Guide
How to Grow Pawpaw Trees
The short answer
Pawpaw — North America's largest native fruit — has two non-negotiables: young trees are an understory species and need partial shade for their first years (mature trees fruit best in full sun), and pawpaws are self-incompatible, so you must plant two genetically different trees (not two of the same cultivar, and not root suckers of one tree) for fruit.
The payoff for the fuss: pawpaws are largely untroubled by the diseases that plague other fruit trees, and deer leave them alone. Give them deep, well-drained soil, steady moisture, and minimal pruning.
The two rules
- Shade young trees (an understory species — shade cloth or a north exposure for the first 1-2 years), sun for mature fruiting trees.
- Plant two genetically distinct trees for cross-pollination — a single tree (or its suckers) won't set fruit.
Care
- Deep, well-drained, slightly acidic soil; steady moisture.
- Naturally resistant to most fruit-tree diseases; bark compounds deter deer.
- Minimal pruning; fruit ripens late summer to fall and is very perishable — eat or freeze quickly.
→ Pawpaws are pollinated by flies and beetles, not bees — fruit set can be light; some growers hand-pollinate between their two trees for heavier crops.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- University of Georgia Extension — Pawpaw (native fruit) growing notes — Pawpaw is an understory tree whose young trees need partial shade while mature trees fruit in sun; it is self-incompatible (requires a genetically different tree for cross-pollination), disease-resistant, and deer-resistant.
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