Way Down Yonder In The Paw Paw Patch

And…today’s word is brought to you by our own Marc and Shary Stadler of Valley View Woodlands!!

Exciting news!!

Shary and I want to let our fellow market members know that we have listed pawpaw trees for sale. Members may recall that on our farm, Valley View Woodlands, we are developing a pawpaw orchard (or “patch” as we like to say). Last fall we had our first harvest of fruit which we listed for sale on this market. We are excited to give members a chance now to grow their own pawpaw fruit. Known as America’s forgotten fruit, this unique tree is native to our region, and produces delicious tropical-flavored fruit that is often described as banana-mango flavor. We call it tropical crème brulee! The trees are also beautiful in the landscape with their long, dark green tropical leaves.
Pawpaws are like apples—there are many different grafted varieties. They are selected for size and taste. An ungrafted tree (a seedling) will produce fruit, but like apples the fruit will not be identical to its parents’. That is why we graft. A grafted tree produces fruit that is known to be delicious. The ungrafted seedling is an unknown. The fruit may be delicious, but it may not be as good as its grafted parents’. Grafted trees also begin bearing fruit at a younger age, usually within three to five years. With a seedling you will probably wait two or three more years.
We are offering on the market both selected grafted varieties and seedlings. Seedlings require less labor to produce so their price is lower. You will find descriptions for the grafted varieties in the listings. The trees are in 14” tall pots and are ready to plant now. Once they are planted they are very hardy in our zone, but trees in pots are vulnerable to winter kill.
Pawpaws require cross-pollination with another variety of pawpaw nearby to produce fruit, so you will need at least two trees. A seedling can act as a pollenizer to another seedling or any grafted tree; however the later flowering seedling may delay fruiting of the grafted tree. For full production, plant them in full sun in well-drained soil. They will do well in a wide variety of soils, including hill-top clay (our own patch is on a hill-top).
Currently we have a limited number of grafted trees, but more will be available soon. We recently took some to a meeting of the North American Pawpaw growers association and sold out.
“He who plants a tree plants a hope.” –Lucy Larcom
And those who plant pawpaw trees will reap a delicious harvest!
Marc and Shary Stadler