How to Grow Pomegranate
Pomegranate At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Tree Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -10°C
Plant Family
Lythraceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
A young potted pomegranate, ideally a dwarf type, is the easiest start, and one plant fruits on its own. Pot it up in a large container with drainage holes after your last frost, so you can move it indoors for winter.
Pomegranate comes from hot, dry places and is killed by deep frost, so in most of Canada it lives in a pot that summers outside and winters in a cool, frost-free spot. It loses its leaves in fall, so it can rest somewhere fairly dim, like a cool basement. Plants usually begin to fruit in about 3 years, and in a short summer some fruit may not fully ripen.
When To Start
Pomegranate 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 Pomegranate?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Pomegranate Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Pomegranate Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Pot up your pomegranate and set it in your hottest spot
1 week after your last frost
Thin out crowded pomegranate branches
30 days before your last frost· every year· optional
Move your pomegranate to a cool, frost-free spot
2 weeks before your first frost· every year
Check for ripe pomegranates: deep colour and heavy
180 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new pomegranate plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
Your pomegranate is off to a good start! Keep it in your sunniest spot and water when the top few cm of soil dry out.
About 30 days after you plant it
How is your pomegranate doing? Turn the pot now and then so every side gets its share of sun.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Pomegranate's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
300 cm
Plant Spacing
400 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give your pomegranate the hottest, sunniest spot you have all summer.
- 2Use a gritty, well-drained potting mix with a little compost, since it hates wet roots.
- 3Water when the top few cm of mix are dry, and keep watering steady once fruit forms, because a soak after a dry spell splits the fruit.
- 4Feed with compost tea or a little worm castings once a month from spring to midsummer, then stop.
- 5In winter, keep the bare plant at about 2 to 10°C (36 to 50°F) and water only enough to keep the mix from drying out completely.
- 6Spray aphids off the new shoots with water, and trim crowded inner branches in late winter so air and light get in.
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 when deep-coloured, heavy, and the fruit makes a metallic sound when tapped; it won't ripen off the tree
How to Harvest
- 1Pomegranates are ready when the skin has deep colour, the fruit feels heavy for its size, and it makes a metallic sound when tapped.
- 2They do not ripen after picking, so leave them on as long as weather allows.
- 3Cut the stem with pruners close to the fruit instead of pulling it.
- 4Bring them all in before a frost.
- 5Keep whole fruit in a cool spot or the fridge for several weeks, and pull out the juicy seeds inside to eat.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
Ask your coach about your pomegranate.
This page covers what we thought to write down. Your pomegranate will do something it never mentions, and that is the day a coach beats a guide. Ask Coach Lumen one question right now, free, no account.
