How to Grow Naranjilla | Planting & Establishment

Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense)

A naranjilla shrub with purple-veined spiny leaves growing in a garden bed — “Solanum quitoense IMG 7905” by Don McCulley is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons

2 sources cited · Verified

The short answer

Site
4+ hours of sun
Biggest risk
Honey fungus

Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) — Tender, fast-growing shrubby perennial, nearly 2m tall (Purdue NewCROP).

Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Growth Stages

A young purple-tinged naranjilla leaf shoot — “Solanum quitoense JRVdH 04” by Cephas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Solanum quitoense JRVdH 04” by Cephas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing and establishment 0 Propagate by seed (RHS). Plant outside only in early summer, once frost risk has fully passed.
Vegetative growth 3 Grow in full sun or partial shade, sheltered, in moist well-drained soil. Large, purple-veined, spiny, hairy leaves develop rapidly (RHS).
Flowering 6 White flowers appear given a long enough growing season (RHS).
Fruiting 8 Fruit ripens to orange with green flesh, used mainly for juice; UK-grown fruit may not fully ripen (RHS; Purdue NewCROP).

Quick Facts

A naranjilla shrub with purple-veined spiny leaves growing in a garden bed — “Solanum quitoense IMG 7905” by Don McCulley is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Solanum quitoense IMG 7905” by Don McCulley is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Factor Value
Sunlight 4-8 hours direct sun
Minimum survivable temp -2C
Soil texture Clay, loam, sand or chalk (RHS)
Drainage Moist but well-drained (RHS)
Lifecycle Tender, fast-growing shrubby perennial, nearly 2m tall (Purdue NewCROP)
Edible parts fruit

At a Glance

Close-up of a naranjilla flower with white petals and purple-tinged calyx — “Solanum quitoense in Jardin des Plantes de Toulouse 01” by Krzysztof Golik is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Solanum quitoense in Jardin des Plantes de Toulouse 01” by Krzysztof Golik is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Solanum quitoense Naranjilla Honey fungus Root-knot nematodes Aphids Glasshouse whitefly Glasshouse red spider m… DISEASES PESTS

Harvest & Storage

Small green immature naranjilla fruit on the plant — “Solanaceae- Solanum quitoense (lulillo, naranjilla)” by Kristof Zyskowski & Yulia Bereshpolova is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Solanaceae- Solanum quitoense (lulillo, naranjilla)” by Kristof Zyskowski & Yulia Bereshpolova is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

When to pick: Fruit matures to orange, 4.5-5.5cm diameter, with green flesh inside used mainly for juice (Purdue NewCROP). In the UK, needs a long growing season and may not fully ripen at all (RHS).

Diseases

Close-up of a hairy naranjilla leaf with purple veining — “Solanum quitoense (leaf) in Costa Rica” by MadriCR is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Solanum quitoense (leaf) in Costa Rica” by MadriCR is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Honey fungus
low

Armillaria spp.

RHS notes honey fungus rarely affects this crop.

Pests

A large naranjilla leaf showing its purple veins and spines — “Solanum quitoense JRVdH 03” by Cephas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons
“Solanum quitoense JRVdH 03” by Cephas is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Root-knot nematodes
moderate

Meloidogyne spp.

Purdue NewCROP names root-knot nematodes as a particularly serious pest of this crop.

low

Aphididae (various spp.)

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Glasshouse whitefly adult on a leaf — Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sanja565658, CC BY-SA 3.0
Glasshouse whitefly
low

Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Two-spotted red spider mite with silk threads, magnified — Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)
low

Tetranychus urticae

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

References

  1. Native to and principally cultivated in Colombia and Ecuador, thriving at altitudes of 1000-1500m; also established in Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala, though commercial attempts in Florida were unsuccessful. Shrubby perennial nearly 2m tall, large purple-veined leaves, white flowers. Fruit matures orange, 4.5-5.5cm diameter, green flesh inside; juice is the primary use, rich in vitamins A and C. Subject to numerous diseases and pests; root-knot nematodes are a particularly serious problem -- resistance has been identified in related Solanum species but is not widely used commercially.

  2. Clay, loam, sand or chalk, moist but well-drained, neutral/acid/alkaline. Full sun or partial shade, south/west/east-facing, sheltered. Hardiness H1C (5-10C min, outdoors in summer only). Height/spread 1.5-2.5m, 2-5 years to maturity. Propagate by seed. Large green leaves with fine hairs and purple-veined colouring, spines on upper leaf surface and stems. White flowers followed by orange fruit, given a long growing season. Fruit covered in tiny hairs, may not fully ripen in UK conditions. Pests: glasshouse whitefly, aphids, glasshouse red spider mite. Diseases: honey fungus (rarely). Native to Central America and northwest South America. Family Solanaceae.

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problems affect naranjilla?

Our data links 1 disease and 4 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team

Science-based growing guides · Thresholds that hold in any climate

This guide states the conditions the plant itself responds to — soil temperature, frost tolerance, day length — rather than dates, because the same calendar month means opposite seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. Anything genuinely restricted to one part of the world is named as such rather than presented as universal. Written and maintained by our editorial team against international horticultural research and extension sources.

Vegetable Growing Guides

Last verified 2026-09-03