Staff Photo by Tim Barber Peggy and Frank Walton have grown two papaya trees from seeds they obtained from Publix. One of the trees presently has 14 papaya fruits on it.

Peggy Walton, a gardener in the Bonny Oaks area, planted two seeds from a Publix papaya last year.

To her surprise, they grew into a tree. This year, the tree sprouted fruit.

”It’s really interesting to see. I just thought it was fabulous,” said Mrs. Walton whose husband, Frank, is retired from the postal service.

Papayas, a delicious digestion-promoting fruit from Mexico and Central America, usually expire in Tennessee’s cold winters.

Mrs. Walton sheltered four trees in her basement near a sunny window.

After frost danger had passed, she set them next to a grove of banana trees, “and they just grew,” she said.

Though she lives in a Tennessee subdivision, Florida flair perks her up, she said. As global warming boosts the planet’s temperatures, Mrs. Walton also reasons she’s getting a jump on the new landscape design.

“I’m a tropical-type person and you never know, with the climate changing and all,” she said.

There are two types of papaya: Hawaiian and Mexican, according to California Rare Fruit Growers Inc.

Hawaiian papaya fruit are smaller — about 1 pound — and most commonly land in supermarkets. Mexican papaya may weigh as much as 10 pounds.

Seeds sprout easily, the Rare Fruit Growers say. An experimental gardener can rinse and dry seeds from a ripe fruit, then plant in warm soil. A temperature of about 80 F, for example, will work fine.

Plants can be kept in a container or transplanted into rich, well-drained potting soil.

Tennessee’s late freezes mean it’s wise to keep the plant indoors until early May. Protect it from any light frost with a blanket, sheet, leaf pile or paper.

Papaya plants hate cold, wet soil. It’s best to raise three or four trees to be sure to get a female and a male tree.

Inspired by papaya success, Mrs. Walton said she plans to replace her ornamental banana trees with fruit producers.

She also tried a Northern favorite.

“This year I got the best cherries,” Mrs. Walton said. “I put the seeds in a container. They’re about 6 inches high. We’ll have some big old nice cherry trees.”

Comments