Maypop in the north? Anyone? Anyone?

Is there anyone here that grows maypop in zone 4?

I ordered these seeds and they arrive today.
https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/products/maypop-passionfruit?_pos=1&_sid=bb474a04c&_ss=r

I will be planting some in zone 4b in Wisconsin. Just wondering if anyone has had any success and or tips outside of their stated range. I've never had a maypop fruit. I'd like to try one.

I thought I read somewhere here that Paul has a goal of growing Montana Bananas?

*edited because I found some talk and it's about growing lemons in Montana which is probably much more useful and likely.

I had seen them at the local nursery but didn’t buy them in time because I couldn’t fit the pot into my backpack (was on bicycle that say). So, they are at least selling them here in Zone 5a.

Thanks that's good to know. This variety says zone 5.

I'll start seeds late winter indoors and see if I can find some good protected sunny spots in different locations to plant them. I think I know some people that would like to try them out in their yards too if I get plenty to germinate.

I had done a search and this was the most useful thread I've found so far...
https://permies.com/t/146577

I bought seeds from the Experimental Farm Network last year but didn't get any to germinate. I'll do some more research and hopefully can get some to go this coming year.( I still have a good number of seeds left)
I'm in Canada, 6b, so I would love to try them and I have a metal gazebo frame for them to climb in sheltered, southfacing spot.

I am also in southern Ontario and would like to try  Maypops too.   We grew non fruit bearing  passion fruit flowers last summer and again this year.  Last winter we cut the plant back and over wintered them in the basement

I was in zone 8.  I bought a plant and put it in the ground. It thrived the first year, but never came back. It's probably because here in the PNWet, we have soggy ground all winter and spring, so diseases kill off a lot of plants when they drown in the winter.  

I have the caerulia blue passionflower here for 20 years or so. It has survived easily, but it is thriving less since my food forest is growing up and "throwing it so much shade".  
:)
John S
PDX OR

Dian Green wrote:I bought seeds from the Experimental Farm Network last year but didn't get any to germinate. I'll do some more research and hopefully can get some to go this coming year.( I still have a good number of seeds left)
I'm in Canada, 6b, so I would love to try them and I have a metal gazebo frame for them to climb in sheltered, southfacing spot.

Good to know. It did say on their website that they can take up to 2 months to germinate. I decided to throw them in the fridge today along with the Iowa White Peach and Wild Goose Plum seeds. Maybe stratification will help with germination. I will plant them inside in a couple months and let you know what happens.

Judy sieffert wrote:I am also in southern Ontario and would like to try  Maypops too.   We grew non fruit bearing  passion fruit flowers last summer and again this year.  Last winter we cut the plant back and over wintered them in the basement

Good idea. If I can enough seeds to germinate I will be doing one potted for overwintering indoors for sure!

I grow them in 5b. I have never gotten a "whole" fruit, that is a fruit that is just s shell, no meat.    But I get lots of blossoms and dry those for tea.  One note of caution, in NEOhio they grow like weeds and are invading my raised beds and walkways faster than I can cull them. Think carefully where you plant them.  That said, they are hardy if you want blossoms.  A bit of s disappointment for the fruit.  I have them in s south facing open area of raised hugel-type beds. Perrenial here.

John Suavecito wrote:I was in zone 8.  I bought a plant and put it in the ground. It thrived the first year, but never came back. It's probably because here in the PNWet, we have soggy ground all winter and spring, so diseases kill off a lot of plants when they drown in the winter.  

I have the caerulia blue passionflower here for 20 years or so. It has survived easily, but it is thriving less since my food forest is growing up and "throwing it so much shade".  

John S
PDX OR

I wonder if planting on some sort of mound that stays less soggy out there would work. The caerulia blue must not mind too much. Did you eat any fruit before it became shady?

Rose DiGeronimo wrote:I grow them in 5b. I have never gotten a "whole" fruit, that is a fruit that is just s shell, no meat.    But I get lots of blossoms and dry those for tea.  One note of caution, in NEOhio they grow like weeds and are invading my raised beds and walkways faster than I can cull them. Think carefully where you plant them.  That said, they are hardy if you want blossoms.  A bit of s disappointment for the fruit.  I have them in s south facing open area of raised hugel-type beds. Perrenial here.

