Pomegranate

Height 3 - 7m
Frost tolerance High Partial
Pollination required Partial
Evergreen/Deciduous Deciduous
Harvest period February - April

Pomegranate, Punica granatum An ornamental shrub producing fruit with a hard, leathery deep red or yellow rind. When opened the fruit exposes shimmering translucent kernels. The juicy flesh is tart-sweet and surrounds nutlike seeds that are edible and add a bit of a crunch to the overall texture. Pomegranates store extremely well in a cool dry place and continue to sweeten off the tree. The plant itself is very hardy and highly ornamental, it has large showy flowers and is suitable for use as a feature plant, for hedges and container growing. Pomegranite shrubs can also makes an attractive and interesting bonsai specimen. A shrub or small tree to about 4 m, the pomegranate is multi stemmed, spiny and extremely long lived. Plants are usually pruned to form a short but well defined trunk allowing 4 or 5 shoots to develop into a multi branched form. Pomegranate is not fussy about soil condition, in its native environment in Northern India and Iran it is found growing in rocky gravel.

Pomegranate - Elcite Large yellow skinned variety of Spanish origin with soft seeds. It is not as attractive as the 'Wonderful' but has a pleasant sweet flavour.

Pomegranate - Galusha Rosavaya A winner on flavour, even if not the most elegant fruit. Fruit tends to be slightly elongated, pink and angular - but the arils are large and the flavour is exceptional. Beautiful looking (pink blush) and tasting, very sweet even the pale coloured seeds. Better in every way than 'Wonderful', which has yellow not red, fruit, and deep red, but quite tart seeds.

Pomegranate - Wonderful A large, deep purple-red fruit. Flesh is deep crimson in colour, juicy and of a delicious vinous flavour. Seeds not very hard. Good for juicing and eating out of hand. Plant is vigorous and productive. It is the best commercial variety grown in California.

Pomegranates can be slow to get established in heavy soils. They respond well to pruning and regular high nitrogen feedings after flowering and fruiting are finished. Hand pollination of flowers helps cropping. Always keep them moist and plant somewhere in full sun. During the winter months, when the tree is dormant, prune it to shape and remove growth that goes straight up, to encourage the round, open canopy that will produce the most fruit.

Pomegranates are relatively easy to grow. They are not expensive to buy and produce many fruits. They reportedly contain up to 3 times more antioxidants than any other fruit. Antioxidants are the naturally occurring substances that quench the body of free radicals, therefore protecting vital tissues from damage. The fruit contains polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins - all compounds that could have beneficial effects. Packed with Vitamins A, C, E and Iron, the pomegranate fruit has been cultivated since pre-historic times.