Pawpaws in New York
Are you a fan of pawpaws? These custardy fruits can be hard to come across, so this guide provides information on how to grow your own pawpaw from seed, and how to care for grafted seedlings.
The Cornell pawpaw planting is the only commercial-scale pawpaw grove in New York, with approximately 100 trees lined up in 5 rows. This guide was written in consultation with nurseries that grow pawpaws, pawpaw growers, and agricultural researchers at Cornell University. It provides information about how to store pawpaw fruit for commercial sale, and the genetic background of pawpaw varieties grown in the Finger Lakes pawpaw orchard.
As an edible and ornamental tree, pawpaws can create a tropical feel in any landscape, with their drooping leaves that can grow up to one foot long—these turn lemon-yellow in the autumn. Pawpaw bark, seeds, and leaves contain insecticidal compounds that few bugs enjoy eating, with one notable exception: caterpillars of the zebra swallowtail butterfly are happy to munch on pawpaw foliage. Look for smooth-skinned caterpillars with a prominent hunchback. Pawpaw flowers are large, crimson-colored and pungent-smelling, attracting mayflies and other detritivores for pollination. Pawpaws need to exchange pollen to bear fruit, but each tree will make male and female flowers—so plant several trees or exchange a flowering branch with a neighbor and use a paintbrush to hand-pollinate. Pawpaws will take between 5 to 8 years to set fruit after planting. In fall, look for round buds on young twigs. These will become flowers, while slim, pointy buds will become leaves.
Culinary innovators in New York have begun selling pawpaw beer, pawpaw liqueur, and a host of seasonal fresh-fruit offerings. We are excited to see this rising interest in pawpaws and hope this guide will encourage more thinking about this hardy fruit.
You can read the "Pawpaws in New York" guide at this link.
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Upcoming Events
2026 Cornell Winter Fruit Webinars
January 22, 2026 : Blueberry Pruning and Soil Health to Minimize Pests and Maximize Yield
Week 1: Blueberry Pruning and Soil Health to Minimize Pests and Maximize Yield
January 29, 2026 : Cost of Production for Fruit Crops
Week 2: Cost of Production for Fruit Crops - A new tool for tree fruit, updates on berry production in NY, and strategies for tracking and using expense data.
February 12, 2026 : Fire Blight Management Updates
Week 3: Fire Blight Management Updates - Pathogen Biology, Defense Inducers, Biopesticides, and Pruning Therapies
February 19, 2026 : Pink and Petal Fall Insecticides - Can We Strike the Right Balance?
Week 4: Pink and Petal Fall Insecticides - Can We Strike the Right Balance?
March 12, 2026 : Inoculating Orchards with Mycorrhizal Fungi
Week 5: Inoculating Orchards with Mycorrhizal Fungi
March 19, 2026 : St. Peachtrick's Day - Cherry Pruning Strategies and Plum Varieties for the Northeast
Week 6: St. Peachtrick's Day - Cherry Pruning Strategies and Plum Varieties for the Northeast
2026 Winter Fruit Schools
February 4, 2026 : 2026 Winter Fruit School - Niagara County
Lockport, NY
CCE-LOF are excited to bring you a return to LOF's Winter Fruit Schools, in which there will be two nearly identical programs on consecutive days in two locations in LOF's territory. We are in the process of putting together the program, and have garnered key input from our growers, businesses, and other personnel. Please note registration cost increases after January 27th, Registration Now!
February 5, 2026 : 2026 Winter Fruit School - Wayne County
Williamson, NY
CCE-LOF are excited to bring you a return to LOF's Winter Fruit Schools, in which there will be two nearly identical programs on consecutive days in two locations in LOF's territory. We are in the process of putting together the program, and have garnered key input from our growers, businesses, and other personnel. Please note registration cost increases after January 27th, Registration Now!
2026 Orleans County - DEC Certified Pesticide Applicator License Pre-Exam Training
March 9, 2026 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 1
Albion, NY
This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.
March 13, 2026 : DEC Certified Applicator Pre-Exam Training Day 2
Albion, NY
This training is only for those with experience and does not qualify for the 30-hour official DEC training - you are exempt from the 30 hour training (and eligible for this coaching session) if you have pesticide application experience, either through working on your own farm or through employment on another farm.