Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is North America's largest native edible fruit, a perennial understory tree producing custard-like fruit tasting of banana-mango. Suitable for Zones 5-8 with adequate frost-free days and chill; low-input crop needing cross-pollination.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Growing Season
- Plant
- Early spring (dormant, after budbreak) – Early spring (dormant, after budbreak)
- Harvest
- Sep-Oct – Sep-Oct
- Frost-free days
- 160+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 2,600
Yield
- Typical yield
- 9,000 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 30 years
- Years to full prod.
- 5
- Labor
- 340 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
No buyer on record for this crop in the catalog's buyer network.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "increasing".
Supply Below Demand
2 of 6 documented channels rate viability "strong". Sold into regional rather than national markets, fruit supply here generally trails that demand.
Multiple Buyer Channels
3 of 6 documented market channels rate viable or better (farmers_market, direct_to_consumer, restaurant). Multiple independent routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
3 viable direct-market channels (farmers_market, direct_to_consumer, restaurant). Supports value-added and margin capture beyond wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Specialty fruit segment; consumer demand for regionally grown specialty produce has been expanding.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 5-8; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 2600 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Short by 100.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~32 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 160 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Perennial. Region's zone 5-6 winters deliver well over 1,000 chill hours, ample for temperate perennials.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 4 hardiness zones (5-8). Narrow range (4 zones) offers less buffer if the region warms out of 8.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
Limited by heat accumulation (gdd base 50f), frost-free season. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
No limiting condition found. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
Limited by heat accumulation (gdd base 50f), frost-free season. 6 criteria evaluated, 1 not yet researched; 80% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- 5–8
- Frost-free season
- 160+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- 2,600+
- Winter chill
- 400+ hours
- Rainfall
- 15.7–59.1 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 5.5–6.5
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- high sensitivity
- Needs cold-air drainage
- yes — avoid frost pockets
- Shade tolerance
- partial
- Mature height
- 30 ft
- Rooting depth
- not yet recorded
- Wind exposure tolerance
- low
- Workable slope
- not yet recorded
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
3 of 11 documented equipment items are crop-specific (27%) against a catalog median of 29%. Most needs are met by general row-crop or orchard equipment.
Storage Available
3 documented storage routes; at least one (Fresh cold storage) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~32 in. High water demand — may exceed typical farm irrigation capacity.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
Labor requirement not recorded. Catalog 75th percentile is 250 hr/ac.
Processing Proximity
No processing or cooperative buyer on record for this crop; product would need to travel or be sold fresh.
Equipment Requirements
planting
For establishing container-grown trees at 6–10 ft in-row spacing with rows 15–20 ft apart.
Deep tree-pot containers accommodate pawpaw’s taproot when raising seedlings for grafting/transplanting.
general
Seedlings and grafted trees under 24 in. benefit from shading during the establishment year; suspend 33% shade cloth on supports.
Central-leader training in the first years is critical for canopy light; later remove crossing/rubbing limbs.
Soil test before establishment and correct deficiencies; target pH 5.5–6.5 with annual N at ~100 lb/acre.
irrigation
Pawpaws are not drought tolerant; supply 1–2 in. water/week via drip on either side of the trunk or microsprinkler over the root zone.
spraying
Maintain a 3–4 ft weed-free band; shield trunks and remove suckers before postemergent herbicide application to avoid systemic uptake.
cultivation
A 3–4 ft weed-free band on either side of trees can be maintained with mulch or weed-barrier fabric instead of tillage (roots are shallow).
harvesting
Fruit skin is delicate and bruises easily; pick when flesh first softens and check trees daily during harvest.
post_harvest
Refrigerate as soon as possible after harvest to avoid fermentation and browning; quality still declines after a few weeks.
A fruit pulper removes seeds and skin before storing frozen pulp for ice cream, smoothies, beer and baked goods.
Storage Requirements
Fresh cold storage
Temperature
39–41°F
Humidity
85–95%
Max Storage
21 days
Ambient short-term display
Temperature
60–72°F
Humidity
60–80%
Max Storage
3 days
Frozen pulp
Temperature
-10–0°F
Max Storage
365 days
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $4,200/ac vs catalog median $6,000/ac. Below median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Input cost not recorded; not penalising. Catalog 75th percentile is $6,300/ac.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 5 years. Long establishment — capital tied up 5 years before full return.
Insurance Available
No federal crop insurance recorded for this crop; risk sits with the grower.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Cannot compute — labor hours not recorded. Catalog median is $13.16/hr.
Grants/Subsidies
Fruit crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $4/per lb |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $4,200 |
| Annual Operating Cost | —/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $25,000/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | -$2,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Not available |
Source: University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification — Pawpaw (2025)
Risk Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
1 of 11 documented risks are high-severity (9%) against a catalog median of 36%. Risk load is manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
3 viable market channels of 6 documented. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
5 years to full production at $25,000/ac establishment cost. Multi-year capital commitment before first full return.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 5-8 (4 zones). Moderate tolerance; sensitive to years at the edge of its range.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a fruit revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
disease
Fungal leaf-spot complex on leaves and fruit; begins as tan spots with brown borders that develop into dark brown to black lesions and can crack open, damaging fruit. Favored by extended leaf wetness.
Oak root rot fungus reported as a devastating disease of mature plantings, killing established trees.
Superficial fungal blemish appearing as sooty black blotches on fruit surface during warm, humid, rainy periods; mostly cosmetic.
pest
Tortricid moth whose larval stage burrows into flower peduncles, stems and roots, destroying large numbers of flowers and reducing fruit set.
Larvae tie leaves together with webbing and feed within; infested foliage eventually dies.
Adults emerge in late spring and skeletonize foliage over a 4–6 week feeding period.
Vinegar fly that can infest ripening/soft fruit; one of several secondary fruit pests of pawpaw.
weather
Blooms are vulnerable to late spring frost, especially in low-lying frost pockets, which can kill flowers and eliminate a fruit crop.
environmental
Deer will not browse leaves or twigs (acetogenins deter them) but will consume fallen fruit and can damage trunks by rubbing.
market
Markets are limited (though expected to grow) and fruit is highly perishable at room temperature, lasting only a few days, which constrains fresh distribution.
regulatory
Selling frozen pulp or value-added products requires compliance with local health regulations.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1.2 g | 23,512 g |
| Fiber | 3.3 g | 67,358 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Biodiversity
- Sole larval host for the zebra swallowtail butterflyhigh
Pawpaw is the obligate host plant for the zebra swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus); acetogenins in the leaves protect the larvae from bird predation.
Applies when: native butterfly present in regionEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high - Agroforestry understory component and wildlife foodmoderate
Suited to agroforestry systems as a partial understory tree (compatible even under black walnut); provides wildlife food and is not preferred browse for goats and other herbivores.
Applies when: agroforestry / mixed native plantingsEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Erosion control
- Riparian buffer and streambank stabilizationmoderate
Naturally found along stream banks and in forest groves; works well as a riparian buffer tree, helping stabilize soils near waterways.
Applies when: riparian or buffer plantingsEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Pollinator support
- Forage for fly and beetle pollinatorslow
Flowers are pollinated by flies and beetles (lady beetles, nitidulid beetles, bottle flies, march flies), supporting saprophytic and generalist pollinator guilds rather than bees.
Applies when: floweringEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Soil health
- Arbuscular mycorrhizal associationslow
Increasing soil organic matter at planting encourages associations with arbuscular mycorrhizae that improve nutrient uptake.
Applies when: organic matter added at establishmentEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Pawpaw →
Grows with (5)
Tolerates (1)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Basis: lake erie View economics source →
75 tracked changes across 10 data categories