Growing Guide: Carob
Growing Tips
Plant Carob in full sun and provide dry, well-draining, rocky soil. This slow-growing evergreen fruit tree is naturally drought resistant and well adapted to Mediterranean and subtropical conditions. Carob can reach up to 55 ft. tall at maturity, so give it plenty of room to develop. Carob is not self-fertile because individual trees produce either male or female flowers, so you will need two or more trees of opposite sex for pollination and fruit production. Red, single-sex flower clusters appear in autumn and attract bees and flies with their musky fragrance before developing into glossy brown, tough-fibered pods. The pods mature in fall, and their seeds rattle when ripe. Carob is propagated from seed and can be grown outdoors in Zones 9–11 with frost protection or in a patio container or greenhouse in Zone 4+.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Ceratonia siliqua |
| Common Names | Carob, St. John’s Bread |
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Native to | Middle East, Subtropics of Mediterranean |
| Traditional Uses | Culinary, fodder for sheep, windbreaker and fire barrier, medicine, distilled into a liqueur |
| Plant Type | Evergreen Fruiting Tree |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Harvest Season | Fall |
| Mature Size | 55 ft. tall |
| Soil & Moisture | Dry, well-draining, rocky soil; drought resistant |
| Light Requirements | Full Sun |
| Self-Fertile | No. Individual trees have male or female flowers and need 2+ trees for pollination and fruit production |
| Growth Rate | Slow |
| Zone Hardiness | Outdoors 9–11 with frost protection; Patio/Greenhouse 4+ |
| Propagation | Seed |
| Flower Color | Red |
| Bloom Time | Autumn |
| Flower Type | Single-sex flower clusters |
| Fruit | Glossy brown, tough-fibered pods |
| Seeds | Hard seeds that rattle when ripe |
| Fruit Flavor | Sweet, bean-like, chocolate-like |
| Culinary Uses | Fresh eating, dried powder, chocolate substitute, liqueur |
| Landscape Uses | Windbreaker and fire barrier |
| Special Features | Long-lived, evergreen, drought resistant, slow-growing |
