Papaya at 43º N

[gurugu]

After trying to grow papaya many times without any luck, both indoors and outdoors, from seed, buying small, medium sized or big plants, finally I´ve managed to grow  them and even to set fruits.

This one has been in the ground for two years now, inside an unheated greenhouse. It started to set fruits last year, and now they are fattening as you can see from the perspective with a beer can. I grew it from seeds from a fruit bought at a big store. The label said it came from Brazil, so maybe it is a Tainung variety. What do you think iko.138 ? Does it look like your Tainung?

It is about 2,30 mts tall, and seems to have stopped growing. I have another smaller one, actually a dwarf variety, bought in Andalucía last year, called Auxarquía. It is also doing OK. It started blooming last year, but it didn´t set fruit. I think it was because it was already quite late, autumn or winter. Now it is starting to flower again, and it seems to start setting fruits. It is only 1 mt tall.

I will leave the fruit to ripe in the plant, as I did with my dwarf orinoco (topocho) banana. Fruits taste much better that way.

 

 

[iko.]

Hola,

Papaya Tainung fruit is more elongated, a shape resembling a common pear. I attach some pictures of the same plant with one year difference. The plant is now exceeding 4 or 5 metres tall. Not really a dwarf variety although started fruiting from the first year that was planted. In the Mediterranean, fruit is produced in summer and autumn but properly ripen in spring. If winters are warm, as the one that we just passed, some fruit ripens the same year the fruit is produced. 

In one of the pictures you can see behind another papaya with a more round-shape fruit, similar to yours. That was a plant grown from seeds of a papaya bought in a supermarket, label said of Fijian origin. It did poorly in my climate.

[gurugu]

4 hours ago, iko. said:

Hola,

La fruta de Papaya Tainung es más alargada, con una forma que se asemeja a una pera común. Adjunto algunas fotos de la misma planta con un año de diferencia. La planta ya supera los 4 o 5 metros de altura. No es realmente una variedad enana, aunque empezó a dar frutos desde el primer año de plantación. En el Mediterráneo, la fruta se produce en verano y otoño, pero madura adecuadamente en primavera. Si los inviernos son cálidos, como el que acabamos de pasar, algunos frutos maduran el mismo año en que se producen. 

En una de las imágenes puedes ver detrás otra papaya con un fruto de forma más redonda, similar a la tuya. Se trataba de una planta cultivada a partir de semillas de papaya compradas en un supermercado, según la etiqueta, de origen fiyiano. Le fue mal en mi clima.

Hi, IKO

Yes, that fruit from the plant at the rear is more similar to mine.

Is its pulp very red when fully ripe? Because this one's was.

Mine is only 2 mts tall now (2,30 when top leaves were stiff). I don't know if it will grow taller, maybe when the weather warms up. Spring has been very cloudy, cool and rainy so far.

I would not be able to grow Tainung variety inside the greenhouse, since it is only 3,20 mts tall at the top.

I should grow it outdoors in a very sheltered spot, or else, it wouldn't make it. Too cool and windy here, and lack of heat in warm months.

The odd thing is that it stands winters better than any I have previously tried. Even small seedlings cope with our winters without blinking an eye. I have dozens of them growing happily in small pots.

The same has happened to my Dajiao banana I have growing in the greenhouse. I was sold it as dwarf,  but it isn't. Upper leaves are craping the ceiling and getting twisted right away. It hasn't set fruit yet after 2 years in the ground,. The same as Acca Red banana.

 

[bubba]

Papaya at 43° north latitude! That is truly beyond belief! Congratulations!

[gurugu]

7 hours ago, bubba said:

Papaya at 43° north latitude! That is truly beyond belief! Congratulations!

Thanks a lot, Bubba.

What still amazes me is why this papaya survives here , even being inside the greenhouse, and the others didn't. That's why I am interested in knowing which variety it is.

The trick must be in the variety, because all my previous attempts failed. It is also true that, inside the greenhouse, you can control watering, better.This plant is very prone to get rot neck, specially in winter.

I think I'll dare to plant one outdoors, in a very sheltered spot I have, and see what happens.

It is  true as well that , so far, I used to sow already almost dry seeds, because I had been told to do so (that, it was the best way) left them drying after eating the papaya fruit. Some seeds sprouted, but many didn't.

What I have found out is that, the sooner you sow them, the better.

[dalmatiansoap]

Bravo. Mine did set the fruit but it got stressed by winter and now I have 2m stem covered with tiny new leaves emerging all over the stem. It will be interesting to see how will it develop. Picture from past November 

Edited April 30, 2024 by dalmatiansoap
Added a picture

[gurugu]

4 hours ago, dalmatiansoap said:

Bravo. Mine did set the fruit but it got stressed by winter and now I have 2m stem covered with tiny new leaves emerging all over the stem. It will be interesting to see how will it develop. Picture from past November 

Thanks!

Good achievment there! Because you live at the same latitude as me.

Is yours growing outdoors? If so, it would be even more praiseworthy than IKO's, which is planted in the ground, outside, in Murcia, where winters can be rather cool or even cold. Its average minimum temperatures for the coldest months are lower than at my place. 

