​​The most profitable fruit trees to grow in Florida

Have you ever thought about profiting from your garden or farm? You should try growing some of Florida’s most expensive and delicious tropical fruit in your backyard for extra revenue.

While many tropical fruits can be found locally at your supermarket – many are rare to find.

They can only be obtained by growing your own or visiting your local flea market, where most fruit vendors bring their expensive exotic fruit.

Your probably wondering which fruit trees are the ones that generate the most income in Florida – read below to learn about them all. 

#1 Sugar apple (Annona squamosa)

Growing sugar apple in Florida

How much does sugar apple cost per pound in Florida

Sugar apples in Florida can cost 20-22$ a pound and more for the premium, jumbo sugar apples in pristine condition. (Average price for the 2022 sugar apple season)

Sugar apples that are small to medium in size and weight can range anywhere from 8-15$ a pound. 

How much do sugar apple trees cost?

Sugar apple trees can range from 25-100$ a tree depending on the size and cultivar. You can order sugar apple trees online here.

What makes a sugar apple cost expensive?

Sugar apple prices can rise due to the fruit’s size, cultivar, shape, appearance, quality, and stage of ripeness.

For more information on How to grow sugar apple trees, read this article here.

Sugar apple yield per acre

A mature sugar apple tree can produce anywhere from 30-50 fruits per tree in a healthy sugar apple plantation. 

Sugar apples are recommended to be planted out 10 x 15 to produce optimally and have reduced pest control. 

One acre of sugar apples planted at 10 x 15 can grow roughly 300 + sugar apple trees.

Why are sugar apples so expensive?

Sugar apples are expensive due to the fruit’s health benefits, demand, and overall labor that goes into growing the fruit.

To grow a sugar apple from flower to fruit, costs like water, labor, fertilizer, and mulch all add to the price of a sugar apple.

Does sugar apple have a shelf life?

Sugar apple does not have a good shelf life.

Once the sugar apple fruit is harvested, it must be sold or consumed within the first couple of days before it goes too soft, mushy, and inedible. All these factors make sugar apple prices high.

Why did the sugar apple price rise in 2022?

After the pandemic in 2021, the demand for growing organic superfoods like sugar apples became in demand, and the prices in Florida rose from 8-12$ a pound for the biggest and best sugar apples to 20-25$ a pound from many farmers.

Where is the sugar apple from?

The sugar apple is a delicious tropical fruit that originates from the South American tropics.  Where can I buy sugar apples in Florida?

The sugar apple is an tropical fruit that is often only found in local flea markets and fruit stands in Florida. The Pinellas flea market in Clearwater, Florida, sells fresh sugar apples from May through December. 

Because of its difficulty to find in Florida and its delicacy, these fruits often range from 12$ – 20$ the pound making them very profitable to sell. 

When is sugar apple season in Florida?

Sugar apple harvesting season is from May through December. 

#2 Longan (Dimocarpus longan)

Growing longan in Florida

How much does longan cost per pound in Florida?

Longan in Florida costs anywhere from 4-10$ a pound depending on the longan’s variety, size, and freshness.

Jumbo fresh longan of a cultivar like ‘Kohala’ or ‘Biew Kiew’ typically will fetch a higher price, such as 8$ – 10$ per pound. 

Which types of longan can you buy in Florida?

The standard commercial longan cultivars propagated by nurseries that you can purchase in Florida are ‘Kohala’ and ‘Biew Kiew.’ 

What is ‘Kohala’ Longan?

‘Kohala’ Longan is a longan variety adapted to growing and fruiting in more tropical environments. The ‘Kohala’ cultivar originated in Hawaii.

‘Koala’ longan is known for its large-sized fruit with a sweet, floral, and crisp flavor that is said to be superior to ‘Biew kiew’.

What is ‘Biew Kiew’ Longan?

‘Biew Kiew’ Longan is a longan cultivar that originated in Thailand. It is a frequent and high-producing variety of longan adapted to Florida’s soils exceptionally. 

The ‘Biew Kiew’ longan fruit also has a floral and sweet taste that is superior to many longan cultivars.

Which market sells longan in Florida?

The Pinellas Farmers & Flea market will have longan available in the Spring, Fall, and Summer.

Where is longan originally from?

Longan is a soft- chewy, sweet fruit initially from Southern China. This fruit grows in clusters from the longan (Dimocarpus longan) tree. 

This fruit tree can be grown in Florida’s subtropical climates and yield a cash crop. Like the sugar apple, you won’t find this fruit at your local Walmart – instead, we recommend trying your local flea market.  

#3 Lychee (Chinensis litchi)

Growing lychee tree in Florida

How much does Lychee cost in Florida?

Depending on the cultivar and quality, lychee costs anywhere from 8$ – 15$ lb.

When is lychee season in Florida?

Lychee season in Florida only lasts about a total of two months, from June through July.

What is Lychee?

Lychee is sweet, soft, gummy fruit originating from China. Lychee is a fruit also sought after in Florida for its taste and nutrition. 

Although Lychee is a common tree found in Central and South Florida, it is still a costly fruit due to the demand and quantity available per season.

Are lychee trees consistent producers?

Some lychee tree cultivars, such as ‘Sweet heart’ and ‘Brewster,’ are known to be more productive than other varieties, such as ‘Emperor,’ which bear fruit more every other year.

Lychee trees, in general, are known to take an off year or two once fruited. 

How much does a lychee tree cost in Florida?

An air-layered lychee tree can cost anywhere from 25.00-100.00$. You can purchase a lychee tree online here.

