You cut them back pretty early: I would have waited until the end of March, myself. Be ready for good frost protection if another front approaches. Guavas and avocados stand a good chance of coming back if the trunk hasn't frozen. Papayas I don't know enough about to be sure one way or another.

Kevin : )

Your papaya is history, but they are never going to survive in the ground during a zone 8 winter even with protection anyway. You could try to grow them in a large pot like a half whiskey barrel. I've fruited them that way, but you'll have to bring them inside from November through March or April.

Buy some hermaphrodite seeds from Aloha seeds so you don't get a male. Supermarket papaya seeds can sometomes produce male plants that don't fruit.

You avocado is probably toast, too. Zone 8 is really pushing it for them. You could try a dwarf avocado in a barrel.

Guava is a possibility, especially a strawberry type (Psidium cattleianum). They tolerate cold pretty well and much better than tropical types and they taste great too as long as you don't mind the the rock hard seeds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aloha Seeds

Papayas are easy to grow in containers and will produce fruit in a greenhouse. I haven't had any luck with avocados but dwarf mangos do well in container too. I don't believe that it's possible to grow a papaya or an avocado outside year round in zone 8 no matter how much protection you give them.

O.K. MY papaya is scratched off, avocado was in a pot , my strawberry papaya is gone too.she was very little 3ft,tall my yellow guava looks dead but hoping it will comeback from the roots, the strawberry guava is alive but it has not fruited as of this year it blooms but that is all it does,I have started new seeds of papaya, guava,strawberry papaya, and two seeds of cherimoya.6 avocados, all in containers this time.Oh I also have 3 comquat seeds that sprouted for me.

Funny you should say the avocado will be cactus. On a trip to the UK I saw one growing in a backyard close to a subway station in the west of London, England. It was a fairly large tree indicating that it had been there for several years.

Well guys I have started new batch of papayas-maradol- and some strawberry papaya-small fruit slight different flavor than regular papaya, this fruit actually reminds me of passion fruit which I call baby papaya,Anyway time will tell if they sprout for me I am starting this seeds inside, by the stove for the warmnth,I also am starting guava seeds,so I will be anxiuosly waiting for them to sprout.