Harvesting...

12 years ago

Well, my persimmons have finally finished giving me fruit. Now the papayas are starting to ripen. The first fruit ripened 3 weeks ago and now they steadily are ripening. The very first to ripen is my unknown dwarf papaya. This plant is the third generation of this variety. The person that gave me the original didn't know the variety name. The plant had been given to her.

The next papaya plant to ripen is one that I protected (the base) to see if it makes a difference in ripening time. I would say not by much. It's not very attractive but the fruit tastes very good just the same.

This papaya plant was purchased at Lowes in the spring. It is just now ripening fruit.

For those of you wondering, yes, I do pinch off the forming fruits beginning in August to help the plant put energy in the earlier fruits. I get freezing weather every winter so I don't get many ripe fruits.

Thanks to Silvia showing us her 'Green Glaze' collard plants, I planted several this fall. This turned out to be my first meal of greens from the vegetable garden. Silvia was right. The plants are easy to grow and the leaves are pleasingly tasty.

Christine

Comments (7)

judyk_2008 9a DeLeon Sprs. (NW Volusia)
12 years ago
I'm so envious of your papaya. Mine have frozen the last two winters before they bore fruit. I know my timing must be way off.
whgille
12 years ago
That is great Christine! Papayas look very good and I am glad that you are enjoying the collards, it is one good variety that will always have room in my garden.

Silvia
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annafl
12 years ago
Looks great, Christine!
User
12 years ago
very nice! keep repeating to yourself, over and over..."no freeze this winter! no freeze this winter...." would be a welcome change after the last two!
ibarbidahl
12 years ago
Looks great! I've got two beano's allergic to papaya or I would grow it, too. *pout*

Funny that it didn't make much difference protecting the plant and allowing regeneration rather than starting from scratch.

Barbie
happy_fl_gardener; 9a, near DeLand
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you all for your compliments. I have extra seeds to share from the unknown dwarf papaya - the one with the long fruit. Barbie, you could grow some as ornamental. :)

Yeah, Mark. I'm not looking forward to the nasty cold.

Christine
ariel73
12 years ago
If you have any extra dwarf papaya seeds I would love to have a few.
I have never heard of 'Green Glaze' collards. Is the taste different from collards I would buy at the grocery store? Where did you find the seeds? Do they sell them at the big box stores or do they need to be ordered on line?
I currently am growing some unknown collards I purchased as starter plants. Would it be too late to start more from seed?
Sorry for all the question.
Ariel