leaders
critical here. We are also in our 6th continuous year of a severe drought. We don't have a hard pan soil like you imagine Arizona and Nevada to be. We might in rural Utah but not in the city. Our environment here is quite man made and unnatural. The soil is often rich and nice.
Yesterday I went to a plant nursery. The owner asked me how the pawpaw trees are doing. He is very interested. If they do well this summer, he will probably order some from you next year. Everyone here who knows about the pawpaw trees asks me about them. They have sort of made me famous among people I know. No one here I’ve met has ever seen a pawpaw or eaten one. Everyone here who I tell about the pawpaw trees is VERY interested.
I have much hope the pawpaw trees will survive here since magno-lia trees and other acid loving trees and plants foreign to here do well if they are given the proper care.
Thank you again for these very special trees!!! This is a wonderful legacy you are leaving on this Earth. Very few people leave such a legacy.
Brian Roberts Salt Lake City, UT
January 2004 Hi Neal,
After all these years, I had a nice crop of pawpaws on one of my trees. A few each year, but nothing like this year. Hence, this brought back memories of our collaboration and I was wondering how you were doing. My wife blended pawpaws with bananas in a nut bread that was really great. So great that my son-in-law's parents who visited us a few week-ends ago wanted to know more about pawpaws. So I told him what I knew. I knew I had your brochure from last year and found it. I gave them a copy and told them to go on your website to learn more. My wife and I too are on your website now. You have a great website! I am pleased that all is going so well. My son-in-law's father wants to plant pawpaws now. You should hear from him.
great that my son-in-law's parents who visited us a few week-ends ago wanted to know more about pawpaws. So I told him what I knew. I knew I had your brochure from last year and found it. I gave them a copy and told them to go on your website to learn more. My wife and I too are on your website now. You have a great website! I am pleased that all is going so well. My son-in-law's father wants to plant pawpaws now. You should hear from him.
I too want to plant pawpaws at our home in West Virginia. We own a home with about 3 acres in Arthurdale just southeast of Morgantown, in Preston County. My wife says you need to put some recipes for pawpaws on your website. Possible where homemakers can send in their favorites so we can share in the great taste of this fruit in some neat desserts. Take care.
John P. Cherry Blue Bell, PA E-mail communication
Neal,
I’m in Southern California, which is considered experimental.
The Pawpaws I’ve tried are grafted 9 inch sleeves (Sunflower, Rebecca’s Gold, Prolific, Pennsylvania Golden). They grow very slow and get clorotic leaves after July. Then the leaves turn yellowish and some fall off as early as August.
I’ve experimented with full sun, 55% shade cloth and standard wood lattice. The 55% shade cloth was slightly better than full sun. Best results were with alternating full sun/full shade with the wood lattice.
full sun/full shade with the wood lattice.
The Shenandoah variety and another local variety did not have this leaf problem. The leaf structure of your variety and this local selection appear different than the other varieties mentioned above.
I live in an inland valley with hot dry summers. People on the coast and north from me report growing pawpaws very well.
I couldn't grow papayas before (very marginal area because of winter cold and root rot issues) but have figured out how to do it. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I figure out this pawpaw problem.
Thanks for letting me know your status and please update me when you are ready to take orders.
Do you know if there is a Mycorrhizal fungi that the pawpaw has a symbiotic relationship with? That may be part of my problem since I’m growing in a fir bark, peat and sand media.
Tom Conover Huntington Beach, CA
Below: Texas reader and pawpaw grower Roy Stark sent us this picture of himself and his tree.