How to Grow Guava
Guava At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Tropical Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -3°C
Plant Family
Myrtaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
A young potted guava is the quickest way to fruit, often within 2 years, and one plant is enough since it pollinates itself. Grow it in a large pot with drainage holes so you can set it outside about 2 weeks after your last frost and bring it back in before fall frost.
Guava is one of the easiest tropical fruits to grow in a pot: it grows fast, takes hard pruning and fruits young. It cannot handle much colder than -3°C, so in Canada it spends summer outside and winter in a bright, warm room.
When To Start
Guava needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Guava?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Guava Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Guava Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Set your potted guava outside in full sun
2 weeks after your last frost
Bring your guava inside to a bright, warm spot before frost
3 weeks before your first frost· every year
Look for ripe guavas: pale yellow, soft and sweet smelling
240 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new guava plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
Hello! Keep your guava in a warm, bright spot and water when the top of the soil dries.
About 30 days after you plant it
Looking good! Turn the pot now and then so your guava grows evenly toward the light.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Guava's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
200 cm
Plant Spacing
300 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give guava full sun outdoors in summer and your brightest window indoors in winter.
- 2Use a large pot of well-drained potting mix with some compost in it.
- 3Water deeply when the top 2 to 3 cm of mix is dry, and empty the saucer so the roots never sit in water.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 3 to 4 weeks from spring to late summer.
- 5Prune it hard in late winter to keep it small, since it fruits on new growth and pruning brings more of it.
- 6Indoors, check under the leaves for scale insects (small brown bumps) and whiteflies, and wipe them off or rinse the plant in the shower.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
300 cm
Mature Height
250 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
Pick as the skin softens and turns from green to yellow and smells strongly fragrant
How to Harvest
- 1Guavas are ripe when the skin turns from green to pale yellow, the fruit softens slightly and it smells sweet and musky.
- 2Snip or gently twist each fruit off so you do not tear the branch.
- 3Handle them gently, since ripe guavas bruise easily.
- 4Pick them as they ripen over the season.
- 5Eat them within a few days, skin, seeds and all, or keep them in the fridge for up to a week.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Guava seeds will grow, but bees can cross guavas and named varieties do not come true, so seedlings may give fruit that differs from the parent. Scoop the seeds from a fully ripe fruit, rinse off the pulp in a sieve and let them dry on a plate for a few days. Store them labelled somewhere cool, dark and dry, and sow them within a few months, since fresh seed sprouts best.
Seed Production
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