🥦 Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
vegetables
perennial evergreen tree
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
moderate to high, consistent rainfall
🗺️ Zones
10, 12
🧪 Soil pH
6.0-7.5
🪴 Soil Type
well-draining, fertile, deep
🚿 Drainage
Well-drained
📏 Spacing
30-40 ft apart (large tree)
⏱️ Maturity
3-5 years (from root sucker); 5-7 years from seed
🍴 Edible Parts
🍽️ Roasted, baked, fried as chips, curries, traditionally cooked in earth ovens (umu)
Key:🤝 Grows well together❌ Keep apart☀️ Sun needs💧 Water🗺️ Hardiness zone
🤝 Companions (7)
Cacao thrives in breadfruit's shade , this classic agroforestry pairing mimics natural rainforest layering, with breadfruit as the upper canopy and cacao below.
Cassava grows well as an understory crop beneath breadfruit's high canopy , their root systems occupy different soil depths, minimizing competition.
Coffee grows beautifully in breadfruit's partial shade; the tree canopy moderates temperature and humidity, creating ideal coffee-growing conditions.
Ginger grows well in breadfruit's dappled shade, benefiting from the wind protection and humid microclimate the large tree creates.
Taro thrives in the moist, shaded understory beneath breadfruit's broad canopy, creating a productive multi-story tropical food forest.
Turmeric flourishes in the filtered light under breadfruit, which provides the partial shade and moisture retention turmeric needs for optimal rhizome development.
Sweet potatoes serve as living groundcover beneath breadfruit, suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture while making use of space the tree doesn't occupy.
⚠️ Keep Apart (1)
⚠️ plants requiring full sun beneath mature canopy
Growth inhibition or competition
📝 Growing Notes
Large tropical tree producing starchy fruit. Multi-story agroforestry staple throughout Pacific and Caribbean. Understory crops thrive in its dappled shade. Deep-rooted, allowing shallow-rooted crops below.
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
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