--Is there a reasonable expectation of getting tasty fruits from seedlings? Or do I need to purchase grafted trees (about $25 each from Raintree)? Being optimistic about the quality of seedlings, I would like to try raising the trees from seed, bu I'm getting too old to wait years for fruit and then be disappointed in the taste.--
Well, I've grown grafted and seedling pawpaws, and have grafted my own.
Purchased grafted pawpaws will produce fruit about 2 years earlier than
seedling trees (on average). I'd say you'll start getting flowers (and
remember you have to have flowers on two different varieties to get fruit)
about 4 years after planting (might be 3-5). Anybody's experience contradict
this?
Once you get flowers, it helps (and is very easy) to hand pollinate.
Neal Peterson, founder of the PawPaw Foundation, now has his own varieties (3)
of 'scienfically bred/selected' varieties. But I think you're looking at 2007 to
get trees from him as he only ships bareroot and only in the Spring.