The Garden Patch

[sgt.barney]

The Sarge has decided to expand the Orchard with a good old-fashioned Paw Paw Patch.

 

It's a bit early to tell ... How do they look so far??

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Soberjulie]

Sarge.....what are those? The pic is little, they look like bunny poops. Why would anyone put bunny poops in a bowl?

I sent a friend request so I can see the big picture :)

[El Bandito]

Difficult to tell Sarge.

 

I think that they have potential.

[Soberjulie]

Okokok......I see. 

The silly sober chick had to google paw paw. I seriously thought paw paw was what southern americans called their grandpa's. :p

Had no idea it was a fruit :)

[Tink]

ah the fruit of the angels we call them papaya 

[Soberjulie]

ah the fruit of the angels we call them papaya 

Papaya?! Well I know what papaya is. Its delicious stuff!

Is paw paw slang? 

[BAT]

I had no Idea they would grow up here. Especially not in Ohio.

[sgt.barney]

Sarge.....what are those? The pic is little, they look like bunny poops. Why would anyone put bunny poops in a bowl?

 

 

They're Paw Paw seeds.

 

They get soaked in warm water tonight. Put in a bag full o' dirt and in about 8 weeks I get sprouting and then they'll look like this guy's seeds with a taproot coming out:

 

 

Then they get planted in pots for 2 years - they don't like direct sunlight the first few years, so pots to move 'em into the shade. Then the 3rd year they go out in the orchard. Anywhere from year 6 to 10 they should be producing mondo amounts of fruit.

 

Felix is standing next to what looks like about a 6 or 7 year old, with some fruiting going on, eating the Yum Yum in this video:

 

 

 

FYI - you'll never find a Paw Paw in a store. They ripen, and are only good for about 4 days. Can't ship, sell, store, etc in 4 days - they go bad before the store can sell 'em. The only way is to have some of your own trees and DIY.

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Tink]

Papaya?! Well I know what papaya is. Its delicious stuff!

Is paw paw slang? 

im really not sure julie, sgt could maybe answer that i thought it was the same fruit though

[sgt.barney]

The American Paw Paw  ( Asimina triloba ) is not the same as the tropical  Papaya  (Carica papaya)

 

There is much confusion over this :

 

"American pawpaw (note the different spelling) on the other hand is an entirely different fruit not related to the tropical Carica papaya from which Australian red papaya and yellow papaw come. American pawpaw is also known as -poor man's banana? and is the fruit of the Asimina triloba tree."

 

Much confusion ...

 

They are, in fact, not the same at all.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[El Bandito]

Plants and fruits[edit]

• Asimina, the pawpaw genus, a genus of trees and shrubs native to eastern North America
  • Common pawpaw (Asimina triloba), a temperate fruit tree, native to eastern North America
• Papaya or pawpaw (Carica papaya), a widely cultivated tropical fruit tree
• Mountain paw paw (Vasconcellea pubescens), a fruit tree native to South America

 

 

So everybody is right!

 

Excellent. One is tropical and one grows in North America - I have only tried the Papaya one..

 

What do the American ones taste like Sarge?

[sgt.barney]

 What do the American ones taste like Sarge?

 

Like banana pudding ... but better - with a hint of mango/tropical-fruit flavor.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Tink]

i have heard of the fruit "poor mans banana" but not that it was a paw paw - you learn something new everyday 

[...]

I don't know but I'm laughing so hard over here.

 

I thought Sarge made his grandpa a bowl of prunes. I guess I can't see the picture too well.

[sgt.barney]

I don't know but I'm laughing so hard over here.

 

I thought Sarge made his grandpa a bowl of prunes. I guess I can't see the picture too well.

 

They're Paw-Paw seeds.

 

Does this help? :

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Melody]

I wish I had the ability to plant like this.  Any suggestions, live on post and no garden?  Plant tomatoes and stuff in pots but squirrels won't stay off.   

[sgt.barney]

For those who were following The Joshua Tree Album  (no, not that one)  at TheOtherForum™ -- we have life! 

 

It popped Friday and has been trying to push out ever since ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[sgt.barney]

I wish I had the ability to plant like this.  Any suggestions, live on post and no garden?  Plant tomatoes and stuff in pots but squirrels won't stay off.   

 

Kill the squirrels.

 

Seriously.

 

A feeder full of nuts and rat poison should do the trick.

 

If something gets into Sarge's garden/orchard/vinyard, it generally gets itself shot or trapped... but ya can't go poppin' off random shots on post, now, can ya?

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Melody]

Haha...nope.  I wish.  Considered the pellet gun but not sure it would do the job in one shot.  I do like the feeder idea, keeps pets away.  We've been toying around with that for a while.

[Soberjulie]

Sargent Paw Paw (this is how I will now think of you) 

This sober chick from Canada has no green thumb, but desperately wants one. 

I think I will start with something easy-peasy.....like tomatoes or strawberries. I bought a gardening book for dummies.......but holy, do I really need to know what 'zone' Im in?? 

I thought I just needed some dirt, an old mixing spoon for digging and some seeds...... :blink:

[El Bandito]

Like banana pudding ... but better - with a hint of mango/tropica-fruit flavor.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

and the only way I can taste one is by finding someone in the Eastern US who grows them...

 

how long is the 'eating' season?

[Soberjulie]

and the only way I can taste one is by finding someone in the Eastern US who grows them...

 

how long is the 'eating' season?

I wonder if Jimmy will drive the bus for a road trip.......... :rolleyes:

[sgt.barney]

 do I really need to know what 'zone' Im in?? 

 

No ... but you need to know *when* to plant *what* in your local climate ... and "zone" maps are the easiest way to know this. They also tell you what will and won't survive your local weather patterns (for instance, The Sarge desparately wants to plant citrus (orange, lemon, lime) ... but they don't survive in his "zone".

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[sgt.barney]

and the only way I can taste one is by finding someone in the Eastern US who grows them...

 

Pretty much, yeah.

 

how long is the 'eating' season?

 

A given tree will have fruit ripen at slightly different times. Maybe a two week window from any given tree, but once ripe each individual fruit will last at most about 4 days. Adding in different varieties/cultivars that may flower, set and ripen at different times, there's probably about a 4 to 5 week window to get some fruit.

 

Sorry. The Sarge won't have any for many years to come ...

 

(assuming these survive, of course)

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[El Bandito]

Wow. Getting me a taste of proper Paw Paw from the US of A is going to be quite a project....

 

I like projects..... B)