Where can I find a Lychee tree for sale in Florida?

You can find air-layered lychee trees for sale here. The air-layered lychee trees come from producing lychee trees that are already making litchi fruits.

How are lychee trees propagated in Florida?

Lychees in Florida have propagated mainly air layering for marcotting. What is air layering or marcottings? Air-layering is the act of creating roots around a branch of a tree to separate the branch then and create a clone of the tree within its own root system.

Which varieties of Lychee are available in Florida?

The varieties of Lychee (Litchi chinensis) available in Florida are ‘Brewster,’ ‘Hak-ip,’ ‘Emperor,’ and ‘Sweetheart.’

How do I make my lychee tree produce fruits every year?

Enable to make your lychee tree produce every year, an organic micro-mineral supplement called ‘Azomite’ is recommended to add every year to your lychee trees.

Azomite is an organic trace mineral blend that provides lychee trees with the supplements to produce fruits year after year.

Every time a lychee tree ( or any tropical fruit tree ) produces fruits, its nutrients are taken from the soil and go into the fruit. 

If you want your litchi tree to produce fruits consistently, it is vital to provide a good source of micronutrients such as Azomite.

#4 Dragon Fruit Pitaya (Selenecerius udatus) 

Growing dragon fruit in Florida

Where does dragon fruit originate from?

Dragon Fruit or Pitaya originates from Southern Mexico and Central America. This tropical cactus crop grows excellently in Florida and can also bear many tasty expensive fruits. 

How much does dragon fruit sell for in Florida?

Typically dragon fruit will cost anywhere from 5$ – 6$ per lb. 

How much fruit does dragon fruit produce per year?

Dragon Fruit will produce fruit every 12-18 months, providing 20-60 Pounds of fruit per plant.

Dragon Fruit Season in Florida

Dragon fruit season in Florida is primarily in the summer, from the months of June through December. 

 Which dragon fruit varieties can I grow in Florida?

You can grow three types of dragon fruits in Florida

• Pink Dragon Fruit with a White Inside (Selenecerius undatus)
• Red Dragon Fruit with a Red Inside (Selenecerius costaricensis)
• Yellow Dragon Fruit with a White Inside (Selenecerius megalanthus)

Why is dragon fruit so expensive?

Dragon fruit is expensive due to the time and supplementation it takes to grow it. The cost of dragon fruit is influenced by the amount of fertilizer, water, and overall care the farmers have to input.

Where can I order dragon fruit tree online in Florida?

If you want to grow your own tropical cactus that provides delicious tropical fruits, you can order your own dragonfruit plant here.

#5 Jack Fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Growing Jackfruit in Florida

How much does Jackfruit cost in Florida?

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllous) in Florida costs about 1-3$ the pound depending on the cultivar and grower. 

One Jackfruit grown in Florida can easily weigh 20 pounds and could cost anywhere from 20-60$ per fruit.

How long does Jackfruit take to grow fruit?

Jackfruit trees from seed can start producing flowers and fruits as early as three years from seed.

Jackfruit takes roughly 6-8 months from flower to fruit harvest. The speed at which Jackfruit ripens can be influenced by the age, health, and nutrients that a tree has.

Which Jackfruit variety is the best?

In my opinion, the ‘Cempejack’ or ‘Cheena’ is the best variety of Jackfruit. This variety ‘Cheena’ is a hybrid of two Artocarpus genus, the common Jackfruit (A. heterophyllous) crossed with Cempedak (Artocarpus integer)

When is jackfruit season in Florida?

Jackfruit season in Florida is from June through November.

Which jackfruit varieties can I grow in Florida?

The jackfruit cultivars that can be grown in Florida are ‘Black Gold,’ ‘Cheena,’ ‘Orange crush,’ ‘Conchin’, and more.

Where can I find a jackfruit tree for sale in Florida?

You can find a grafted jackfruit tree for sale at this nursery here. 

How long before the jackfruit tree produces fruit?

It may take up to 3 – 4 years for a jackfruit tree from the seed to start producing fruit, and it can keep growing and producing for up to 100 years – providing you with a cash crop all your life. 

#6 Atemoya (Annona atemoya)

Growing Atemoya in Florida

How much does atemoya cost in Florida?

Atemoya in Florida can cost anywhere from 10-15$ depending on the specific cultivar, size, shape, and ripeness of the atemoya fruit.

Which variety of atemoya costs the most?

In Florida, some of the higher-priced atemoya varieties are ‘Phet Pak Chong,’ ‘Lisa,’ ‘Geffner,’ ‘Dream,’ and ‘Priestly.’

• Phet Pak Chong – 10 – 15$ the pound
• Lisa – 12 – 15$ the pound
• Geffner – 10 – 15$ the pound
• Dream – 12 – 15$ the pound
• Priestly – 10 – 15$ the pound

Are atemoyas hard to grow in Florida?

Atemoyas (Annona atemoya) have adapted to Floridan soils and can grow very well in our climate. 

The atemoya tree thrives in sandy to loamy soils and is easy to beginner cash crop in Florida.

How much do atemoya trees cost in Florida?

Atemoya trees can cost anywhere from 35-100$ + a tree depending on the size, health, cultivar, rootstock, etc.

Conclusion

Wether your thinking about growing fruit trees to grow in Florida for yourself or to make some money you have come to the right place. 

By planting sugar apple, longan, Lychee, dragonfruit, Jackfruit, and atemoya trees, you are growing the most profitable fruit trees in Florida.

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert fruit gardener, these fruits are some of the easiest and most profitable to grow in Florida.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and make a profit from your Florida garden!