Also good to know thanks! Sound like maybe they're trying to find a spot where they can mature some fruits. Have you noticed if any critters like to munch on them?

Les Frijo said"

I wonder if planting on some sort of mound that stays less soggy out there would work. The caerulia blue must not mind too much. Did you eat any fruit before it became shady? "

I think that would help. Most places in the north are not nearly as soggy as we are.  Gravel in the soil or biochar could help too.  I don't think that the blue one fruits. I never saw any fruit. The flowers are BEAUTIFUL though.

JOhn S
PDX OR

Maypop is good medicine, so it may be just as well if they will grow without fruit in colder zones. Hopniss is the same way, but we appreciate them typically more for the root than the beans.

One in ten years they might actually fruit then!

Peaches—there were peach trees all over Vermont that were grown from pits or planted—most of them rarely fruited until 2023. 2023 and later, they’ve all of a sudden been fruiting prolifically. Maypop could perhaps be like this, too.

Maypop fruit is not the tasty one we can sometimes get at the store.  But it grows in some cold situations.  I think in the very cold north, mulching would be a good idea, unless you have deep snow cover all winter.  The roots don’t mind getting frozen at 0 C, but the ground temperature can just keep dropping.

The leaves make a NASTY tasting tea.  But as mentioned it’s good medicine.  

Strictly Medicinal sells plants… a nursery in Oregon, if you can’t get your seeds to germinate.

So I have done some research and experimenting here in zone 6 upstate NY. Some things that will improve fruit bearing: Plant BOTH cold hardy varieties and of course, the trick is to get them blooming at the same time! (something that eludes me with my various kiwi vine projects) Mine aren't fruiting yet but I have a neighbor who had success with this! Heavy mulching in winter or bring them in a covered area. The flowers are INCREDIBLE! I call them alien flowers lol..There is a really wonderful podcast that dives deep into the complexity of the species if anyone wants to nerd out! https://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2025/9/2/ep-542-the-passion-flower-family-revisited

I've had these growing from cuttings for 4 or 5 years now in zone 5b. I hear they are difficult from seed. I think you'll get vegetative growth every year, and maybe your colder zone will keep it more in check! As you've read on some of these other comments, it can very easily get out of hand but it's enthusiasm is limited to early June to frost here. Maybe more limited where you are.

But what I really want to say is: curb your expectations on fruit. Even IF you get it in your zone, this passion fruit is not the same as its southern cousins. The "fruit" is limited to juicy pulpy pouches surrounding the seeds. You can mash out some pulp from lot of fruits to get a little bit of goodies. Not worth much. Generally I just bust one or two open a year to chew on the pulp and spit out the seeds.

While the fruit is nothing special, it's still a fantastic plant for the flowers and medicinal leaves! Even great to grow as a seasonal privacy screen.

they’re special enough for us. i know of many local households that look forward to ripe maypop season very eagerly. maypop curd (made like lemon curd) is a thing of wonder.

Hi Matt and Greg,

My expectations are pretty low so if I can get the seeds to germinate that will be my first big delight. I'll grow them inside for awhile and maybe even take some cuttings if they get going too well before planting outside.

Flowering would be fantastic and fruit seems unlikely but if it does happen I'll be beyond excited no matter how it tastes!

I would love to try some Maypop curd or even lemon curd.

I need to look into the medicinal qualities more as well.

My seeds are stratifying in the fridge now and I'm going to listen to that podcast link in the above post now.

This year I tasted maypop fruit for the first time.
I found it quite  refreshing.
I took some cuttings and they seemed happy last I checked.
I am in zone 5B.
Everyone warns me they are very vigorous.

I have grown maypops here in Utah, and technically I’m zone 7b, and maypops struggle to come back in my yard. I was surprised this last year when I found a couple sprouting plants come back from the roots toward the end of July. The plants survived, but if they don’t come up soon enough then they won’t have enough time to flower and ripen the fruit before frost. I think you will be more successful if you treat them as annuals in colder zones. I did have some flower and fruit this year, but I grew them from plants I ordered from a nursery. If starting from seed, I would start them indoors around January or February, then plant them outside around March or April, and you should get flowers starting in May to June, and then the fruit should be ripe starting around August. The fruits need heat to ripen, and once it starts cooling off the fruits can take much longer to ripen. I have a few plants in my greenhouse that I brought inside in October, that still have unripe fruit from August, still hanging on now in mid-December and probably won’t ripen for another month.
The plants are also hard to overwinter as dormant plants. I’ve tried keeping the pots in my garage and they usually end up rotting or drying out. I haven’t discovered the best way to over winter the roots.

