doing the work that ensures your harvest.

Harvesting: The Drop Test

Harvesting Feijoas is unlike harvesting apples or oranges. You do not pick them. If you pull a Feijoa off the tree, it is unripe and will never ripen properly on the counter; it will just become rubbery. The plant knows when the fruit is ready.

I once ruined an entire batch by getting impatient and stripping the tree before a heatwave. I ended up with 40 pounds of hard, astringent rocks. The only reliable way to harvest a Feijoa is to wait for it to fall to the ground naturally, or to give the branch a very gentle shake to dislodge fully ripe fruit.

During peak season (usually October to December in San Diego), I go out every morning and evening to collect the dropped fruit. If they sit on the ground in the sun for more than a day, they start to ferment. Once collected, I bring them inside. They are perfect when they give slightly to a squeeze, like a ripe avocado.

Pests and Problems

Fortunately, we don’t have many enemies here. The biggest issue I face is the fruit fly, specifically the Caribbean Fruit Fly in some zones, though less common in San Diego than Florida. The main local pest is Black Scale. These are small, dark bumps on the stems that attract ants. If I see ants marching up the trunk, I know I have a scale problem.

I manage scale with horticultural oil sprayed in the cool of the evening. Another issue is fruit splitting. This happens when the plant goes dry and then gets a sudden deluge of water (irrigation or rain). The inside grows faster than the skin. Consistency in watering is the cure.

I have battled squirrels for years. They do not even eat the whole fruit; they take one bite and throw it on the ground. I have found that wrapping the trunk with a smooth metal flashing prevents them from climbing up, provided the canopy doesn’t touch a fence or another tree.

Culinary Uses and Storage

Once you have a counter full of Feijoas, you need to act fast. They have a short shelf life—about 5-7 days at room temperature. You can store them in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. As fruit enthusiasts at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables, we process our surplus into jams and chutneys because the high pectin content makes them gel beautifully without much effort.

Fresh Eating: Slice in half and scoop out the center with a spoon. The gritty skin is edible but tart and often discarded.
Smoothies: The unique flavor pairs incredibly well with banana and spinach, masking the “green” taste of the vegetables.
Baking: Substitute Feijoa pulp for banana in bread recipes. It adds a moisture and floral note that is unmatched.
Infusions: Sliced Feijoas soaked in vodka for three weeks make a liqueur that tastes like expensive perfume.

I also freeze the pulp. I scoop it out, mix it with a splash of lemon juice to prevent browning, and freeze it in ice cube trays. These “flavor bombs” are perfect for dropping into oatmeal or yogurt in the dead of winter.

My breakthrough came when I discovered dehydrating sliced Feijoas. I slice them thin (skin on) and dry them until crisp. The tart skin balances the sweet center, creating a snack that tastes like sour-patch candy but is actually healthy.

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Final Thoughts

Growing Feijoas in San Diego is one of the most low-risk, high-reward gardening endeavors you can undertake. They ask for so little—just decent drainage, a bit of water, and some patience—and they give back shade, beauty, and buckets of fruit that you simply cannot buy in a supermarket.

It is a plant that connects you to the rhythm of the seasons. You watch the birds in May, smell the fruit in October, and enjoy the jam in January. If you have a 6-foot circle of dirt and access to a hose, you have no excuse not to plant one this weekend.

feijoa