pawpaw (seed)

Pawpaw seed is sold in quantities of 20 and 100.

Breeders Mix is a mix of seed sourced from different orchards or programs where breeding operations are taking place. The 2023 batch being sold at present contains seed sourced from the KSU breeding program, as well as the orchards of Jerry Lehman and Ron Powell. The mix is roughly composed of equal numbers of seed from each source.

Broad River select seed is selected from healthy trees in a large patch within the Broad River floodplain habitat in NC. Trees at this location produce larger-than-typical wild fruit in abundance on an annual basis. The image above is a representative sample of fruits. I visit this patch every year to forage.

After pulping the fruits to eat here at home, the seed is thoroughly cleaned of any remnant fruit through a series of soaking in water and spraying with a high pressure hose. Each seed is inspected for viability before packing in moist coir for stratification.

I recommend growing pawpaw seeds out in a loamy, fertile nursery bed for the first one or two growing seasons. Pawpaws should spend their first two years in the shade of a forest understory or a shade structure. I sometimes use 5 gallon buckets (about 10 seeds per bucket) with holes in the bottom for drainage. This allows me to carry them around, and I can carry the buckets to the forest after planting the seed in them. While pawpaws require shade the first two years of growth, they should eventually be transplanted to direct sunlight for good fruit production. Germination can be slow and irregular. The first 6 to 8 weeks are spent growing a taproot before the break the soil surface. Spring-sown seed should begin to move above ground by June or July, and may continue to do so into September. Some seed may not germinate until the following Spring.