Fast Growing Fruit Trees and How Soon They Bear

The fastest fruit to harvest from our list is dragon fruit, with a rooted cutting fruiting in as little as 6–9 months, followed by banana, passion fruit (a quick harvest once it flowers), fig and pomegranate. True fruit trees take longer, and fig and pomegranate are the quickest of those at one to two years. Mango, avocado, persimmon and Meyer lemon take about three years or more even when grafted. This post ranks the fruit by time to first fruit, then shows how to shave months off whichever you plant.

Fast growing fruit trees ranked by time to fruit

Times below are for a healthy plant in the warm part of its range, planted as the source says. A tree from seed is slower.

Passion fruit sits where it does because the harvest comes 70–75 days after the flower, but UF/IFAS gives no figure for how soon a young vine first flowers, so we have not guessed one.

The quickest picks, in detail

Dragon fruit is the standout. UF/IFAS says many cuttings produce fruit 6–9 months after planting, while UH CTAHR describes production in the second year and full production in about 5 years. The catch is pollination: many plants need a second type or night-time hand pollination, as our post on self-pollinating fruit trees explains.

Banana is a fast herb, not a tree, and a well-fed plant fruits sooner and bigger. Each stalk fruits once, then a sucker takes over. Dwarf Cavendish is the compact choice.

Passion fruit is a fast, woody vine that wants a strong trellis. Go easy on nitrogen after the first year so it flowers rather than making leaves.

Pineapple is slower but nearly free to start: the crown from a store-bought fruit is the planting material most home gardeners use (CRFG), and UF/IFAS says larger pieces grow and fruit faster. Expect about 15–24 months. Our guide to planting a pineapple top shows how.

Fig is the quickest true tree. Chicago Hardy can fruit in year one, and it is hardy in zones 5–10 (Iowa State). Pomegranate is the next fastest, with fruit in year two from a hardwood cutting (UGA).

How to speed up fruit

• Buy the right starting material. Grafted mango and avocado fruit years sooner than seedlings. Dragon fruit from a cutting beats seed by years. For pineapple, UF/IFAS says the bigger the planting piece, the faster the plant grows and fruits.
• Give it full sun. UF/IFAS says shade slows pineapple growth and reduces fruit size and quality, and every fruit we cover wants full or nearly full sun.
• Feed on schedule. A banana fed well fruits sooner and bigger. See how to fertilize fruit trees for amounts.
• Plant in spring. A full warm season before the first winter helps a young tree settle.
• Do not overfeed nitrogen. Too much gives leaves instead of flowers, as on passion fruit and pomegranate.

What the fast growers need

Fast plants make heavy demands, so plan the setup before you plant.

• Dragon fruit: a sturdy post or trellis. CRFG says trellises are generally 5–8 ft high, and UF/IFAS describes a post with a structure at the top. Water regularly from flowering to harvest, but never let it sit soggy.
• Passion fruit: a strong fence or trellis that stands up to wind, and small, frequent watering because the roots are shallow (UF/IFAS).
• Banana: deep, rich, well-drained soil and regular watering. Winds above 25 mph can topple tall types and 45 mph short ones (UF/IFAS), which favors Dwarf Cavendish.
• Fig and pomegranate: full sun and good drainage, and little else. They are among the easiest fruit on our list.

Tricks that do not speed things up

Some shortcuts are popular and unreliable. For pineapple, UF/IFAS does not recommend calcium carbide to force fruiting, because some sources have impurities that are toxic to people and can contaminate soil and water. The popular home trick of enclosing a mature plant with ripe apples gives off ethylene, but results are inconsistent. The better move is a large, healthy plant in full sun with steady feeding. Likewise, a seed or pit from the supermarket is the slowest way to get fruit, so for avocado, mango and dragon fruit buy a grafted tree or a cutting. Our guide to fruits you can grow from the supermarket sets honest expectations.

Fast growing fruit trees by zone

• Zones 10–11: dragon fruit, banana and pineapple lead, and passion fruit follows.
• Zone 9: banana, passion fruit (9b), Meyer lemon and fig. Dragon fruit grows in 9b with frost protection.
• Zones 7–8: fig and pomegranate are the quick ones, and persimmon is slower.
• Zones 5–6: Chicago Hardy fig is the fast choice, and a cold-hardy pomegranate such as Kazake can reach zone 5.

Everywhere, a pot widens the list. Our fruit trees by zone guide shows the full chart, and the tropical fruit collection covers the warm-zone fruit.

Fast is not always better

A persimmon bears at about 3 years but keeps improving until 8–10. An avocado is slow but long-lived. If you want something to eat next year, plant the quick ones. If you want a tree for decades, start with our best fruit trees for beginners, and for small spaces see dwarf fruit trees for small yards.