Planted this one on the autumn equinox, which also happened to be day 265 of planting something every single day, a milestone that snuck up on me.
The Basics
Cherimoya, Annona cherimola, is a relative of soursop and custard apple, prized as one of the best tasting fruits in that family.
Origin and Habitat
Despite being tropical, cherimoya actually prefers higher altitudes than most of what we grow. We’re at around 650 feet here, which the internet suggests might be a bit low for it, but that’s not going to stop me from trying.
What It Looks Like
A medium sized tree producing bumpy, heart shaped green fruit with soft, creamy flesh inside.
Uses and Flavor
You rarely see cherimoya for sale at markets, probably because it’s simply too good to sell rather than eat. Sweet, creamy, and custard-like, with a flavor that mixes banana, pear, and pineapple, some people even compare it to Froot Loops cereal or bubblegum.
Growing It Here
Got this one from Ken Love. Planting it on day 265 of the streak had me realizing there were only 100 days left to go, and it genuinely felt like I’d already climbed to the summit and the rest of the year would be easy going from there. Since then it’s put on some explosive growth, it’s now about 20 feet tall with a lot of fresh new growth. The catch is a new pest or disease that’s showing up across Annonas in Hawaiʻi generally, the same mystery problem affecting our soursop, rollinia, envira caju, and junglesop, so I’m watching this one closely even with all that good growth.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For
The mystery Annona pest or disease going around Hawaiʻi right now is the one to watch, it’s affecting cherimoya’s relatives across the farm and researchers are still working out exactly what it is.
Kenta’s Take
Even if our elevation isn’t textbook perfect for cherimoya, the growth so far says it doesn’t care much about the internet’s opinion. The new Annona pest going around is the bigger question mark at this point, not the elevation.