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suprneko

T.R. Hovey papaya in NorCal 9b?

suprneko
11 years ago

I was given a T.R. Hovey papaya plant, about 4" tall. It was a surprise. There is a lot of contradictory information about hardiness, some say zone 10, zone 9, 9b.

I'd prefer to grow it in the ground than a pot, moving inside in the winter would be a hassle especially with 2 kids and 3 indoor cats. But I also don't want to baby it much outside, either.

I grew up in Honolulu, they grew like weeds in our backyard. Maybe that is coloring my thinking, these are supposed to be easy! heh.

Anyway, is there any hope that I can get this papaya to fruit in the clay soil of south San Jose, maybe with black plastic mulch to help the roots in the winter? I'm not totally opposed to a container that gets moved inside in the winter but would rather not.

Thanks for any input!

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