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🎉 Happy New Year!
Here’s to a fresh calendar, happy plants, curious cats, and lots of good garden moments ahead.
Let’s make it a fun, green, slightly muddy one 🌿😺
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🍊 How to grow papaya from seed without killing it, Part 1: Papaya basics
Papaya (Carica papaya) is one of the fastest and most rewarding fruit plants you can grow from seed - but it is also one of the easiest to lose early if you treat it like a regular tree. In this guide, we start at the very beginning: what papaya really is, how to choose and prepare seeds, and what it actually takes to get strong, healthy seedlings off to a good start.
🍊 Papaya basics - what kind of plant it really is
Papaya is not a tree - and that changes how you should grow it
🟡 Papaya is technically not a tree. It is a herbaceous plant with a hollow trunk - often jokingly called a giant grass. 🟡Papaya grows extremely fast from seed and usually starts producing fruit within 10–15 months. It has a palm-like look, with a large canopy of leaves at the top. Flowers and fruit form directly under that canopy, right on the trunk. 🟡In the ground, papaya can grow 10–15 ft tall, but there are dwarf varieties that stay under 4–5 ft in containers while still producing full-size fruit. 🟡Papayas are very productive and are one of the best exotic fruit plants to grow even outside the tropics, especially because they perform so well in containers.
🍊 Growing papaya from seed - what to know first
What grocery store papaya seeds don’t tell you
Papaya is easy to grow from seed, but one detail matters more than most people realize: 🟡Seeds from store-bought fruit come from unknown varieties 🟡Most will not be dwarf 🟡If you want a compact plant, start with a known dwarf variety or seeds from one 🟡The good news: papaya comes true from seed, so when the source is known, the result is reliable.
Now that you understand what papaya is - and what grocery store seeds don’t tell you - it is time to move on to the most misunderstood stage of all: germination. In Part 2, we break down exactly how papaya seeds sprout, what they need, how long they really take, and why so many people give up too early.
Patchouli - Pogostemon cablin is easy to grow indoors if you give it what it likes. It is one of those plants that does double duty - it looks great and makes your home smell amazing. Those big, soft leaves release that deep, earthy scent just by being there.
☘️ Light and temperature
Patchouli loves bright shade. Think filtered light near a window, not harsh direct sun. Too much sun can burn the leaves, especially indoors. In lower light, it still grows well and keeps its fragrance. It is a tropical herb, so keep in warm - at room temperature.
☘️ Water and soil
This plant loves water. Use a well-draining soil mix and a pot with drainage holes, but do not let it dry out. Daily watering is usually fine in warm conditions. Good air circulation is important.
Growing patchouli is similar to growing herbs in containers - just be more generous with water than you would be with basil or oregano.
☘️ Containers and growth
Patchouli grows fast. Start in a 1-gallon pot, but plan to move it up to a 3-gallon container fairly quickly. More room means bigger leaves and a stronger scent.
☘️ Feeding
Feed regularly. You can use Sunshine Boosters Robusta with every watering, or apply Green Magic controlled-release fertilizer every 6 months and at each transplant. Patchouli responds quickly to feeding with lush growth.
☘️ Pruning and uses
Prune as the plant gets bigger to keep it full and bushy. Do not throw the leaves away - dry them for sachets or use fresh/dry leaves for tea.
☘️ Propagation
Patchouli roots very easily from cuttings. Snip a healthy stem, place it in water or moist soil, and it will root fast. It is one of the easiest plants to share with friends.
If you want a plant that grows fast, smells incredible, and actually does something useful indoors, patchouli is hard to beat.
Eugenias have earned a spot in many Southern gardens because they’re
easy, dependable, and surprisingly versatile. These small trees and shrubs
grow well in the ground or in containers, and they don’t waste time
before setting fruit.
15% Off
Eugenias – Limited Time
Use code EUGENIA15 at checkout.
Excluding S/H. Offer expires 08/28/2025
👍 Popular
Choices:
What Makes Eugenia Cherries
Stand Out
Start producing fruit in just a couple of years
Compact size — easy to keep 6–12 ft tall, smaller in
pots
Low-care — tolerant of most soils and resistant to common
pests
Strong in hot weather, yet can handle a light frost down to the mid-20s
°F
Plenty of fruit for people and birds alike
Grumichama Tree in Bloom – Eugenia brasiliensis
Growing & Care
Outdoors
Best in USDA Zones 9–11
Sun or partial shade; more sun usually means sweeter fruit
Plant in well-drained soil; avoid heavy, wet spots
Withstands summer heat and humidity, and can take a light freeze
Container / Indoor
Do well in 5–10 gallon pots on patios or balconies
Need bright light indoors — a sunny window or grow lights
Can flower and fruit in containers if kept warm and well lit
In cooler zones, bring plants indoors for winter and back out in
spring
General Care
Water: Keep soil evenly moist; drought-tolerant once established but
best yields with regular watering
Soil: Use good potting mix - LINK TO SOIL
Fertilizer: Balanced slow-release LINKL TO FERTILIZER Sunshine
Boosters
Pruning: Light trimming keeps plants bushy and productive
Pollination: Self-fertile; one plant will fruit on its own
Q: I've
just moved to Louisiana and have been wondering whether it
would make sense to plant some tropical fruit trees in our
garden. Average lows in New Orleans are 41 deg F in
January and February, although we did hit 25 once with the
Arctic vortex. I'm interested in litchi, longan,
rambutans, and persimmons. Do you have varieties that can
tolerate Louisiana's temperature range? I'd love
mangosteen but I don't suppose they will survive. Do you
have any suggestions on tropical fruit trees that I could
try?
A:
Average temperatures are for statistics only; it is actual
temperatures that may hurt your cold sensitive plant. This
is what you should keep in mind when starting your
tropical fruit collection:
1) Ultra-tropical plants like Rambutan can not survive
winters below 45-50F. However, they can be successfully
grown in containers in a greenhouse or moved indoors into
a sun room during cold periods.
2) Tropical plants like Litchi and Longan may take some light
frost once established. Still, for areas with freeze our
advice is - keep them in pots and move inside in case of
cold.
3) There is a number of subtropical fruit trees that are
hardy enough to take some freeze. Persimmon, Feijoa, Fig, Cattley Guava, Jujube, Kiwi, some Eugenias and others. Please
refer to our Tropical Fruit Sensitivity Chart.
4) Remember that plant's ability to survive winter depends
on several factors, not only temperature itself. Important
factors are: wind protection (chill wind kills rather than
low temperature itself), exposure, how close the tree is
planted to the house, plant maturity and its overall
strength and health. If a plant had received good
nutrients during summer, has well established root system,
planted in enclosed area protected from winds and has
plenty of bright sunlight - it has better chances to
survive than a weak plant in warmer conditions.
5) Use SUNSHINE plant boosters for
improving cold tolerance of your tropical plant. It only
takes a few drops, and only costs $5!
Growing & Care