When and How to Harvest Pomegranates
Are you growing pomegranates at home and unsure when to harvest? Join farmer Briana Yablonski to learn how to harvest these fruits at just the right time.
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If you live in a warm enough climate, pomegranates make excellent additions to the home garden. They can tolerate moderate drought and high heat, and are less susceptible to diseases than fruits like apples and peaches.
Once you see fruits appear, it’s time to think about harvesting. But don’t just pick the fruits as soon as they reach a specific size or color! Harvesting pomegranates too soon can result in immature fruits that lack the sweet and juicy arils that make the fruits so delicious.
I’ll cover a few factors to look for that indicate when you can harvest pomegranates. You’ll also learn how to harvest the fruits in a way that keeps your plant healthy and productive for years to come.
Wonderful Pomegranate Tree
- Produces sweet pomegranates with dark red seeds
- Attractive dark orange flowers in spring
- Upright, shrub-like growth with arching stems
- Low-maintenance and easy to grow
- Propagated from cuttings for reliable fruiting
Cold Hardy Red Pomegranate
- Cold-hardy variety thrives in chillier climates
- Produces bright red flowers and ruby-red fruits
- Low-maintenance and easy to grow
- Attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies
- Provides antioxidant-rich, homegrown fruit
When Are Pomegranates Ready to Harvest?
Pomegranate fruits won’t begin producing flowers, and therefore fruits, until they’re a few years old. Most trees start flowering when they’re two to three years old, but peak production won’t occur until a few years later. If your tree is old enough but still not flowering or fruiting, check for other problems.
Avoid common pomegranate care mistakes, such as planting in partial shade and applying excessive nitrogen fertilizer. Providing ample sunlight and watering during periods of drought will help promote fruit production.
Healthy pomegranate plants flower from late spring to early summer. Some varieties continue to produce new blooms into the fall. The large red flowers are easy to spot, so you’ll notice if your plant isn’t producing any.
Pro tip: Not all pomegranate varieties produce edible fruits. If you want to enjoy the juicy arils, stay clear of cultivars that produce small, ornamental fruits.
After the flowers are properly fertilized, they’ll turn into small, round fruits. Most pomegranates start green, but some varieties produce immature fruits that are red or yellow. The fruits continue to develop throughout the summer and into the fall. It takes between four and seven months for a flower to develop into a mature fruit.
Pomegranates are ready to harvest in the late summer or fall. The exact harvest window depends on your location, the plant variety, and the weather. When September arrives, begin looking for signs that indicate you can start harvesting.
Signs that Pomegranates Are Ready to Harvest
Unlike strawberries and blueberries, you can’t rely on color alone to help you determine when pomegranates are ready to harvest. Instead, look for a variety of signs that indicate these fruits are filled with juicy arils and ready to pluck from the tree.
Not all pomegranates ripen at the same time, so check each fruit individually before harvesting. The harvest period may span multiple months since the plant can produce flowers at various points in time.
Expanded Shape
Pomegranates start as tidy, round objects that could double as a baseball. As their interior expands, they lose this neat shape and begin to develop flattened edges. It may also appear as if their insides are pushing against the skin.
Changes in the Skin
As pomegranate fruits ripen, they develop thicker and more leathery skin. The skin of ripe fruits will be soft and easy to puncture with your fingernail or a dull knife.
You may also notice the skin cracking. While you can harvest before cracks appear, they’re a surefire way to determine that the fruits are ripe. Avoid letting large cracks develop, since these open the pomegranates up to pests and rot.
Weight
Pomegranate fruits start small and grow before reaching their final size. In the last few months of growth, they’ll remain the same size but grow heavier. Ripe pomegranates will always feel heavy for their size and seem to be filled with water rather than air.
Calyx Shape
The calyx is the crown-like arrangement of the plant’s sepals. The calyx is located on the side of the fruit opposite where it attaches to the tree.
Immature pomegranates have a calyx with sepals that bend outward. As the fruits mature, the sepals begin bending inward so their pointed ends are almost touching.
How to Harvest Pomegranates
After you determine that your fruits are ripe, it’s time to harvest. Avoid leaving the pomegranates on the tree after they’re ripe, since this encourages splitting and disease.
Since pomegranate juice easily stains, you may want to put on a pair of old clothes before harvesting. Grab a pair of sharp clippers or pruning shears and sanitize them by washing them in hot, soapy water. Cleaning your harvest tools will help prevent the spread of disease, so it’s always a good practice.
Locate ripe fruits and notice how they are connected to the tree with woody stems. Use your clippers to cut the stems within an inch of the fruits. It’s not a big problem if you leave a larger section of the stem, but this is unnecessary and also creates a sharp end that can poke other fruits.
Some people say that ripe fruit will easily pull from the tree, but avoid tugging on the fruit with your hands. Doing this can remove parts of the fruit and decrease its shelf life.
Always handle the fruits carefully during and after harvest. They may appear sturdy, but they are susceptible to bruising, which diminishes their quality and shelf life.
Storing Pomegranates After Harvest
Pomegranates won’t ripen after harvesting, but they will keep for over a month when properly stored. If you’ve picked multiple fruits, always eat those with cracked skin (and a delayed shelf life) first.
The fruits store best in the refrigerator. Avoid stacking them if possible, since this can damage the skin. You can expect them to last for two to three months in the fridge.
If you don’t have enough room in the refrigerator, you can store them in another cool, dry area. Just don’t expect them to last as long.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my pomegranates small?
Small pomegranates may be due to the variety or environmental stress during fruit formation. A lack of water is a common cause of smaller-than-average fruits.
Are pomegranates red when ripe?
Most pomegranates are red when ripe, but some varieties may be yellow or pink when they’re mature. Therefore, you shouldn’t use color as a sole factor to determine if your fruits are ready to harvest.
