Who Else Grows Pawpaw Trees?

BucksCountyFigs said:
Al’s Horn White sounds delicious!
Forgive the newbie question, but are all names varieties grafted? (Since they don’t grow true to seed.)
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You are correct. They do not grow true to seed, so grafting allows you to be certain of the genetics and what the fruit will be like. Grafting is the only way to do so because pawpaw cuttings cannot be rooted like we do with our figs. If one had seeds in which both parents are superior cultivars, the odds of getting something good are better, but it is still a gamble. The resulting tree could have received any number of gene combinations from the parents. Also, seed-grown trees will take around 7 years (+/-) before they begin to produce fruit, whereas grafted trees often produce in 3-5 years. It would be a shame to grow a tree for 7 years only to discover you don't like the fruit. Grafted trees do cost a little bit more, but at least you know what the fruit will be like, and you get fruit much sooner. This is why most people choose to go with grafted cultivars.
 
2Angels said:
Pawpaws are like bananas in that the flavor and texture change as the fruit ripens. Everyone likes their bananas a little differently. Some like them very green, while others like them nearly black. You have to taste each cultivar at different stages of ripeness to find what you like best.
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Great comparison. If the only banana I ever tried was a green one, I'd never eat another.
 
I have just ordered two pawpaw trees - NC-1 and Allegheny!

So, reviving this thread, to see if anybody has their pawpaw updates and also maybe experience with these two varieties.

I know it will take awhile for them to fruit...but I am already dreaming about the pawpaw ice-cream that @9ah-figlet mentioned 🥰

Natalia
 
FigLab said:
I have just ordered two pawpaw trees - NC-1 and Allegheny!

So, reviving this thread, to see if anybody has their pawpaw updates and also maybe experience with these two varieties.

I know it will take awhile for them to fruit...but I am already dreaming about the pawpaw ice-cream that @9ah-figlet mentioned 🥰

Natalia
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Yay! Sounds like a good start.

Mine took a beating last weekend with the frost, and I have a lot of damaged leaves. I did take inside about 50 seedlings that will be undamaged, but they are too small to graft this year.

I grafted two trees that woke up early. Both of them I used matchstick-diameter scion. One was a Tallahatchie I took from my young tree and another was a Jerry's Big Girl I purchased. The Tallahatchie is already pushing out a leaf.
 
FigLab said:
I have just ordered two pawpaw trees - NC-1 and Allegheny!

So, reviving this thread, to see if anybody has their pawpaw updates and also maybe experience with these two varieties.

I know it will take awhile for them to fruit...but I am already dreaming about the pawpaw ice-cream that @9ah-figlet mentioned 🥰

Natalia
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i like nc-1, havent had allegheny but its a Peterson release which are generally well liked!!

My 3 have leafed out... but one died back in a late frost. waiting and seeing if it comes back
 
ohiobruce said:
Yay! Sounds like a good start.

Mine took a beating last weekend with the frost, and I have a lot of damaged leaves. I did take inside about 50 seedlings that will be undamaged, but they are too small to graft this year.

I grafted two trees that woke up early. Both of them I used matchstick-diameter scion. One was a Tallahatchie I took from my young tree and another was a Jerry's Big Girl I purchased. The Tallahatchie is already pushing out a leaf.
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I hope it comes back, once the weather warms up. What a crazy winter and spring we have had... And windy too, a lot of my fig trees have their first leaves shredded.

I too hope to eventually graft more on these trees. I don't have much room in my yard. So originally, I was going to just have one tree with grafts on it. But this felt too risky: if that one branch breaks off, there would be no harvest for at least a year.
 
snarfing said:
i like nc-1, havent had allegheny but its a Peterson release which are generally well liked!!

My 3 have leafed out... but one died back in a late frost. waiting and seeing if it comes back
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That's good to know about these varieties. I actually have never tasted pawpaws before. But they have captured my imagination :)

I didn't realize the young ones were so sensitive to frost. I hope your tree will come back.
 
FigLab said:
That's good to know about these varieties. I actually have never tasted pawpaws before. But they have captured my imagination :)

I didn't realize the young ones were so sensitive to frost. I hope your tree will come back.
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just the leaves, an older tree would bounce back from a late frost no problem and push new leaves, a baby like i have. i dont know
 
FigLab said:
That's good to know about these varieties. I actually have never tasted pawpaws before. But they have captured my imagination :)

I didn't realize the young ones were so sensitive to frost. I hope your tree will come back.
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wait youve never had? you gotta head out to west's farm when he does his paw paw tasting event. I want to try and get to the ohio paw paw fest but not sure if i can figure out a good way to get there, flights are $$$ and its a bit too far for me to be happy about driving.

Theres one in albany too but idk, its expensive and its the first year
 
FigLab said:
That's good to know about these varieties. I actually have never tasted pawpaws before. But they have captured my imagination :)

I didn't realize the young ones were so sensitive to frost. I hope your tree will come back.
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The taste is a cross between a mango, pineapple, and banana without the citrus notes. It has a fruity custard texture.
 
I have plenty I started from seed. Ill probably keep most of them to use as root stock and a few I planted 2 years ago in ground along the edge of my property I'll probably let them grow wild.
 
9ah-figlet said:
I planted five trees 2 years ago, and three survived. Two of the three that survived were 2-yr old seedlings of known varieties (but not technically true to type because they haven't been grafted yet). I have Overleese, Mango and an unknown that I picked up at the Staten Island Fig fest. My favorite variety is Rappananock, but that one didn't survive. The Overleese and Mango trees are about 3-4 ft high now but no flowers yet. I like pawpaws best when turned into ice cream.

I belong to Backyard Fruit Growers (based out of Lancaster, PA). Ted Weeden opens up his pawpaw orchard for tours to BYFG members every fall. He lets you taste all his varieties, and we got to take some home too. I didn't go this year, but I posted about last year's tasting here: https://figfanatic.com/threads/byfg-pawpaw-tasting-and-tour.161/
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I tried pawpaws last year, and of the few varieties, Mango was so tasty to me! That’s cool you have it.
 
interesting a lot of people dislike mango, it was my wifes favorite we've tasted as well. perhaps it just tastes better in this north east area than other locations?
 
snarfing said:
interesting a lot of people dislike mango, it was my wifes favorite we've tasted as well. perhaps it just tastes better in this north east area than other locations?
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I hear you on people disliking the mango version. After tasting all of Ted's varieties to decide which trees I wanted, he looked very surprised when I said I wanted mango. It obviously wasn't his favorite--I felt like I was admitting I liked a brown turkey fig🤷‍♀️. I think it has a reputation of being watery, but it suited my growing conditions well.
 
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