I do know I guy who grows maypops in Maine, and he says the secret is to grow it next to your house, near the foundation, on the south side.

Thanks Ethan, Good to know. Assuming I can get the seeds going I will do just as your guy in Maine does and also grow one in a container and see if I can get it to overwinter indoors.

Can't really safely plant anything outside until mid May around here so at least I have some time to get them going indoors. The site says they can take up to 2 months to germinate. Sounds like they get bigger and stronger over time once established. I'll keep this thread posted when I have some results.

longtime lurker but new to posting, so forgive me if anything is out of place! I've grown cold hardy maypop from Peaceful Heritage Nursery for 2 years now in a pretty dry and very windy zone 5 climate. The amount of fruit I get off of a cattle panel trellis isn't huge just a few dozen and a lot fail to ripen by frost, but if your growing it for the flowers ornamentally or for medicine the production is incredible!

I started growing then in Zone 6 (suburban Toronto) in 2022, then moved to Zone 5a (rural southern Ontario). Our average temperatures are similar, if not slightly cooler than Wisconsin's, but cold extremes are slightly milder (hence 5a rather than 4b).

They seem to require a second (genetically distinct) plant for cross pollination. Bluecrown passionflower (passiflora caerulea) seems to be quite effective for that, and it's what I've used in 2023-2025, although a second maypop should work too. If your flowers drop off instead of setting fruit, or the fruits are empty shells, you might have a lack of cross pollination problem. The first year (2022) I had a good amount of flowers already, but no fruit due to lack of other passionflowers blooming at the same time.

I had mine overwinter during 2022-2023 winter in Zone 6, but it was a very mild winter with only a couple days , and under heavy mulch. Even in un-mulched areas of the garden, I suspect frost didn't penetrate more than a couple inches into the soil that winter, since most days were above freezing. However, it took a long time for it to sprout new shoots - only late June, and didn't have time to bloom in 2023.

On the other hand, the plants I grew from cuttings I took in fall 2022, were able to bloom by mid-late July 2023, and those produced fruit thanks to pollination by passiflora caerulea. The first ones ripened before the frost, but many had to ripen indoors. I've been growing the plants in pots, that way I could extend the growing season indoors. If the plants are near a sunny window, that has been adequate. In 2024 I had about 40 fruit from a single plant. The fruits are fairly good if you ask me, though not uniform, some are a bit more tart, but they're generally mildly sweet and have a nice fragrance.

For overwintering, I've moved some into my cellar, where it's dark and about 40-45F, and some in my garage where it ranges from about 25-35F, and both have worked. I think it's best not to overwater them too much when dormant. Honestly, I don't think you need to water them at all if it's <45F. I take them somewhere warmer to wake them from dormancy in late March to early April. It'll take 2-4 weeks of room temperature conditions for them to put out new shoots, but after 1 month of growth, they should be pretty big. They'll grow faster in warm weather (and fruits ripen faster too), but they can handle light frosts, down to 25F or so.

2025 was the first year I had multiple maypops. I got some from another hobbyist downscaling her collection, and a "snowpop" from a local nursery. Most of them set fruit on their first year (3 did, 1 did not). However, my mother plant produced less this year (about 20 fruit), maybe because late May was very cool and that set it back? Or maybe the spot I had it in was shadier than where I had it last year? Most of the fruits were still pollinated by my caerulea, but I think a few were pollinated by other snowpops.

With a late March/early April head start, I can get flowers in late July onwards, and fruits beginning to ripen in late September, continuing into November indoors.

I've also tried growing passiflora inspiration for the first time this year. It's a maypop x passiflora cincinnata hybrid, that is fertile. The fruits are good too, but a bit slower to ripen. They're a bit different tasting, I find they're closer to the edulis passionfruits taste wise. The flowers are very pretty, and they seem to be similarly hardy - capable of surviving in a cellar or garage and growing back from the roots.