There are papwpaw festivals or field days in Kentucky and Ohio but youjust missed them as they were held in mid-Septmeber.

I havent ordered from then yet, but you may want to give this website a try.

http://www.integrationacres.com/

FYI this is a little late in the season for pawpaws, but they may still be available. I go out to collect them for the first time around labor day weekend.

Collection of the fruit (and fruit only) in National Forests is not illegal for personal use....

My family picks them in southern Illinois--I'm sure you could grow them where you are. They're kind of like little banana things.

If you are in or near Atlanta, as your zone suggests, you might try the Dekalb Farmer's Market on Ponce de Leon. They have a lot of less-common fruits and vegetables, and it wouldn't surprise me if they have pawpaws.

I know we can grow them in France, and I'm trying to find some too. In fact I'm trying to find seedlings,not fruits.

Someone gave me this source. It looks pretty good for seedlings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pawpaws and more

I just found Paw-paws in the Park Seed catalog, and I want to try it because it likes shade, and is hardy to -25 degrees! The catalog says it is related to the Cherimoya, which I understand is heavenly. Zones 4-9, says the catalog.

Here is a link that might be useful: Park Seed Catalog

Not sure where you are in Ga but there is a nursery in Ty Ty
that sells a variety of things and I beleive that they carry the Paw Paw. Check it out at the address below. They also ship anywhere. I have bought several things from them and they guarantee all there plants. I think that they are a little more expensive than say Home Depot, Lowes, ect but sometimes it is worth it. Got m fig trees and grape vines there. Ty Ty is near Tifton Ga incase you were wondering.

Ty Ty Nurseries www.tytyga.com/main.html

Throwing out a warning here:

No personal experience with TyTy, but read the fine print on thier guarantee http://www.tytyga.com/guarantee.html before putting too much stock in it, especially if you are ordering from out of state, and print out a copy of the guarantee when you order. The list of exceptions seems to keep growing, to the point where I'm not exactly sure what it covers (if anything) of the varieties you order.

Apparently they have good plants if you go to the nursery in person, or order by mail in the state of GA, but if you are in a different legal jurisdiction, quality of shipped plants varies considerably.

Finally, ask yourself why a major company refuses to take credit cards on mail orders. While a small operation might not know about credit acceptance options like PayPal, a large firm with a professionally done website not taking credit is tantamount to admitting a major customer service problem.

Here is a link that might be useful: Other experiences with TyTy

-they have paw paws in Paw Paw, Illinois, about 60 miles
South of Rockford, IL.

I have Native Paw Paw(Asimina triloba) trees for trade.What do you have in exchange?.

Next year I'll be sure to get a taste of Pawpaw.

moko...sorry, I have nothing to trade. I'm a city dweller, not so fortunate to have the acreage you have. I'm on almost an acre in suburbia. I'm slowly changing my landscape to one filled with perennials and an edible forest. I'm looking to plant Pawpaws next fall if I like the taste. The two cultivars I'm looking at are 'Mango' and 'Rebecca's Gold'.

Be wary trying to grow them from seed. They are cantankerous, at best, and are rather slow-growing. Try finding an edible landscape nursery that sells established young trees. I have had good luck with raintree nursery, edible landscaping, and one green world nursery.

I ordered two from Raintree three years ago . They came in a long tube . I planted them in a spot that I have worried about , because it's too sunny ,but they are doing good .
They are apparently slow growing . I'm hoping they will get big enough to bloom and fruit before too many more years , as I am no 'spring chicken' !!!!
I have eaten some from the wild , not far from here , and really like them .
Marian

oh please come to the Maldives. theres plenty! it's my favourite breakfast. just cut one open, remove the seeds and squeeze a bit of lime juice over it...yummmy

glorylily

I don't know if its me (lack of sleep with a 2 month old in the house) or you, but I didn't understand your post at all. Though if you've got pawpaws already I'm absolutely floored (and JEALOUS!!). Any chance of mailing me some?? :)

~Chills

Chills,
Ya gotta be careful when discussing pawpaws with folks outside the US - for most of the world, especially folks living in the tropics, 'pawpaw' is what we call papaya, Carica papaya - not the native American fruit, Asimina triloba.

Lucky as soon as I checked back today and saw she squeezed lime on it I knew she meant papaya.

~Chills

hi,

yea i meant Carica papaya. i thought pawpaw was another name for papaya...isn't it? it grows very well where i live.(Maldive islands) infact last week i got some fruit from a 'volunteer' tree that grew in my cousin's backyard by itself. (thanks to some bird i guess)

i hope you do get a taste of this wonderful fruit dear Moon traveller.

hi,

yea i meant Carica papaya. i thought pawpaw was another name for papaya...isn't it? it grows very well where i live.(Maldive islands) infact last week i got some fruit from a 'volunteer' tree that grew in my cousin's backyard by itself. (thanks to some bird i guess)

i hope you do get a taste of this wonderful fruit dear Moon traveller.

