Passion fruits are not the easiest things to keep all year round, they hate the really cold weather so they tend to die if left outside inn the Japanese winter. This year we kept them inside and they grew around the windows.
Having fruits on them, requires timing and know how. The flowers look like they are from another planet and only open for a short time, opening in the morning and closing the same day. If you do not act quickly, you will miss the window opportunity to, well, no polite way to say this, fornicate the flower to make a fruit. I guess that is a polite way to say it!
You have to take the bottom stamen stick thing which has all the pollen on it, remove it with, say, a pair off tweezers, or use a cotton bud to collect all that yellow goodness, and smear it on the top bit. Basically, you must be the bee when there is no bee.
Almost immediately afterwards the flower will start to close…
and within a few short weeks you will get one of these.
the green fruit will start to turn purple and go wrinkly like an old person that stayed in the bath too long. That’s when you will know it is ready to pick and eat.
The plant cannot support more than a couple of fruits without excessive nutrients in the soil, so getting a big harvest is unlikely, which makes them even more special!