North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 03:25 PM 09/06/2002 -0400, Richard wrote:
> We are quite dry, though not as bad as over the mountains in NC.
> During our last drought a few years ago, I noticed that pawpaws still set
> and ripened a sizeable crop, without discernable fruit drop.  I failed to
> mulch our trees this year, but still a good crop of normal fruit with no
> supplemental water.

Haven't had a chance to check the groves upstream of my farm, but did hop 
the fence and check those in the woods behind my office, here in 
town.  They don't appear to have set nearly so heavy a crop as they did 
last year, but there are a few fruits here and there.  Still 2-3 weeks off 
from normal ripening time here, but I picked up a dozen or so fruits that 
had either dropped or been cut loose by squirrels.
The young pawpaws in my orchard are almost leafless - but they're planted 
in an inhospitable spot - bedrock TOO close to the surface in that 
area.  My A.parviflora selection, "Trash Pile", is still hanging in there, 
though.

Lucky Pittman
USDA Zone 6
Hopkinsville, KY