# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Gardening >  Information on Paw Paws

## Rick

Here are some sites that might be of interest. Paw paws will be ripe between now and October depending on location. 

http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/ppf/about.htm

http://appalachianhistory.blogspot.c...paw-patch.html

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## nell67

Did you find any pawpaw trees while you were out Rick?? Remember I offered,and you were only 6 miles away......... :Big Grin: You coulda had one,or two or fifty if you wanted them.

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## Rick

No luck. Although I can't say I've ever seen one that I can remember. 

Yeah, you did offer and I appreciate the offer, too. I've order two and they should ship in September. Along with some thornless blackberry bushes and some garlic. Next year should be berry heaven around here. 

I did find a whopping large patch of spotted jewelweed and it's pretty close to home. So that was a plus.

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## gourdhead1997

Rick, if you ever do see one, you will know it right away. They are very distinctive looking if they have the fruit on them.

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## warman87

just google a pic of them

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## Rick

I know you don't like to click links but this is about the best site I've found on them for photos. It shows the various parts of the tree. 

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/astr.html

One of the confusing things about searching for pics on the web is that Papaya is also called Paw Paw in some parts of the world so you'll find a lot of Papaya pictures labeled as Paw Paw.

I was looking for both the flower and the fruit while I was out this week-end and perhaps neither has appeared yet OR maybe the fruit is on and the critters are picking them.

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## nell67

Rick,the tree flowers in April-May,the fruit is set on the tree now,but is attached more towards the middle of the branch rather than under the leaves as you would normally see,the fruit ripens in August and September.

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## Rick

Thank you. As I said, I've never seen one that I know of. Probably walked past a dozen this week-end but I thought I would have seen some fruit hanging.

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## nell67

A few pics of pawapaw trees,not very good as they are clumped in with young sassafrass saplings of about the same size. The pawpaw tree in the wild is very thin and looks "tropical" compared to other trees IMO.

A freind has one in his yard that looks more like a shade tree as it grows differently in full sun compared to wild grown.

I can not get a full height pic of the trees because of other trees in the area.

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## Beo

> Can someone post a pic of these "paw-paws"?? That will give other people on the forum the chance to see what they look like without having to click 4 different links. Thanks.


Info stealing dorksnot.

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## Rick

Now what was that all about?

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## Beo

He's been stealing our info and posting it to his survival site, changing it a little but not much. Straight up wanna be numpty.

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## Rick

Oh, yea. It was Berry the Wimp. Sorry. I didn't recognize his Azz from this angle.

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## Old Sarge

Years ago, in East Central Indiana, my grandaddy, used to call them, "Indiana Banannas"

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## nell67

We also call them the poor mans banana here Old Sarge.

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## Beo

*EVERYBODY SING ALONG!!!!*
*1 AND 2 AND 3....*

Oh where, oh where, oh where is Nell? 
Where, oh where, oh where is Nell? 
Where, oh where, of where is Nell? 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws;put 'em in your pocket. 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

Come along, boys, and let's go find her. 
Come along, boys, and let's go find her. 
Come along, boys, and let's go find her. 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch

Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws;put 'em in your pocket. 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

*Wanna do it one more time!!!!!!!*

Oh where, oh where, oh where is Nell? 
Where, oh where, oh where is Nell? 
Where, oh where, of where is Nell? 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws;put 'em in your pocket. 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

Come along, boys, and let's go find her. 
Come along, boys, and let's go find her. 
Come along, boys, and let's go find her. 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch

Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws; put 'em in your pocket. 
Picking up paw-paws;put 'em in your pocket. 
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

Now in the ending do your jazz hands and smile big!!!  :Big Grin:

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## nell67

You studied with Rick,didn't you??? :Stick Out Tongue:

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## Beo

Yup, and Sarge. We sang them around the Boy Scouts campfire  :Big Grin:

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## Ole WV Coot

Guess I best check a few trees myself, maybe move small ones closer to the house this winter. They aren't hard to start from seed, seems to work just planting the whole thing. If you want to get picky the seeds are big enough not to lose.

