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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] pawpaws in the news

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  • From: Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] pawpaws in the news
  • Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 11:29:19 -0500


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





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