How to Grow Mango
Mango At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Tropical Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 0°C
Plant Family
Anacardiaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Buy a young grafted dwarf mango, a named variety joined onto strong roots, which fruits in 3 to 4 years and stays small enough for a big pot. Pot it in a large container with drainage holes and fast draining potting mix, and keep it indoors in your brightest spot. Move it outside in summer about 2 weeks after your last frost, and bring it back in well before fall frost.
Mango is a tropical tree that cannot take any frost, so in Canada it lives in a pot, outside in summer and in a bright, warm room in winter. One tree can fruit on its own, but indoor fruit is a bonus rather than a sure thing, so enjoy it as a handsome plant first.
When To Start
Mango 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 Mango?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Mango Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Mango Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant or pot up your mango, it cannot take frost
2 weeks after your last frost
Bring your mango indoors to a warm, bright spot
3 weeks before your first frost· every year
Look over your mango for ripe fruit
330 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new mango plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your mango settling in? Keep it warm and water when the top of the soil feels dry.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your mango has had time to settle. Give it your sunniest, warmest spot to keep it growing.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Mango'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 mango as much sun as you can: a south-facing window indoors and full sun outside in summer, moving it into strong sun a little at a time so the leaves do not burn.
- 2Use a large pot with drainage holes and a fast draining potting mix with some compost mixed in.
- 3Water deeply when the top few centimetres of soil are dry, and water less in winter, since a drier, cooler rest helps it flower.
- 4Feed with compost tea or worm castings every month in spring and summer.
- 5Trim it lightly after harvest or in late winter to keep it a pot-friendly size.
- 6The sap and the fruit skin can cause an itchy rash in people who react to poison ivy, so wear gloves when you trim the tree.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
350 cm
Mature Height
300 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
Pick when the fruit fills out, the 'shoulders' round and colour blushes; ripen indoors
How to Harvest
- 1Pick a mango when it is full-sized, the shoulders by the stem have rounded out, and the skin blushes its ripe colour.
- 2A ripe mango smells sweet at the stem end and gives slightly when pressed gently.
- 3Cut it off with a few centimetres of stem, and keep the sticky sap off your skin.
- 4Let it finish ripening on the counter for a few days, then keep ripe ones in the fridge.
- 5The fruits do not ripen all at once, so look over the tree every few days for a couple of weeks.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
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