Pawpaw (VE-21)

$39.99

VE-21 is the pawpaw that comes in first. Most varieties arrive in late September and this one ripens in August, carrying light yellow flesh that eats like custard.

Ripens ahead of the main pawpaw season, in August into September.
Average to large fruit, from 6 oz up to half a pound and more.
Light yellow flesh, soft and creamy, with a sweet tropical flavor.
A Jerry Lehman cross of Prolific and Overleese, both of which we grow.
Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw to set fruit.

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Ships in 1 to 4 business days from our nursery in Washington state, in a 36 inch box.

Description

The pawpaw season is short and it lands late, which is the crop’s one real inconvenience: in a cool year the fruit can still be hanging when the first frosts arrive. VE-21 was selected to solve exactly that problem. It is very early, ripening ahead of the main run.

It came out of Jerry Lehman’s breeding work in Indiana, where a great deal of the useful pawpaw selection of the last forty years was done, as a cross of Prolific and Overleese. The fruit runs from average, around 6 to 8 oz, to large at half a pound and more, with light yellow flesh, a soft creamy texture and the sweet tropical flavor that makes pawpaw worth the wait.

Overview

Very early for a pawpaw, ahead of the main run.
Average to large fruit, 6 oz to half a pound and more.
Light yellow flesh, soft and creamy, sweet and tropical.
A Jerry Lehman cross of Prolific and Overleese.

Growing Details

Latin Name: Asimina triloba ‘VE-21’
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full day of sun; well-drained soil with steady moisture
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 5
Rootstock: Grafted onto pawpaw seedling rootstock
Bearing Age: 3 to 5 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 15 to 20 ft tall and wide, manageable with light pruning
Ripening Time: Early season; August into September
Pollination: Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw within about 30 ft
Pests & Diseases: Few problems; deer and most insects leave the foliage alone

Additional Notes

Grower’s Insight: Plant an early selection like this one with a later variety and the pawpaw season stretches from August into October instead of arriving all at once in September.
Regional Insight: Pawpaw wants warm summers to finish its fruit, and young trees do best with some shade for their first two years before they take full sun.
Explore more pawpaw trees in our collection: Pawpaw Trees

Planting & Care

At a Glance – VE-21 Pawpaw

Sun: 1/2 day to full day of sun
Soil: Well-drained soil that never dries out hard
Water: Steady moisture, especially for the first two summers
Size: 15 to 20 ft tall and wide, manageable with light pruning
Pollination: Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw within about 30 ft
Harvest: Late summer
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 5

Planting & Care – VE-21 Pawpaw

Site Selection

Full sun ripens the heaviest crops once the tree is established.
Give young trees light shade for their first two years.
Shelter from hard wind; the leaves are large and tear.

Soil Preparation

Well-drained ground that stays evenly moist suits it best.
Work in compost, and mulch to hold that moisture steady.

Planting Instructions

Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball and no deeper.
Handle the roots gently; pawpaw roots are brittle and resent disturbance.
Keep the graft union a few inches clear of the soil line.
Backfill, firm gently, and water thoroughly.

Watering & Fertilizing

Never let a young tree dry out; that is the commonest cause of loss.
Water deeply through the first three summers.
Feed lightly in early spring once it is growing away.

Pollination

Needs a second, genetically distinct pawpaw within about 30 ft.
Pawpaws are pollinated by flies and beetles, not bees; the trees must be close.
A soft brush moved between two trees at bloom lifts the set a long way.

Pruning & Training

Pawpaw needs very little; take out damaged or crossing wood in late winter.
Thin heavy clusters so the tree carries fewer, larger fruit.

Harvest & Use

Pick when the fruit softens and comes away at a touch.
Eat fresh with a spoon, or freeze the pulp for baking.

General Tips

Ripe fruit keeps only a few days; refrigerate it or freeze the pulp.
Deer ignore the foliage, which is rare in a fruit tree.

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