Here is how to grow pawpaw from seed: wash the seeds and never let them dry out. Chill them in damp moss in the fridge at 32–40°F for 70 to 100 days. Sow them 1 inch deep in tall pots kept at 75–85°F, and shade the seedlings. Expect fruit in five to eight years.
This is TN Nursery's customer education site. We are a third-generation family nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, growing native trees and plants since 1959, and pawpaw is one of the native fruit trees we grow. Growing pawpaw from seed is not hard, but it is slow and it punishes one mistake above all: letting the seed dry out. A pawpaw seed is alive when it leaves the fruit. Dry seeds lose their ability to sprout within days. The seed then needs a long, cold, damp rest before it will sprout, and the young tree needs shade and a deep pot for its long taproot (the single thick root that grows straight down). Below, you will find each step with the temperatures and times that work. You will also get an honest timeline from seed to fruit, and a plain look at when planting a nursery-grown Pawpaw Tree saves you years of waiting.
How to grow pawpaw from seed: what you need
- Fresh pawpaw seeds from ripe fruit, never dried
- Damp sphagnum moss and zip-top bags for chilling
- Tall pots: 14- to 18-inch tree pots or 10-inch root trainers
- Loose, airy potting mix and a seedling heat mat
- Shade cloth for the first summer or two
- A second pawpaw for pollen, or a ready-grown Pawpaw Tree to skip the wait
- Optional: other native fruit trees for the same planting, such as Persimmon Tree, American Plum Tree or Elderberry Tree
1. Clean the seeds and keep them moist
Pick seeds from ripe, soft fruit. Rinse off all the sticky pulp, since leftover pulp invites mold in storage. Do not set the seeds out to dry. Kentucky State University's pawpaw program notes that three days drying at room temperature can drop germination below 20 percent. Move the clean, wet seeds straight into damp sphagnum moss in a zip-top bag. If you buy seeds, ask whether they were kept moist.
Tip: Label the bag with the date so you know when chilling is done.
2. Chill the seeds for 70 to 100 days
Pawpaw seeds need a cold, damp rest before they sprout. Gardeners call this cold stratification. It copies a winter on the forest floor. Keep the bag of damp moss in the fridge at 32 to 40°F for 70 to 100 days. Check it every few weeks and add a splash of water if the moss feels dry. Never put the seeds in the freezer. Freezing kills them, just as drying does.
Tip: Start chilling in fall, and the seeds are ready to sow in late winter.
3. Sow seeds 1 inch deep in tall pots
Pawpaw sends down a long taproot before much shows above the soil. Use tall pots, such as 14- to 18-inch tree pots or 10-inch root trainers. Fill them with a loose, airy potting mix. Press each seed 1 inch deep and water well. Keep the soil warm, 75 to 85°F, and evenly moist. Kentucky State University says seeds usually sprout in two to three weeks, with the shoot showing in about two months.
Tip: A seedling heat mat under the pots holds the soil in the warm range.
4. Shade first-year seedlings from full sun
Young pawpaws grow in the shade of bigger trees in the wild. Out in the open, full sun can kill a seedling. Give them bright, filtered light indoors. Outdoors, set the pots under shade cloth or on the north side of a building. Plan on shade for the first year, and often the second. Water whenever the top inch of soil feels dry, but never leave the pots standing in water.
5. Plant out in spring, and plant two
Move your pawpaws into the ground the spring after their first full season in pots, just as new growth starts. Handle the taproot gently and keep the root ball whole. Pick a spot with rich, well-drained soil and some shelter from afternoon sun while the trees are small. Pawpaws usually need pollen from a genetically different tree to set fruit. Plant at least two seedlings, or pair yours with a nursery-grown tree, so they can cross-pollinate.
Seed vs bare-root pawpaw: years saved
Here is the honest timeline from Kentucky State University's figures. Chill the seed for 70 to 100 days. Wait about two months for the shoot. Then shade the seedling for a year or two. First fruit comes when the sapling reaches about 6 feet, usually five to eight years after sowing. A nursery-grown tree skips the riskiest stretch. Our Pawpaw Tree ships at 1–2 feet up to 4–5 feet tall, or in a 1-gallon container. A 4–5 foot tree is already close to that 6-foot mark. For a grove or a small orchard, Pawpaw Tree Seedlings are 6–24 inch bare-root seedlings sold in packs of 100. Grow from seed if you enjoy the project. If fruit is the goal, start with trees.
Care and keeping: First-year care: keep the soil evenly moist, never soggy, and never let the roots dry out. Give young pawpaws filtered shade for the first year or two. Pull weeds and grass back from the base. When bare-root seedlings arrive, keep the roots moist and plant them while they are still dormant.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for a pawpaw to grow from seed?
Plan on five to eight years from sowing to the first fruit. That is when a pawpaw usually reaches about 6 feet tall. Before that, add 70 to 100 days of cold chilling and about two months for the shoot to appear. A taller nursery-grown tree cuts years off that wait.
What is the fastest way to germinate pawpaw seeds?
Keep fresh seeds moist from the start, then chill them in damp moss at 32 to 40°F for 70 to 100 days. After that, sow them 1 inch deep and keep the soil at 75 to 85°F. Bottom heat from a seedling mat helps hold that warmth steady.
Do I need two pawpaw trees to get fruit?
Yes, in most cases. A pawpaw usually needs pollen from a genetically different pawpaw to set fruit. A lone tree may flower well and still bear little or nothing. Plant at least two seedling-grown trees near each other, or pair a seedling with a nursery-grown Pawpaw Tree.
How deep to plant pawpaw seeds?
Plant each seed 1 inch deep in a tall pot of loose, airy mix, then keep the soil warm and evenly moist.
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