Looking to plant something unusual, easy to grow and exotically delicious? Let me introduce you to Asimina triloba, the pawpaw tree.
Also known as Hoosier banana, poor manB次元官网网址檚 banana and false banana, the sadly underused fruit tree will transport you to the tropics, its 12-by-5-inch, droopy, dark green leaves swaying in the breeze.
Except it isnB次元官网网址檛 tropical at all. The pawpaw is .
Found growing wild from southern Ontario and Michigan east to western New York and south to Texas and Florida, pawpaws are hardy in , depending on the variety. The small, pyramid-shaped trees top out at about 25 feet tall, love humidity and are highly frost-tolerant.
Odd-smelling maroon blossoms reminiscent of fermented grapes cover the branches in spring, followed by clusters of heavy, 3-to-5-inch-long fruits that look like mangoes. In autumn, the treesB次元官网网址� vibrant yellow or gold foliage will brighten your landscape. And deer tend to avoid them.
The pawpaw is . Select a sunny to partly sunny spot that offers some wind protection, and plant it in well-draining, slightly acidic soil with a
Water young trees regularly for a year or two until theyB次元官网网址檙e established, and apply a 20-20-20 once a month in April, May and June only. As far as care, the only other thing youB次元官网网址檒l want to do is that grow around the base of the tree. Pawpaws are not invasive but will form a thicket if left unchecked.
In most cases, youB次元官网网址檒l need to grow two different pawpaw cultivars to ensure cross-pollination and fruit production. Seek out grafted, named cultivars, such as Davis, Mary Foos Johnson, Overleese, Sweet Alice and Taylor, which will bear fruit in a couple of years, as opposed to seed-grown trees, which can take as long as six to 10 years to produce. Sunflower is a rare self-fertile variety that theoretically should bear fruit if planted solo but would be more reliable if paired with a mate.
Avoid buying balled-and-burlapped trees, which are grown in fields and then dug up for sale; the practice risks damage to pawpawsB次元官网网址� long taproots, impacting their ability to take up water effectively.
Harvest the fruits in late summer when they are soft to the touch and detach easily. To outsmart birds and other wildlife that may try to swipe perfectly ripe fruit, you can pick them a little before they are completely ready, and the last bit will ripen soon afterward. But hard pawpaws picked too early will not fully ripen off the tree.
Some folks swear pawpaws taste like bananas; others insist their flavor is more papaya-like. Regardless, the highly nutritious, creamy fruits, rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids, can be eaten raw or used in any recipe calling for bananas, such as puddings, smoothies, muffins, cakes and breads. Just discard the fruitB次元官网网址檚 thick skin and seeds, as they contain toxins.
If youB次元官网网址檙e curious about tasting pawpaws but arenB次元官网网址檛 ready to grow them, youB次元官网网址檙e probably out of luck. The perishable fruits keep for just a few days, making it impractical to transport them, so you wonB次元官网网址檛 find them at your local supermarket.
Just about the only way to experience them is to grow them yourself.
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