Most surely, yours will set big fruits next warmer months. Your summer temperatures are way higher than mine.

I get my hopes up for the dwarf variety (Axarquia) which is doing ok , being this,  its second year in the ground and it is again setting blooms. The best thing about it is that it is very small: only 1mt tall, and with a thick trunk.

I'm after another dwarf variety called "Caballero"which is said to be pretty hardy as well.

Last year I also tried another dwarf  called "Sweet sense" but it got rot neck, because it was planted too close to a damp spot. One must be very careful with this matter.

[iko.]

On 4/29/2024 at 5:07 PM, gurugu said:

Yes, that fruit from the plant at the rear is more similar to mine.

Is its pulp very red when fully ripe? Because this one's was.

In the supermarket it was of an average orange colour but in my garden, fruits never developed properly.

In the case of the Papaya Tainung, colour goes from light orange to almost red. It really depends if harvested in winter or end of Spring. Higher temperatures and UV index makes the fruit more colourful and also sweeter.

Hope you can make it fruit!

 

PS: My plants are north of Valencia. I have also seen big Papayas with fruits close to the border of Tarragona.

[dalmatiansoap]

Yes, it's planted outside south facing stone wall. This is how it looks this same moment . It's not quite visible from this picture but there are one or two fruits on top already 

[gurugu]

2 hours ago, iko. said:

In the supermarket it was of an average orange colour but in my garden, fruits never developed properly.

In the case of the Papaya Tainung, colour goes from light orange to almost red. It really depends if harvested in winter or end of Spring. Higher temperatures and UV index makes the fruit more colourful and also sweeter.

Hope you can make it fruit!

 

PS: My plants are north of Valencia. I have also seen big Papayas with fruits close to the border of Tarragona.

Thanks for the information.

I guess most papayas are similar in colour, and change according to temperatures they have been grown under, as you say.

Sorry, I thought your plants were in Murcia. Thus it makes your papayas being grown outdoors that far north (almost 40ºN) even more remarkable.

The ones farthest to the north I had seen so far, were in Formentera, but it is one degree south from you. They were 4/5 mts tall and full of fruits.

I dont think I will be able to make papayas set fruit outdoors at my place, even keep them alive. Too far north, and too little sun and heat.

I will stick to growing them in the greenhouse with dwarf varieties. I hope those in the picture will be fully ripe by next mid summer.

[gurugu]

2 hours ago, dalmatiansoap said:

Yes, it's planted outside south facing stone wall. This is how it looks this same moment . It's not quite visible from this picture but there are one or two fruits on top already 

Wow!

Outdoors, at 43ºN! That´s really big business.

You,ve been wise to plant it on a bed, above the surface level. I suppose your winters aren´t very rainy, right? Or else, you would have problems with neck rooting.

For that reason, if I plant one outdoors, I´ll try to place it the closest to the house wall and under a shelter or marquese I´m going to build at the main door, and with glass panels on both sides, east and west, to avoid winds.

By the way: which varieties are those banana trees in the picture? The one on the left looks like a Canarian dwarf cavendish? If so, that would be another big business for that north latitude.

[dalmatiansoap]

17 minutes ago, gurugu said:

Wow!

Outdoors, at 43ºN! That´s really big business.

You,ve been wise to plant it on a bed, above the surface level. I suppose your winters aren´t very rainy, right? Or else, you would have problems with neck rooting.

For that reason, if I plant one outdoors, I´ll try to place it the closest to the house wall and under a shelter or marquese I´m going to build at the main door, and with glass panels on both sides, east and west, to avoid winds.

By the way: which varieties are those banana trees in the picture? The one on the left looks like a Canarian dwarf cavendish? If so, that would be another big business for that north latitude.

Got it as D. Brazilian from friend from Madeira. 

Thick stem helped about winter rains. I did have 2 more not so thick and they did rot. Im also looking for true dwarfs, ones I have before turned to be not so dwarf as titled 

[gurugu]

39 minutes ago, dalmatiansoap said:

Lo conseguí como D. brasileño de un amigo de Madeira. 

El tallo grueso ayudó con las lluvias invernales. Tuve 2 más no tan gruesos y se pudrieron. También estoy buscando enanos verdaderos, aquellos que antes no eran tan enanos como se titula. 

That bunch of bananas looks great. Definitely that tall and south facing stone wall at the back works wonders for you. Very good idea!

That variety is on sale at "La Maison du bananier" in France. 

The only true dwarves I have here are Acca Red. Dwarf Orinoco (topocho) and dwarf Cavendish which grows less than a metre tall for me here.

I've got all of them in the greenhouse. I don't dare grow them outdoors. I only had the Orinoco growing outside in the north facing side of the house quite long ago. It did set fruit, but didn't get ripe enough. Maybe too cold for it being in the north side.

I planted it in the greenhouse and fruits were very tasty.

Dajiao isn't dwarf at all. Maybe I'll plant a clump outdoors this year, to see what happens.

Cavendish are too tender in my opinion.