I'd like to grow a couple of pawpaws also. I'm southwest of New Orleans. I don't need a heavy producer or big fruit. I would like one or two with good flavor that will grow this far south.

Johnson Nursery (www.johnsonnursery.com) in Elijay, GA, sells grafted pawpaw cultivars "Mango" and "Wilson". I ordered one of each. You need two different varieties for pollination. These varieties may be adaptable to coastal LA.

God bless,

CKB

Chris,

Thanks.

Another source for pawpaws, and other fruit trees good for the Lower South is a fine nursery located in the Florida panhandle, linked below. These are nice folks, who carry good cultivars suited to your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Just Fruits and Exotics, pawpaw page

Post this question on the Georgia forum. We've go a paw-paw enthusiast over there who can tell you pretty much anything about paw-paws.

Emailed Peterson's pawpaws with the same question; he replied that they've got no research data on his cultivars thisfar south. The LSU ag center says that, to be safe, plant unnamed native. Green Acres nursery in Picayune has 3ft trees available. There is a nursery in either Sibley, La or Opelousas, La that sells seedlings from Overleese, about a foot or so tall. It's either Sherwood's Greenhouses or Louisiana Nursery. Sorry, can't remember which one I called.

Shay

Chris, A cousin who lives Gallman, MS had one last year with fruit. A friend who lives near cousin bought two last year, but his are small. I bought one about two months ago then found you need two various types to make fruit, so I bought another yesterday at Calloway's Nursery in north Jackson. It has three small pawpaws about the size of a mature peanut at this time. The first tree may be to small (young) at this time as I read they need to be 6 to 8 years of age to produce fruit. I don't think I had ever seen a pawpaw tree before last year when I visited my cousin.

J.A.

I heard somewhere that if you get a named cultivar, you can let the rootstock sucker and effectively have two pawpaws in one. Has anyone else heard this? I've been thinking of picking up a tree from Johnson's nursery. 'Course I would also like to try the fruit before buying a tree... Are there any chain stores that sell it, or would I have to go to a farmer's market when the fruit is in season?

cougie,
You're correct. The seedling understock of grafted selections will eventually start sending up suckers - and they may be yards away from the original stem - and yes, that would essentially give you two cultivars.
'Mango' was selected in Tifton, GA - from seed collected in PA. It's a proven producer in the Deep South, but its origin suggests that virtually any selection from north of the Mason-Dixon line would probably be OK down South. A.triloba is the sole surviving temperate member of the tropical Annonacaea; I doubt that chill-hours really are a concern.
Unlikely that you'll find pawpaw fruit in a grocery or even at a farmer's market. The season is very short - late Sept/early Oct here, and the fruit have a very short shelf life when they reach ripeness - we're talking on the order of a few days.
Most people who have the opportunity to eat them fall into two camps - those who find them delectable and those who find them disgustingly insipid. I used to love them, but I've become somewhat jaded about them - I can eat one fruit, and that's enough until next year.

I would love to get some fruit to both eat and have the seed from some wild pawpaw from M or L. Pawpaw range extends into the north part of both states. I'm hoping that seed from the deep south will grow here where I'm at. I would be glad to pay for shipping. I also have dates to trade (I grow them) or I could chip in a few dollars.