How to Grow Papaya
Papaya At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Tropical Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 2°C
Plant Family
Caricaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Papaya is a tropical plant that needs warmth to sprout and grow, so start it inside. Scoop the seeds from a ripe papaya, rub off their clear jelly coat in a sieve, and sow 2 to 3 seeds per pot about 1 cm deep, about 8 weeks before your last frost. Keep them very warm and they sprout in about 2 to 4 weeks. Before moving it outside after frost, set the pot outside in a sheltered spot for a few hours a day, a little longer each day for about a week, so it toughens up (this is called hardening off).
Papaya is one of the fastest fruits you can grow, and in a warm, sunny place it can fruit within a year. Some seedlings turn out male and never fruit, so grow 3 to 5 plants and keep the ones that set fruit. It is short-lived and killed by frost, so here it is a big pot plant that summers outdoors and winters by a sunny window, and fruit is a bonus.
When To Start
Papaya needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Papaya?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Papaya Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Papaya Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Start papaya seeds indoors in a very warm spot
8 weeks before your last frost· every year
Move your papaya outside to a sunny spot after frost
2 weeks after your last frost· optional
Bring your papaya indoors to a sunny window before frost
3 weeks before your first frost· every year
Look for papayas turning yellow-orange
300 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new papaya plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your papaya doing? Keep it warm and let the top of the soil dry a little between waterings.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your papaya has had time to settle. Give it your sunniest, warmest spot to keep it growing.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Papaya's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
150 cm
Plant Spacing
250 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give papaya full sun and as much heat as you can: your sunniest outdoor spot in summer and your brightest window in winter.
- 2Plant it in a large pot of rich, fast-draining potting mix with plenty of compost.
- 3Water deeply when the top few cm of soil are dry, but never let it sit wet, since soggy roots are the main thing that kills papayas.
- 4Feed with worm castings or compost tea every 2 weeks while it is growing fast.
- 5Shelter it from strong wind, because the hollow stem is brittle.
- 6Indoors, wash off aphids and tiny web-spinning mites with a spray of water in the shower.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
300 cm
Mature Height
150 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
30 days
When to Pick
Pick when the skin starts turning yellow-orange and gives slightly
How to Harvest
- 1Papaya is ready when the green skin starts to turn yellow-orange and the fruit gives slightly to a gentle press.
- 2Cut it off with a sharp knife, leaving a short bit of stem, and wear gloves, since the milky sap can irritate skin.
- 3Let a half-coloured fruit finish ripening on the counter for a few days.
- 4Scoop out the black seeds, then eat the orange flesh fresh with a squeeze of lime.
- 5Keep ripe papaya in the fridge and eat it within a few days.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Papaya seeds from your own fruit, or from a store-bought one, sprout easily, though seedlings from a hybrid fruit may not match it. Scoop the black seeds from a fully ripe fruit and rub them in a sieve under running water to remove the clear jelly around each one. Spread them on a plate to dry in the shade for a few days. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, but sow them within a year, since papaya seed does not keep long.
Seed Production
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