Paw paws are not only delicious but the largest fruit native to the United States. They look like mangos and taste like a custardy bannana, crossed with apple, although there are many different variations of these flavors. If you have never tasted or heard of a Paw Paw you are missing out! Not only are Paws easy to grow and a very tasty fruit, they are also super nutrious and high in vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese. They fruit for several weeks in September and October, but don’t travel well, which is why you don’t see them commercialy available. Enough about the fruit! The tree itself is a fast growing, and self-incompatible. This means you need 2 genetically different trees for them to pollinate and produce fruit. Furthermore they are not pollinated by bees, but by beatles and flies mostly. My mom plants at least 2 very close, so that their branches are entertwined when mature. Sometimes she’ll hang an old piece of meat to a branch when they are blooming, to help attract it’s pollinators. You can also use something yeasty or fermenty to attract the flies and beatles. Here is a photo of my mom here holding 1 days bounty during fruiting season. She gets abundant harvests from her 3 trees! They fruit best in full sun, but will tolerate some shade. Grow in, rich, organic, well drained soil with a P.H. between 5.5-7. Paw paw trees themselves are deer resistant, but their fruit is most beloved by many different wildlife!

“Broad River select seedlings: Seed is selected from healthy trees in a large patch within the Broad River floodplain habitat. Trees at this location produce larger-than-typical wild fruit in abundance on an annual basis. The image above is a representative sample of fruits. I visit this patch every year to forage fruits. Pawpaw trees require good shade for the first two or so years of life, and after being well-established, can withstand direct sun exposure. However, I recommend keeping an eye on transplants of any age if planted in a sunny exposure. Re-establishment of the root system of pawpaw trees after transplanting can take some time, and providing a means of temporary shade can prove beneficial. I have achieved this using cages and row cover, stakes and bean crates, and by growing them beneath trees or shrubs or that are intended to be cut down or removed once the pawpaws are well-established and can handle the sun exposure.” -Fernwood Nursery