Thanks for that link! I can grow Mangos and Macadamias here, so I'm hoping I can get those Papaya seeds to grow. I'm going to mail them my order today!

i am in New Orleans (zone 9b also)

mango and papaya are touch and go.

most years mango survives with maybe a little damage to leaves or new growth, and papaya i usually cut back to the main trunk, and let the tops regrow in spring. it takes several months before i get fruit, but we almost always get 30-32F temps at least one night in winter that kills the top of the plant.

hard winters every 5 to 10 years kill the tree outright unless very well protected.

mango is a little more hardy, but ive only been growing them 2 1/2 years. i have 1 fruit on my Florigon. but if it flowers at the wrong time even a light frost can disrupt fruiting.... keeping them alive is one thing... getting fruit is another...

good luck. keep us informed.

Brad

Yea, I haven't figured out the appeal yet, either!!

you know, I realize not everybody likes papayas, but I think your topic title is unnecessarily revolting.

@steiconi - no one is forcing you to be on this thread here or elected you to be the official nanny or censor. Go clutch your pearls someplace else.

@greenman62, we get a couple freeze nights too, BUT I use a safety net. It's called "Cloud Cover," and you can get it on Amazon. We spray all our tropicals with it when Freezes are predicted and all is well with all of it. My mango has a lot of "bigger than pea size" fruit, so it survived just fine. For the Papaya, thinking to plant them close to the house so I can walk out on the Veranda and spray down on them, plus they will benefit from the warmth of the sun on the stucco. The Cloud Cover prevents moisture loss during extreme heat and protects during freezes. I can't wait to get my seeds, but not sure when to plant them. Probably now, nurse them through winter and let them bear next year.

I've never had a Papaya yet make me say Mmm. Maybe that I can only get market fruit is why. I did plant them..and maybe one year I will get something other than the really cool looking plants they are.

nighthawk, I'm just expressing my opinion in a polite way. You could learn to do that, too.

No you're being a biddy.

nighthawk0911 where are you located? I am in Naples. I have some papaya seedlings from my parent plant if you wanted to try another type.

@germnaboi - Thanks for your offer. What variety are they and do you think it would convert me to liking Papaya? Just wondering if there are certain varieties of Papaya that most people like even folks like me that can't seem to develop a taste for it, but would like to. : )

Maybe I'm wrong but I think Papaya are like many fruit in that tree ripened selections are much better than those picked green and that change color in a store.

Every papaya I grew here and let ripen before picking was delicious, and I never liked store bought fruit.

Since they (in my experience) do not live long you may be able to get fruit the first year from seedlings if started indoors in the fall and planted out in spring.

If they die back treat them as an annual and keep seedlings growing to plant the next year.

I am going to try TR Hovey this year to see if the small stature keeps them usable longer as my main problem with them is the second or third year they are too tall to bag the fruit and they either fall to the dirt and / or papaya fly iinfect them.

Nighthawk, I think that you maybe haven't tried a great variety. I buy mine (solo papayas) at one of our local nurseries, Koolau Farmers- there's a few locations throughout Oahu. My son is 10 years old and he loves the papayas I feed him so much that he straight up eats them with a spoon right out of his half (of course, I scoop the seeds out first). The other half, I usually incorporate into the family smoothie blend of the day. Here's a pic of one of his favorite post cross-country practice small meals- papaya and bagel! : )

Here in Southern California one of our local nurseries also sells fruit from their trees. I may have to drive over and check out their ripe Papayas. It's a good idea! Also, I saw the Dreaded orange Mexican variety at the grocery yesterday. It really doesn't taste that good, BUT if you are at a nice hotel in Mexico, and you eat breakfast there, they always have beautiful fruit on your plate and even the Papaya is delicious. I think the secret is it is ripened on the tree.

