Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Feijoa (Acca sellowiana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Feijoa, Pineapple guava, Guavasteen.

More about feijoa

About Feijoa

Acca sellowiana · also called Feijoa, Pineapple guava · tropical

Feijoa is a subtropical evergreen shrub in the myrtle family with silvery-backed leaves, showy red-and-white edible flowers, and aromatic green fruit tasting of pineapple and guava. Hardier than most subtropicals (to about -9°C), it suits mild gardens and large containers, and makes an attractive, drought-tolerant hedge as well as a fruit producer.

Cold limit: USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established) · RHS H4 (15-30°C)

What feijoa's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — feijoa is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H4 means: Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world. On the US scale that maps to USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −10 to −5 °C. Feijoa is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for feijoa as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can feijoa go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established) and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when feijoa can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Feijoa hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is feijoa cold hardy?

Yes — feijoa is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Feijoa is hardy across USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established); it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature feijoa can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −10 to −5 °C. Feijoa is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is feijoa?

Feijoa is rated USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established) and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can feijoa survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 8-11 (hardy to roughly -9°C once established) and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to feijoa below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.