How to Grow and Eat Prickly Pear Cactus Plants (Opuntia)

In spring Prickly Pear cactus gets stunning bright yellow flowers which turn into red prickly pears. They are edible - and delicious!

Cactus pears have the texture of watermelon and a mild pear taste. They are high in fiber too. The seeds are black and about the size of a pea. You can also eat the pads; raw in salads or salsa or cooked. Prickly pears grow up to 12 feet tall and as wide. Most opuntia varieties are cold hardy to 30 degrees below 0.

The cactus pads do not have prominent thorns. The thorns are small, hair like and not something you want in your skin! I recommend using tongs to handle them, or leather gloves or all of the above. I've also seen cardboard recommended.

Cacti were commonly planted around the California missions and other early structures. They were used as a source of food, fibers and as barriers.

My cactus came from a cutting my neighbor threw over the fence for me because the pears were so good. I let it root where it fell on the ground - without planting. This is year five for the rooted plant and I need to cut it back before it takes over the yard.

Prickly pear cactus have deep green branching pads, grow up to 15 feet tall and as wide around in as little as 5 years. The oval (edible) pads can be up to three feet long and over a foot across.

In spring Opuntia ficus-indica gets stunning bright yellow to orange flowers measuring 3 to 5 inches across. These turn into pinkish red, edible prickly pears. Over time these cacti form brown, woody trunks.

Most optuna varieties are not fussy about soil conditions, are cold hardy to 30 degrees below zero and many also have edible pears and pads. Cattle are also known to have a taste for cactus and in some parts of the world it is used as feed.

Outdoors, prickly pears look especially good in silhouette against a sunset. They also make very effective security barriers. They can take regular pruning to maintain shape. Always cut at the joints, where the two pads meet. Cuttings can easily be rooted by burying part of a pad in moist, well drained soil. Cactus have also been known to take root simply where pads have fallen on the ground.

Indoors, cactus can be grown in pots but they generally don't grow to more than a few feet tall. They do best in full sunlight with very little water. No cacti like to be over watered and they will rot if they remain in saturated soil. Water sparingly and improve soil drainage in areas that receive a lot of rain.