If you're looking to up your fruit growing game, look no further! Instead of growing the old apple or orange tree, look for something a little more exciting and exotic, like pawpaw fruits! So how to grow pawpaw fruits and what the heck are they? The pawpaw fruit is the largest edible fruit in the United States, and although it is native to North America, it's actually a tropical fruit that's in the same family as the soursop. The taste of pawpaw is a cross between a banana and a mango with a dense, custard-like texture. Best of all? It's actually one of the easiest fruit trees you can grow, so keep reading to find out how to grow pawpaw fruits in YOUR garden!
How to Grow Pawpaw Fruits in Your Garden
Planting Pawpaws:
- Plant pawpaws in slightly acidic soil, with a pH of 5.5-7.
- Ideal sites are moist, well-drained soils.
- Choose a site with either full sun or shade: pawpaws will grow either in shade or in full sun!
- Space each tree (if growing more than one), at least 8 feet, with rows at 12 feet in between.
- Pawpaws are best grown from seeds as long as you do not let the seed dry out.
- Before planting, a pawpaw seed will need a period of cold stratification – up to 100 days in the refrigerator.
- If your winters are cold, you can simply throw seeds directly onto the ground and nature will do the rest!
- Clean the seeds thoroughly and pack them in a Ziploc bag with a moist medium such as peatmoss.
- In the spring, plant your pawpaw seeds and wait about 3 months for germination (slow, but worth it!).
Care:
- Keep the tree protected in its first few years of growth.
- Plant to plant in a pot so you can easily move them around from sun to shade and vice versa.
Harvest:
- Pawpaws will begin to flower and fruit after 6-8 years.
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