The produce from of pawpaw is high in vitamin C. You can likewise pick the fruits when it is green and cook it. Female and male flowers do not grow on the same tree, so you must have male and female trees in the garden.

Soil requirements

• They can grow in most kinds of soil, but it must be well drained.
• The roots can get diseases if the soil stays too wet.
• Loamy soils are best.

Climate

• Pawpaw grows best in hot areas.
• They can tolerate mild frost assuming they are protected from cold breezes.

Spacing

• Plant papayas 1,5 metres between plants and 3 to 4 metres between rows.

Planting Date

Papayas can be planted at any time of the year

Growing pawpaw from seeds

It is easy to grow the ordinary papaya tree from seed.

• Wash the seeds from a ripe papaya.
• Squeeze the seeds from the jelly bag that covers each seed. The seeds will only grow if you remove the bag.
• Dry them in a shady place.
• Store in a tightly closed container and keep them until December.
• Plant the seeds in December. Put 5-6 seeds in a hole. Do not put any compost or manure into the holes.
• Keep the small plants moist.
• You can only tell which trees are female and which are male when the trees start to flower. Therefore, you should always have more than one tree per hole, because then you can select the female trees.

Planting

• Dig a hole about twice the size of the bag in which the young tree is growing.
• Remove the soil from the hole and add some compost and manure. Blend this in with a portion of the dirt that has been uncovered.
• Remove the plant from the holder. In the event that it is a plastic compartment you just cut it open along the edge.Do not disturb the roots.
• Place the tree in the centre of the hole. When you fill up the hole hold the tree so that its base is level with the surrounding ground.
• Raise the soil around the tree to dam the water (rain or irrigation).
• Do not plant the tree deeper than it was in the container.
• Do not cover the stem with soil because it will rot.

Water

• Papayas need little water.
• They will, however, give more and bigger fruit if they are watered every 2 weeks in the dry season. The flowers will drop if they do not get enough water.
• If they are planted in clay soils, make sure that the soil does not stay too wet.
• To avoid waterlogging in clay soil, make a ridge and plant the papayas on the ridge.
• Give the trees 4 tablespoonfuls (115 g) of 2:3:2 in September, November and January.
• Sprinkle evenly around the tree, not against the stem.
• Keep the trees mulched all the time (use grass, leaves, etc).
• Do not grow other plants next to the trunk because it is quite soft. If the trunk is damaged the papaya tree can get diseases.
• If the fruit shows humps the tree may be short of boron. Sprinkle 2 tablespoonfuls of borax around the tree.

Pruning and thinning

You can cut the tree (remove top) so that it does not grow too tall. This encourages branching. Cut into winter wood, where leaf scars are close together. Paint the cut with a sealant.

Harvesting

• You can pick the fruit when the skin starts to become yellow.
• The fruit will ripen after you have picked it.
• Handle it carefully because it gets bruised easily.

Diseases

Papaya trees easily get black leafspot. Your nearest extension officer or cooperative will be able to tell you how to treat this disease.