North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

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

> I have still never tasted a pawpaw and I'm giving up on it
> (almost).  We could plant two pawpaw trees but from what
> I've read they would not fruit in our relatively short
> frost-free season (often well under 120 days).
>
> If it flowers in late April or early May, as I have read,
> this is way before our last killing frost date - which is
> often in June, sometimes in mid-to-late June.  This year,
> our last killing frost was June 4.  (And the first killing
> frost of Autumn was September 20.)
>
> If I'm wrong, and if frost doesn't bother the pawpaw
> flowers, will someone please tell me?
>
> Pat - in the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania's chilly
> Northern Tier

Pat,
I've copied and pasted the following blurb on the PA Golden series of 
pawpaw selections from John H. Gordon's online catalog.  I don't know much 
about the geography/topography of PA, but sounds like these selections came 
(maybe?) from your area, and might be worth a try.

"Asimina triloba Pawpaw - PA Golden Strain Pawpaw is early ripening. Coming 
from the deep, cold valleys above Harrisburg, PA it ripens its whole crop 
in unusually cool seasons, less than 2300 growing degree days >50F. We get 
an unusually cool season once in eight, or so, years. As often we get a 
2900 GDD year when everything ripens. All pawpaw trees survive cold summer 
and winters here, but selection with the larger fruit ripen few fruit  in 
our 2300 GDD season, while that same year all their fruit ripened in Ohio 
and similar climates in Pennsylvania. PA Golden 1, PA Golden 2, PA Golden 
3, and PA Golden 4 are grafted selections. Their rich yellow flesh 
indicates ripeness in early September. The named pawpaw are grafted, and a 
few PA Golden 1 are lifted sprouts on their own roots when specified.

You might check the variety evaluations at the KYSU Pawpaw page 
(www.pawpaw.kysu.edu); I think I recall Kirk Pomper remarking that PA 
Golden was a very good performer, at least here in KY.


Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY