The best fruit trees for South Florida
“A fruit tree is the rare landscape plant that feeds you for decades.”
A fruit tree may be the best investment you can make in your yard: it provides shade, beauty, and decades of fresh fruit from a single planting. South Florida's climate lets us grow an enviable range of them, many impossible almost anywhere else in the country.
Choosing well means matching the tree to your space, your taste, and your microclimate. Here are the best fruit trees for Palm Beach County yards, and what makes each one worth planting.
Mango — the backyard classic
If you have room for one fruit tree, a mango is the obvious choice for many. It is a handsome, long-lived evergreen that produces heavily in summer, and grafted varieties give you reliable, named fruit on a more manageable tree.
Dwarf and condo mango selections fit smaller yards and even large containers, bringing this iconic fruit within reach of almost any property. Full sun and good drainage are all it really asks.
Avocado — shade and fruit
Florida avocados are vigorous, productive, and larger than the familiar grocery type, and the trees double as substantial shade providers. Choose a dooryard variety suited to our area and give it room to grow.
An avocado tree offers a generous harvest and welcome cooling shade, earning its place twice over. It is one of the most dependable large fruit trees for the region.
Lychee and longan
For something special, lychee and longan are beautiful evergreen trees producing clusters of sweet, exotic fruit in summer. Lychee in particular is prized, and a productive tree is a true backyard treasure.
Both make attractive landscape specimens with dense, glossy canopies. They take patience to come into full bearing but reward it richly.
Mango and avocado to start, then lychee, sapodilla, or starfruit when you're ready for something special.
Sapodilla, starfruit, and sugar apple
The exotics expand the menu wonderfully. Sapodilla offers sweet, malty fruit on a tough, wind- and salt-tolerant tree; starfruit (carambola) is ornamental and productive; and sugar apple delivers custardy fruit on a compact tree that fits smaller yards.
Each brings a distinctive flavor you will rarely find fresh in stores. Planting one or two is a delicious way to make the most of our subtropical climate.
Banana and papaya for speed
While technically not trees, bananas and papayas deserve mention for delivering fruit fast — often within a year — and lending instant tropical lushness. They are perfect for filling in while slower trees mature.
A clump of bananas or a few papaya plants gives you a quick harvest and a tropical look almost immediately. They pair well with the longer-term fruit trees.
Choose for your space and climate
Before planting, check each tree's mature size and cold sensitivity, and place tender types in your warmest, most sheltered spots, especially inland. Many fruit trees grow large, so give them the room they need to thrive.
Matching the tree to your conditions is the difference between a thriving producer and a struggling one. We can help you choose fruit trees suited to your yard and pick the best varieties at the nursery.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best fruit tree to grow in South Florida?
Mango and avocado are the top backyard choices — productive, long-lived, and well suited to our climate. Lychee, sapodilla, starfruit, and sugar apple are excellent for something more exotic.
What fruit tree produces the fastest in Florida?
Papaya and banana fruit the fastest, often within a year, though they're technically not trees. Among true trees, grafted mangoes and avocados come into bearing relatively soon.
How much space do fruit trees need?
Many become large, so check the mature size before planting and give them room. Dwarf and condo varieties of mango and others fit smaller yards and even large containers.
Grow something delicious.
We stock vegetable starts, herbs, and fruit trees suited to Florida — come pick out what to plant this season.