Paw Paws, are sold at some supermarkets. Usually the bigger markets with a fruit/vegetable section thats dedicated to odd things that you would otherwise not see in common markets. Sometimes organic markets also sell them.

glorylily,
The pawpaw in this discussion thread is the native American plant, Asimina triloba, quite different from the papaya, but related to the cherimoya and tropical custard apple, etc.
I don't know what supermarket ksrogers has been shopping at, but I'd be very surprised if there are many that carry A.triloba fruits, as they have a very short season during which they're available, and a very, very short shelf life - the fruit is quite fragile and does not lend itself well to handling, shipping, or prolonged storage.
For a good, all-inclusive review of information on the American pawpaw, check out the webpage linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: KYSU Pawpaw page

I am new to this site so please forgive me if I do respond incorrectly but I did order some Paw Paw trees from Direct Garending and they came finally after being inspected by the department of agruculture in several states. They were not what I expected and I have asked many of my local nurseries to get them for me and had no success. The ones that came were about a foot high and looked dead. I scraped one with my nail to see if there was any green in it but no there wasn't which to me tells me it was dead. Am I wrong? I have heard about this fruit and gosh I wished I could get one that had a healthy start and would give fruit witin at least 2 years after being planted but sheesh it is hard here in california to get them dispite some nurseries saying that they are tropical nurseries they dont carry them. Anyone in California know of how to get these locally? One nursery told me that I could get them but they would be $25.00 each and I would be forced into buying 5 of them. I need the botanical name for them to get home depot to try to get them for me. Can anyone help? I just need to stir up some interest in this plant to get enough of them ordered. I understand you need two of them to get fruit if I am correct? I am in the high desert in California on the back side of Big Bear. Our summers get up into the low 100's and then the winters get down sometimes into the 20's but not very often mostly in the 30's. I would have to plant in the full sun can the plant last in that kind of heat and cold?

The best source I've found for Paw Paws is www.petersonpawpaws.com

He only ships plants early in the spring as pawpaws are notoriously difficult to transplant. Your winter temperatures should be no problem (are you sure you're zone 4??)

His plants are the largest I've seen available online (and you will not likely find them at home depot even if they think they can order them.

The botanical name is Asimina Triloba. If you've not tried this fruit, some can be ordered from www.integrationacres.com in the fall The fruit will have to be air shipped (which means shipping will likely be almost as much as the fruit! I enjoyed mine very much last year

Papaya is sometimes called PawPaw and if that is what you are really intested in growing, just ignore my previous comments.

~Chills

Raytown,
Check out the 'Nurseries' page at the KYSU Pawpaw website - there are at least two CA nurseries listed which offer pawpaws.
Here's one of 'em:

Here is a link that might be useful: TOA Pawpaws

Raytown,

It sounds like we have similar weather. NE OK gets quite about 90 90-degree or higher days a year (I'm guessing, but August, July, and parts of June and September, sometimes May also). This year, we've only had 3 days above 95, and numerous days below 85, with lots of regular water. Probably 10 days (!) in July below 85 and a several around 70.

I say that for this reason: this is the first year I've had fruit stick around past Memorial Day. I assume the (two)trees weren't strong enough to support fruit until now. The trees are about 7-1/2 foot tall right now. They get minimal shade, after 6pm in the evening. This is the first summer the leaves haven't yellowed and dropped, en masse. Last year I had maybe a third of trees with leaves by August 1st.

The trees are in their 4th year, having grown about 6-8 inches a year, with almost a foot of growth this year. Again, a wierd year (but lordy lord I'd take it every summer!). Each summer I've set out a patio umbrella to shade the trees a few hours each day, but got started after the yellowing started. This allowed the trees to recover and re-produce leaves.

I have had to water a bit daily to keep the ground moist and cool. Also, I would water late at night (there is usually a healthy breeze and I've not experienced mold, fungus, etc.) and cover the foliage, all in attempt to cool the plant.

I apologize for going off on my own experience (hey, veterans might have suggestions for me as well!). But, since Raytown is looking at a lot of hot and dry weather he needs to be forewarned. The nursery I got them from in Tulsa said I should shade them 100 percent the first 2-3 years and at least 50 percent thereafter, all due to the sun and heat. LOL Nearby shade trees are growing so that they provide the evening shade and I got lucky when I planted them--they shade each other, one in the morning the other in the evening!

Hope this helps.

I've had pretty good, up to very good, luck with nurseries on the Pawpaw Foundation's Nursey list, including the ones that are small one-person operations.

(The warnings about TyTy are well taken too, but personally I can't complain too much, as they did replace one poor condition [no roots] blueberry once.)

I recently found out that there will be a Pawpaw Gathering in Cookeville, TN on September 18th. If anyone needs details, email me or go to the Gardenweb Calendar.

Robert

KYSU will be holding a pawpaw workshop in conjunction with the Pawpaw Foundation on 11 Sept, in Frankfort, KY.

Here is a link that might be useful: KYSU/PPF Pawpaw workshop

I'm SO excited I ran across this site, I need some advise. I have been drooling over pictures of pawpaws for 3 years, and really, really want to try and grow a couple in my garden. My problem is...can't find any info on growing them in CO. Has anyone successfully grown a pawpaw here? If so may I please have the details on where you bought them, where you planted them, soil, all the details. Any info would be much appreciated. THANKS!!!

Lisa,
I have a friend who's growing them in the Reno NV area, with drip irrigation.
Depending on where you're located in CO, you may or may not have success with pawpaws. They will need at least moderate soil moisture, and really require an acid soil, so if yours is very alkaline, you may encounter some difficulties. Cold-hardiness probably will not be all that much of a concern, particularly if you start out with some of the upper Midwestern selections, like those out of MI.