Awesome! Do you think Florence white is dropping any yet?
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@treefrogtim Not yet but the graft i have of it still has its fruit. I haven’t made it over to the original tree this year. It was already dropping fruit in August the year i was able to get fruit from it.
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Thanks for the correction! I just didn’t expect there was also a pawpaw by that name, I do have an NC-1 Almond seedling, they’re good in wet cool summers apparently and cold Hardy and maybe self fertile.
If you’re curious, here’s that experiment: the only successful one on Prunus Serotina was Mirabelle plum.
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When do you guys think is the earliest you can start pawpaw seeds? I have some that are already cold stratified and was wondering on when to start them.
I’m traveling through the Philly area back to Boston this weekend. Does anyone know of any farms along the way selling pawpaw? May be a bit early season, but figured I’d ask…
There’s some that might be available at the POP orchards or if you make a stop by Charles West
Hmm what’s your intended plan with how you’re starting them and when you want to transplant?
And do you have light and a warm place to house seedlings?
Lotttttssss of variables.
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Maybe try Charles West in NJ? It’s probably too early though.
Does anybody around here sell extra pawpaw fruits that they grow? I’ve never had the chance to try any. Are there any members that are trusted/recommended? Any and all varieties are welcome. My question applies to other fruits and berries as well, such as hardy kiwi, Saskatoons/service berries, honey berries, etc. I live in northern Illinois.
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I have a germination station as well as a few grow racks I use for transplants. These seedlings would be dense sown in airprune boxes until large enough to pot up in the spring
The real question is, how long can they grow? Like could they grow from september of this year, to october of next year? I am sure they would enter a period of dormancy early, or pretty much stop growing next year. I was hoping to get enough growth next year to graft the following year.
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I see. Hmm honestly I’m not sure. I’ve heard some say they’ve kept pawpaws growing year round in artificial conditions, with no dormancy.
Maybe someone more experienced in mass seedling production can help!
I was able to graft and transplant seedlings from starting seed in November to transplant in May as posted above somewhere.
This was aided by root pruning paint and a grow tent.
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They’re beautiful fruits for sure
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…I put my buddy on to pawpaws…he is about 45 miles north of me in Athens NY in Zone 5B…I’d guess his growing season is about 155 days…perhaps 7-8 days shorter than mine…he planted (2020) Susquehanna / Allegheny / Shenandoah from Charles West and Prolific from else where…they are growing well with the three varieties from Dr. West at about 9 feet …had a few blossoms this year and last but no fruit…says he sees MANY fruit buds forming this year after learning what to look for…the question is:…will these varieties likely ripen in an average year at his site?..I’m even questioning if they will ripen at my location…there are no wild pawpaws growing anywhere near me…think central Jersey might be the closest…they are fully hardy and grow wonderfully here…so something else is limiting their northern natural range…does the first frost stop the maturation process??..thanks…Beemster
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I think length of growing season and ripening is the primary influence on the northern extent of its range. You’ll notice on the native range map that the northern periphery tends to be just east of large lakes/rivers. Water has a high heat capacity so the lakes are slower to cool in the fall versus the land so that can give those areas another 1-2 weeks to hold off freezing temps.
But the climate has been warming and the avg first 32° in much of the east has been trending later. So he can certainly get ripe fruit in most seasons depending on whether or not he’s in a frost pocket. I’m sure in the shorter growing seasons it may be more difficult. In September 2020 we had a 3 day stretch with record lows just below freezing. But then there’s falls where we don’t get our first freeze until mid to late October.
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thanks…much the same here…big variations on the date of first frost…my buddy does live near water…very near a mid sized lake and about 1.25 miles from the Hudson River…doubt they influence much…but maybe…He’s psyched …ready to hand pollinate next year after seeing so many fruit buds…I’ll be getting my first fruit this year if no extreme early frosts…he’s only about 7-8 days on average difference from me…time will tell
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River valleys can be tough immediately away from the water. When you get those strong radiational cooling nights the cold air will drain right into the valley and downstream. But everyone has their own microclimate so it’s difficult to say if he’s in a local cold or warm spot unless he has his own weather instrumentation.
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Can’t wait to see what ripens up there for him.
I think heat units are a huge part of pawpaw ripening(but not everything!). This year with record heat, even Red Fern Farm in Iowa ripened Potomac, and it was one of the first to drop. In the twenty years they had grown potomac it never fully ripened before.
By this time last year I had a couple trees ripening fruit, and I am in southern IN. This year we had a cool down in the spring, and hail storm during the second half of the bloom. Several of mine rebloomed from older wood, but it seems like its setting the harvest back several weeks.
Long story short I think you should be able to ripen fruit if you have plenty of heat and light(full sun).
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RFF currently has pawpaws ripening? potomac specifically?
on oct 1st last year i ate some of a dropped ripe potomac there. tasted like pina colada. the rest hanging on the tree werent ripe yet but didnt have long to go. it wasnt a mixup or drop from another tree. it was huge.
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Charles West had Rebecca’s Gold dropping ripe fruit very early a few years ago and I believe that one is supposed to be late season.
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I don’t know anyone who ships pawpaws. There was a company, something foraging, that did, but those were the worst pawpaws I ever had (think they were just random wildtype).
I ended up trying to find some people local to me who grew them.
Your other option is to attend one of the big festivals, i.e. the one in Ohio.
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