Susan, I just let my fruit dry on the vines last fall, then broke the seed pod in half and planted half a pod, with the seed still inside, in a nursery pot with good potting soil. Watered it, put it in the greenhouse to overwinter, then set it outside this spring. I got seven plants from doing it that way. Last year was my first year growing the Maypop vine so the whole thing is new to me. I didn't even know if the seed was mature. In the past, I'd tried other ways of planting cleaned seed that I had purchased and never gotten anything to germinate. Finally purchased a Maypop vine, which I grow in a big above ground pot. I have quite a few fruits this year but they're still green in color. Are your pods a different color? Of course, if you're wanting to clean the seed so you can share with other gardeners, then my way wouldn't work but wanted to pass along what I did to finally get some seed to germinate. I didn't try planting single seed from this dried pod (should have as an experiment) so that may have worked equally well. I've never tried to clean the seed so will let other folks help with that question. Mary

Vlad, I've just read this thread going through pretty much the same process myself. I found a lot of useful info over in the passiflora forum where the serious passiflora diehearts live. I also vacillate between kiwi/passionfruit/grapes/climbing berries. My parents have a beautiful kiwi plant in CA that doesn't produce. No matter what they do (they baby the thing, hand pollinate it, protect it from everything) it won't produce fruit, just foliage. My mom is ready to chop the thing down to replace it with something else. That made me give kiwi some second thoughts. In NZ and Australia, kiwi is much more a native plant. In regards to passionfruit, I understand there are quite number of different edible passionfruit varieties. I've heard you can order them from a place in FL and get the seeds that way) I've never tasted maypop from the US before, but from all the descriptions I've read, it doesn't sound like it can compare to the more delectable tropical forms. I've only eaten Australian passionfruit. I have just spent a year in Australia, and since then, I've been on a quest for passionfruit for my eldest son, blueberries/( perhaps serviceberries?) for my youngest son, and I think I'll have to quell my daughter with something other than mangoes and guavas (maybe strawberries?). It's hard to live in the Mid-Atlantic and love tropical fruits. It's been disappointing buying good looking but tasteless fruit in the stores. I'm learning that's it's probably better to grow your own or learn to eat native fruits. I'm a slow newbie at all of this:) I appreciate the concept of edibles (but have never grown anything but herbs/veggies) and love the seductive beauty of the passionflower and anything that is fragrant too. Given that I have a so little space for planting, I am always trying to find plants that multi-task (interesting, hardy, edible and fragrant). Low maintenance is also high on my criteria list. How low maintenance would containing passioflora be, I wonder? I don't know if I can deal with a bathtub. What other container options are you considering? Good luck!

This is a lot of great info, I found some Maypops growing wild near by and have been watching the fruit for it to ripen for about a month now. For Texas here in this area it has not be the usual over 100 temps for this time of the year so but the rest of this month and next should be up there. According to all your great posts and info I have about another month for them to ripen up. Hopefully I can dig some up to transplant and get some younger shoots to plant on my property along the fence line. I also found so seeds for different varieties that I may try listed on Etsy one of which grows a fruit that appears to be at least double in size of the fruit that grows here wild with a red and purple flower. I definitely am going to try the tepid tea idea for germinating those seeds when I get them. Again thanks for all the helpful information.

It's in a fairly shady spot on the west side of a fence - so no chance of any direct light in the morning and little in the afternoon due to neighboring trees. Thought this was why the original vine was so lethargic, but the children don't seem too hampered by the lack of light and are pretty well covered with buds even in the shadiest areas. The new vines have just topped the fence where they can catch significantly more light, so waiting to see if that changes things. The flowers are very pretty, though small and inconspicuous. I like the large-leaf foliage in contrast to our coral honeysuckle, cross vine, clematis, and VA creeper and hoping it will eventually fill out enough to support some cats.