How to Grow Pawpaw
Pawpaw At a Glance
Difficulty
Moderate
Category
Tree Fruit
Sun Exposure
Partial Shade
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -25°C
Plant Family
Annonaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Plant two different named grafted trees (known varieties joined onto sturdy roots) about 4 m apart, because pawpaws need a partner to make fruit. Buy them in pots, since bare-root pawpaws often die, and plant them around your last frost without disturbing the long main root. Shade young trees for their first 1 to 2 years, for example with shade cloth on stakes.
Pawpaw is the largest fruit native to North America and grows wild in southern Ontario, with soft, custardy fruit that tastes like banana and mango. The fruit bruises easily and keeps only a few days, which is why you rarely see it in stores. Grafted trees start fruiting about 4 years after planting.
When To Start
Pawpaw 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 Pawpaw?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Pawpaw Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Pawpaw Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant two pawpaw trees, and shade them while young
Around your last frost
Look for ripe pawpaws: soft, fragrant or freshly fallen
160 days after your last frost· every year
Water your new pawpaw plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
Nice work planting your pawpaw! Shade it from strong afternoon sun while it is young, and water deeply when the soil dries.
About 30 days after you plant it
Checking in on your pawpaw. A layer of mulch around the base, not touching the trunk, keeps the roots cool and moist.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Pawpaw's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
400 cm
Plant Spacing
500 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Shade young pawpaws for their first 1 to 2 years, then give them full sun for the best crops.
- 2Plant in deep, rich soil that drains well, with plenty of compost mixed in.
- 3Water deeply every week while the tree settles in, and keep the soil evenly moist in summer.
- 4Spread compost around the tree each spring, kept a hand's width from the trunk.
- 5The dark red flowers are pollinated by flies and beetles rather than bees, so moving pollen from one tree's flowers to the other's with a small paintbrush helps a lot.
- 6Once settled, pawpaws are tough and have very few pests.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
500 cm
Mature Height
350 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
21 days
When to Pick
Pick when the fruit softens and smells fragrant, or gather windfalls; eat/freeze fast
How to Harvest
- 1Pawpaws ripen in early fall and are ready when they give to a gentle squeeze like a ripe peach and smell sweet.
- 2Shake the tree gently or pick up fruit that has just dropped, since ripe ones fall easily.
- 3Eat only the soft flesh, scooped out with a spoon, because the skin and the large seeds are not edible.
- 4Ripe fruit keeps only 2 to 3 days on the counter and about a week in the fridge.
- 5Freeze the scooped flesh for smoothies, ice cream and baking.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
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