Tropical fruits year round: panama berry and papaya

Follow the rhythm of the seasons and you could have these two tropical fruits in your garden year round.

Papaya

On my suburban plot, the most productive tree is a broad leaf papaya (Carica papaya), which will bear at least one ripe fruit each week throughout autumn. Always full of flowers and still holding a few fruit by mid-winter, development slows in the cold but never fully stops. The tree is thriving against a brick wall on a northeast corner of the house, catching water off the roof and an occasional mulch from fallen leaves.
Although not immune to black spot, in my experience this variety has the best resistance. The consistent rainfall this past season where I live in the Northern Rivers of NSW has ensured my papayas remained fungus free, and it was only in the dry spells that the black spot developed.
If rains are limited, many growers recommend washing/watering the fruit daily while it is ripening on the tree to prevent black spot – sounds strange, but it works!
Harvest when the fruit just start to colour and submerge in 50°C water for 5 minutes. This is generally enough to clean up any existing spores on the skin surface without damaging the fruit. Fruit should then bench-ripen spot free.
I use the fruit for green papaya salad, papaya seed pepper, frozen sorbets and dried pieces.

Panama berry

As the average daily temperature climbs back into the 20s, it’s the ideal time to harvest the Panama berry (Muntingia calabura). Panama berries look like red blueberries and taste a bit like a strawberries and cream lollypop. They love a full sun position and a soil rich in organic matter. The small tree is resilient and a prolific bearer, meaning they come with a weed warning in many tropical environments. Check with your local council before planting and always net your tree to prevent birds spreading seeds.
Well loved by both children and wildlife, it is a good idea to keep trees pruned to a manageable height so you can easily reach the fruit for frequent harvesting. It also makes netting much easier.
Panama berries will continue to produce while day length and temperature are within their ideal range for most of the year in subtropic and tropical climates. Water is the limiting factor, and you can trigger flowering at any point by watering after a dry spell.

Our Spring 2026 issue has many more growing ideas to add tasty plants to your summer garden and it is available at your local newsagents, selected supermarkets and online.