We are thinking of trying to grow these beautiful fruits in our own yard. Do they really grow fairly well in shaded areas as I have read? Enjoy those fruits, they look and sound delicious.:)
Mike: they take a long time to fruit! like 7 to 10 years. They grow in shade but they need sun to fruit well. Wild tree in shade may bear one or two fruit, vs 1 or 2 dozen for those getting sufficient sun. Cultivated trees of named/improved cultivars fruit a lot more than the wild ones. I’ll e-mail you a copy of my September newsletter which has an article and photo about pawpaws
Mine bloomed for the first time this year, Mike, so maybe you won’t have to wait too long (mine have been in the ground only 4 years). Of course the fruit didn’t set but… We have pawpaws like crazy around here, and even towns and rivers (our river down the road) is named after them. But they aren’t widely cultivated.
I would think you would love them, Sylvie, considering your island past.
El – I have a friend whose named cultivar bloomed at year 4 but did not fruit till 7! If yours fruit before that, maybe you can sell the seeds from this precocious tree. And you are right, this temperate member of the largely tropical Annonacea family beguiles me with its flavors of mango, banana & guava. The harvest – so far – has been exclusively from the wild – maybe 10 pounds? more I hope, plus offer to pick from a cultivated tree. Can’t.pass.that! It’s the best banana pudding ever,and all I have to do is get a spoon!
Thanks a lot, I will check out the information you provided and am looking forward to growing these fruit trees. You and EL make them sound so good.:)
Sylvie,
Lucky, lucky you! I would love to grow some,and I know our chefs would be crazy for that native but now exotic fruit. I look forward to reading more about them in your newsletter.
Deirdre: this year is a terrific year. And pawpaws make fabulous desserts, including mousse, ice-creams, sorbets and parfait. The flesh freeze well too. Yes, your chefs would like them! I’ll post a more detailed post with a recipe in the near future.
We are thinking of trying to grow these beautiful fruits in our own yard. Do they really grow fairly well in shaded areas as I have read? Enjoy those fruits, they look and sound delicious.:)
Mike: they take a long time to fruit! like 7 to 10 years. They grow in shade but they need sun to fruit well. Wild tree in shade may bear one or two fruit, vs 1 or 2 dozen for those getting sufficient sun. Cultivated trees of named/improved cultivars fruit a lot more than the wild ones. I’ll e-mail you a copy of my September newsletter which has an article and photo about pawpaws
Mine bloomed for the first time this year, Mike, so maybe you won’t have to wait too long (mine have been in the ground only 4 years). Of course the fruit didn’t set but… We have pawpaws like crazy around here, and even towns and rivers (our river down the road) is named after them. But they aren’t widely cultivated.
I would think you would love them, Sylvie, considering your island past.
El – I have a friend whose named cultivar bloomed at year 4 but did not fruit till 7! If yours fruit before that, maybe you can sell the seeds from this precocious tree. And you are right, this temperate member of the largely tropical Annonacea family beguiles me with its flavors of mango, banana & guava. The harvest – so far – has been exclusively from the wild – maybe 10 pounds? more I hope, plus offer to pick from a cultivated tree. Can’t.pass.that! It’s the best banana pudding ever,and all I have to do is get a spoon!
Mike – I also had another brief post about pawpaws a few years ago:
http://www.laughingduckgardens.com/ldblog.php/2008/09/06/pawpaws-are-our-bananas/
Thanks a lot, I will check out the information you provided and am looking forward to growing these fruit trees. You and EL make them sound so good.:)
Sylvie,
Lucky, lucky you! I would love to grow some,and I know our chefs would be crazy for that native but now exotic fruit. I look forward to reading more about them in your newsletter.
Deirdre: this year is a terrific year. And pawpaws make fabulous desserts, including mousse, ice-creams, sorbets and parfait. The flesh freeze well too. Yes, your chefs would like them! I’ll post a more detailed post with a recipe in the near future.