Jackfruit Tree

Famous for being the largest fruit of any tree, jackfruits can weigh as much as 80 pounds and be 3 feet long, although they are more typically 1-2 feet long and weigh perhaps 20 pounds. If you live in zone 10, with no risk of more than an occasional frost of a few degrees, you can grow the Jackfruit Tree outdoors. There it will grow into a large, handsome evergreen tree, maturing well over 30 feet tall. The leaves are glossy and long ovals, to 8 inches long, and a single tree produces both male and female flowers, so it self-pollinates. Flowering can happen anytime from spring to fall, and the fruit is actually created by the fusion of many separate flowers in the flower head. Known for the strong, unpleasant smell of the whole fruit, the flesh inside is sweet, fragrant and delicious, smelling of bananas and pineapple, and custard-yellow. The large seeds can also be roasted and eaten. It is possible to grow the Jackfruit Tree as a container plant, indoors during winter, but since it is a large tree you would need plenty of indoor space for it, in a bright, sunlit, high-ceiling entrance, for example. Selective pruning would keep it manageable, but too much trimming will make it less likely to flower and fruit.

• The largest fruit in the world, up to 3 feet long
• Ripe fruit is filled with yellow flesh that is sweet and fragrant
• Large tree to 30 feet or more
• Can tolerate around 3 degrees of frost, but no more
• Container tree for a large indoor space

Plant your Jackfruit Tree in a spot with full sun, or indoors in a south-facing window. It grows best in rich, moist, acidic soil, so for pots use soil blended for azaleas or camellias. Water regularly, avoiding periods of drought, but keep indoor trees a little drier and dormant through the winter months. May suffer from typical pests of houseplants, but maintaining a humid environment and growing outdoors during summer will largely prevent those problems. The green fruit is ripe when the hard skin turns yellowish.