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## canid

> The pawpaw tree...looks "tropical" compared to other trees IMO.


that's how i feel about all the wild figs in california this time of year. in the middle of dry oak forest, climbing of course with grape, you get this pungent, pleasant smell that just makes the air feel humid and then the big sprawling masses of fig shrubs come into sight, lush and verdant compared to the dusty dry of the rest of the woods, with all the birds congregating near to eat the fruit. they almost seem out of place, though i'm glad they are here.

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## Rick

Out looking again yesterday and no luck. Maybe I'm not holding my mouth right.

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## nell67

Rick,I was driving down a back road yesterday,and saw a huge amount of them growing alongside the road,just inside a fence,I stopped to check and see if they were ripe yet,and another woman stopped and asked me if I was looking at pawpaw trees,when I said yes,she asked me all kinds of questions about them,her husband has been trying for a couple of years to get her to try them,with no luck,now,she can't wait for them to ripen,she knows the people who own the land where I saw the trees,and she is going to ask them if she can pick some to try,and if she likes them she will go back and pick more.

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## Rick

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Where's my paw paws?!

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## Beo

In yo pocket boy! Now wipe that smirk off yo face fo I tell yo Auntie Nell!

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## nell67

Rick,the pawpaws are ripe and falling off the tree,maybe a little easier to find them now :Big Grin:

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## erunkiswldrnssurvival

I like paw paw fruits because they taste like cantelopes. the ones that grow here in florida are short plants that resemble
scrub oak seedlings, and they form matted colonies along the road sides and trails. this year i'm going to try and press oil from the seeds. if i get oil i'll tell everybody.

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## pgvoutdoors

The paw paw trees around here don't seem to bare fruit in consecutive years.  It might be two or more years in between fruit baring years.  You have to scout the trees each year to see which ones have fruit.

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## cowgirlup

I ordered one  that I planted this spring.  If it survives the winter I'll order another.  So far it looks good.  I remember eating them when we went camping in the fall.  we always went to the same campground and I knew where the trees were.

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## Rick

Cowgirlup - I'm no expert but I'm of the understanding it takes two trees or more in the same area to bear fruit. That may be what you are running into Phil. The trees may be marginally close in order to produce. That would account for fruit is some years and not in others.

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## pgvoutdoors

The trees are scattered about and most are not that mature, tall but skinny.

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## nell67

> The trees are scattered about and most are not that mature, tall but skinny.


 That is fairly typical  of them growing wild,plant a few of those in your yard,and they will grow very well,make excellent shade and fruit bearing trees.

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## pgvoutdoors

I might just do that.  It's hard to get fruit from the wild ones.  First you need to find the ones with fruit and then hope you get to them before the animals get get to it by the time the fruit ripens.

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## cowgirlup

> Cowgirlup - I'm no expert but I'm of the understanding it takes two trees or more in the same area to bear fruit. That may be what you are running into Phil. The trees may be marginally close in order to produce. That would account for fruit is some years and not in others.


I ordered mine from Gurneys and they said they were self fruiting but would do better with another.  I like them so I will get another one if the first one  still looks good in the spring.

 :Smile:

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## Rick

I have one that's going great guns but my second one died last year. I have another one planted but it doesn't look too promising. I'm going to give it until spring to see if any leaves pop out.

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## ravenscar

do they grow in clay soils well?

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## Rick

I'm no expert in this area but from what I've read the answer is no. They like loamy, well drained soils. 

*"Soil:*  Pawpaws do best in deep, fertile soil that is moist, but well-drained and slightly acid (pH 5-7). The addition of compost to most western soils makes them more hospitable to the pawpaw.  Avoid heavy, wet, alkaline soil."

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html

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## ravenscar

.............mother nature need to throw me a bone.

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## your_comforting_company

http://www.youtube.com/user/EatTheWe...37/5_qS4YGA3CM

Almost everything you want to know about paw paws.. of course this is the dwarf version that grows in my area here in the south.
Deane says it grows in open places, but I find them fruiting in deep woods also, so...
I have eaten quite a few of these this year. The unripe "beans" on the inside are delicious, and when the pods are brown (ripe), toss out the beans and eat the pulp inside.
If you search the forum for asimina pygmaea you'll find some discussion we had about them a few months ago.

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