Anyone growing PawPaws?

[Bill who putters]

They may be able to handle partial sun. So I give it a go.

[David Hare-Scott]

Well you learn something every day. I don't know pawpaw was indigenous to north America.

It seems odd that the article says they are not yet grown commercially. I suppose they mean in the USA

David

[Dan L.]

I got this book at Costco, called "Grow Fruit (Paperback) by Alan Buckingham" ISBN-10: 0756658896. On page 310 states that "This native fruit will grow well in all parts of the United States EXCEPT colder parts of New England and the upper Midwest and coastal areas with cool summers.

The Web article indicates that pawpaws can be grow in zone 5 areas including the Great Lakes area? I am in a zone 5 in the upper Midwest state called Michigan with cool summers. I do not know of anyone around here that grows pawpaws. So is New Jersey considered a cool summer state in the New England area?

My book and the web article seems to have some contradictions. Give us an update on how it turns out. I might give it try in Michigan.

Also the book states that "unripe fruit can cause stomach upsets". One reason for not growing commercially? Lawsuits? Shipping time/ripeness too long?

[Pat Kiewicz]

Paw paws grow in Michigan. For one thing, they named a whole town after them.

There used to be a state record paw paw tree in Dodge Park in Sterling Heights (may still be there, but I know this from more than twenty years back).

Paw paws are a tree of the Carolinian forest bottomlands (moist understory). Think oak - hickory - hackberries - tulip trees. You can find this forest type in southern Michigan and even SW Ontario.

Where the dominant broadleaf forest is beech - maple, no paw paws.

If you've got the right site, you could do it. I know I don't ( too high and dry).

They grow and ship persimmons. Have you ever tried an unripe persimmon? Nasty!

Not conducive to orcharding, I should think, based on its preferred growing conditions, and the fact that it is not bee pollinated (so often suffers poor pollination when grown in cultivation).

The fruits are also enormously popular among the wildlife set (foxes, racoons, oppossums and squirrels). They are also fragile with a short shelf life and filled with large seeds (so, not ideal for selling as fresh fruit).

I know there are probably some paw paw trees growing near me (probably down along the Rouge River) as I have seen the occassional Zebra swallowtail butterfly in my yard.

[balvenieman]

Well, I knew that but I've never seen one to know it. All I know from pawpaws is that they're being picked up in some kids' rhyme. I don't even know whether it's an ingredient or a standalone fruit.

[Dan L.]

someday and also I just learned I may have a new junky book!

I may check out Dodge Park, its about 40 miles south west of me. I drive by the park (today actually) once in a while and never stopped by. Thinking it was just another stupid public park. I will have to look up where Pawpaw Michigan is.

I went to a lecture six months ago in Port Huron about the Carolinian Forest. The lecture was very interesting. The lecture may have mentioned the paw paws in which at the time did not stuck in my brain. Showed photos of the native trees and plants in the area. Sad that most of the forest is gone.

[Ross]

We have a young tree, just a bit over 6 feet tall. It has bloomed the last few years, as a matter of fact it's in bloom right now. However, it has never set fruit and after reading the other posts in this thread and doing a bit of Googling, it is easier to understand why.

Ross. Southern Ontario, Canada. AgCanada Zone 5b

43º 17' 26.75" North 80º 13' 29.46" West

[Pat Kiewicz]

You need at least two trees as they aren't self-fertile.

Did ou read the bit about hanging chicken necks from the paw paw trees to attract its natural pollinators (blow flies and carrion beetles)?

[Ross]

That's probably the biggest reason, we bought two but the second is at our daughter's place about 20 Km away.

Yeah, I read that but, with only one tree, the chickens are safe.

Ross. Southern Ontario, Canada. AgCanada Zone 5b

43º 17' 26.75" North 80º 13' 29.46" West

[Rick]

I've got 30-40 trees in one Pawpaw patch. They are native and there aren't many pawpaws that set. I've thought about getting another variety as these are probably all clonal. Probably would not matter as there are way more critters than Pawpaws anyway.

[Bill who putters]

30 or 40 Wow. Guess that they are low maintenance but your tone suggests not worth the effort. Would you plant them again knowing what you know now?

Thanks!

[nobody]

As you probably saw, pawpaw isn't self-fertile, so you need at least two trees. Plus, the flower is pollinated by flies, so a recommended way to attract them is by hanging up a small piece of meat.

I have two pawpaw trees in my back yard here by the northwest corner of Baltimore. One is several years older than the other. The older tree has flowered for a few years, the younger one produced its first flower this year.-

[sherwin dubren]

My Paw Paws are only 5 years in the ground, but I know several people growing them.

Paw Paws will start their early life in almost total shade, which they prefer early in their growth cycle. As they get older, they need more sunlight to help them grow and produce fruit.

I know of at least one person trying to grow them commercially, but the main problem is their short shelf life measured in days. They may still be edible after that, but the skin starts to look like an over ripe banana. Most consumers are driven more by looks than taste.

Sherwin

[Doug Freyburger]

I first read about paw paw trees from Lewis and Clark. The short shelf life is why I didn't plant one in my back yard. I think the only really workable approach would be to make preserves directly as soon as there are harvestable fruits. Don't even bother selling the fresh fruit.