I've got PAWPAWS!!! Are you as excited as I am?

 

My Pawpaw trees arrived this week and I am literally vibrating with excitement. The Pawpaw is an indigenous fruit tree that was used by First Nations and early settlers and is pre-Columbian. But deforestation, urbanization and the arrival of apples, pears and peaches, pushed this plant to the margins and it is rare indeed to see them. Which is sad, as it is the largest fruit tree native to North America.
 I read about the Pawpaw in a book on permaculture called 'Paradise Lot' by Eric Toensmeier. Its about two guys who reclaim an abandoned lot in Massachusetts and turn it into a beautiful permaculture garden. They grew and harvested pawpaw and I was fascinated by this lost treasure of  the North Eastern USA  and Canada.

 

 

But lets be clear, a pawpaw is not a papaya .The one on the right is a papaya, its from the tropics. The pawpaw on the left, that looks like it should come from the tropics is from here. It's fruit tastes like a combination of a banana and a mango, with tropical overtones. One of the types I planted; the Susquehanna, has fruit that grows up to 1lb. And they not only taste delicious but are good for you!
 They are a unique plant. Look at the picture of their flowers, aren't they gorgeous?

 All purple and lovely looking. One problem however, they don't use bees to pollinate ( this is an ancient plant). But instead depend on flies and beetles to do the job. Which is why you plant them close together and the flowers perfume is that of slightly rotting meat. Will count on my peonies to counter them! But they recommend that you pollinate them yourself using an artists paint brush.
 The earliest European contact with this fruit goes back to 1541. An article called 'The Pawpaw, a Forgotten North American Fruit Tree' by José I. Hormaza (http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014-72-1-the-pawpaw-a-forgotten-north-american-fruit-tree.pdf) states that:
"The earliest written report of pawpaw was made in 1541 by a Portuguese officer who was a member of Spaniard Hernando de Soto’s expedition through the southeastern United States. He noted Native Americans growing and eating pawpaws in the Mississippi Valley region: “There is a fruit through all the country which groweth on a plant like Ligoacan , which the Indians do plant. The fruit is like unto Peares Riall [“pears royal”]; it has a very good smell, and an excellent taste” Apparently, the name pawpaw was given to the tree by the members of the de Soto expedition for the resemblance of the fruits to the tropical fruit papaya."
So there you have it.

This tree fits in well with what I am trying to build in the back 40. My native plants are thriving, (those that survived the predations of the rabbits), and I am trying to integrate a part of the garden so it reflects what grew here for centuries. I have one part of the garden filled with exotics, but the major part is more and more becoming a native plant sanctuary. Now they say that it will take two years for them to fruit. But given the wisteria miracle, I have hopes for next year! But until then, I will watch them carefully and before you know it, pawpaw smoothies for all!

planted and watered



There is one last benefit to having a pawpaw tree in your garden. Zebra Swallowtail butterfly's. This species is as much a specialist as the Monarch, but instead of milkweed, this creature lays it's eggs on the emerging leaves of a Pawpaw tree. That's it and that's all they will use (http://blueridgediscoveryproject.blogspot.ca/2011/08/connections-pawpaw-tree-and-zebra.html). So if you want to be incredibly butterfly friendly, plant milkweed and pawpaws and you will be blown away by butterfly's. The GTA is the northern edge of their range, so the more of us who plant these, the more Zebra Swallowtails we will see and their numbers will grow.

 

Zebra Swallowtail laying its egg on a Pawpaw leaf

 

 

But of course you want to know where you can find them so you can plant these amazing trees. There were none for sale in the Greater Toronto Area, so I ordered mine from Whiffletree Farm and Nursery (http://www.whiffletreefarmandnursery.ca/home.php. They are in Elora and were great to deal with and delivered them right to the door. You need two of different species for pollination, but they are happy to help and explain to you the wonders of the Pawpaw.

Of course I can't end this without sending you the link to the Pawpaw song! It is an Appalachian folk song. Enjoy and go plant Pawpaws.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QZmVTUzuXM