I grow papayas just because they're a great tree for appearance. Besides that, I've tried all kinds of varieties and I think they're nasty as well. My brother is from the US Virgin Isles and even he agree. I've heard some varieties taste good and I've tried them and still think they're gross. I think it's just an acquired taste. Also, everyone I talk to says they taste something different with them. I personally think they taste like the rind of a honeydew that's been burnt haha.

Lol...what I'd like to know is how do you know what " Disbetic Possum P*ss" taste like?! Kidding of course :o) I too dislike Papaya but LOVE mangos!

My Seeds Came! Solo Sunrise and SoloWaimanalo! Woohoo! Gonna plant 5 each today and get this party started!

Well... I ordered a bunch of T.R. Hovey seeds. I plan on allowing all of them to sprout and trading the seedlings for other varieties.

Suzi, I hope you like them. The solos are sweet compared to so many other varieties. As I mentioned, I buy them from the nurseries and they simply label them as "solo" so they may sell both... although I think my son likes the Waimanalo varieties more than the Sunrise.. he has declared himself to have a pretty good tropical palate (funny) and is my "tester" for the different varieties of dragon fruit, mango, etc. that are popular here. The fruit is much smaller than other varieties. The color of these papayas is beautiful, the taste is sweet and the fruit seems a bit dense but is soft. Once you have fruit, you must come back and let me know how you liked them : )

@figsinhawaii, That is a beautiful photo of something entirely yummy! If mine produce that kind of fruit, I will be thrilled. We don't live in complete tropics like you, but It's subtropical, and we get some great macadamias, beautiful hibiscus, mangos, so I'm thinking the Papaya will make an amazing contribution. We do have 1.5 acres, so plenty of room, but here, it will need protection. I'm thinking of planting it next to a structure AKA the house. It's roots are shallow, so that would not be a problem.

We have a lot of figs here, and that is pretty much the sexiest fruit on earth! FRESH ripened on the tree. Dried up.. like an old woman. Not so sexy. From the store, it feels used... But get it fresh from the tree, to die~~~

I have 20 seeds each. I'll stagger planting because I'm not sure when is best to do it here. We do have a few freeze days in winter, but I use this organic spray for plant protection on my tropicals and it works really well. "Cloud Cover."

Thanks for that photo! Is your son in sports! I'm cheering for him!!

Solo Suzy is a fast grower,but much more tender to frost then Maridol. A buddy in San Diego has told me. I've had Maridol take a light frost with no protection. Its 3 years old here in the Bay Area.

Fruiting is another matter..lol..

btw,Mangos will fruit pretty easy here by comparison. Macadamias are hardy.

I've grown Lady Red. Easy to grow, quick to fruit and the taste is pretty good. I'm in your club though -- I don't like the footy smell. Lady Red is less 'footy' and the fruit tastes like cantaloupe to me. However, if you live in an area with papaya fruit fly, you're going to have to deal with maggots in the fruit unless you take precautions. I found the best method by far (I've tried several) is to buy ladies knee high pantyhose (50cents at Walmart) and cover the fruit when they are small. The papaya grows in the mesh and the fruit fly can't penetrate them -- perfect fruit every time. You'll look a bit strange buying so many panty hose at Walmart, but it's worth the strange looks to get decent fruit.

Also, papaya produces the best and most prodigious fruit the first two years of growth -- easier to harvest too since it's within arm's length. Commercial growers in Australia chop them down after two years and just start over -- they are grown sort of like a biannual tree.

The organoleptic properties of papaya fruits depend on the interaction of multiple factors. The papaya seeds variety determines regular content of sugar (brix measure), Lycopene (red color), beta-carotene (yellow color), and more options that bring the papaya taste, texture and smell you feel when you eat it.

Individual conditions related to grow and harvest, highly impact on fruits quality though. The maturity stage of the fruits on harvest, external agents or chemicals used to ripen the papaya fruits, harvest season, growing area and plant nutrition are main reasons behind the final results.

Growers can find advice about the best varieties and papaya seeds for sale at Florida Seeds Company, actively engaged to provide best varieties and data from papaya field trials.