caliboy1994

I'm torn! I want to plant either papaya or babaco in my yard, but I can't make up my mind! Babaco is cold tolerant and heat intolerant, and papaya is heat tolerant and cold intolerant. Also, babaco is self-fertile and most papayas are not. If I'm going to plant papayas I will most likely have to plant both a male and female plant. I live in the foothills in Southern California (zone 10a), where summer temperatures can easily get into the 90s and sometimes 100s. Winter night temperatures can drop into the 30s, and frosts are very occasional but they do happen. We also have the Santa Ana winds during fall and winter, but I can compensate for this by planting it in a sheltered location.

I have seen papayas and possibly babacos growing here in the San Fernando Valley, but mostly a few miles south of where I live, which is zone 10b. I also went to a local nursery, and they had both papaya and babaco plants for sale there. I'm sort of leaning towards babacos because they are self fertile, but some extra advice would be nice. Here are some helpful resources:

PAPAYA Fruit Facts

BABACO Fruit Facts

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

sunfish

I've never had any problem with heat and babaco

Babaco

caliboy1994

Looks like I'm going for babaco then. It should probably take the winds better too since it's a more stout plant. It just says on CRFG that babaco can get leaf burn and drop immature fruit if it gets really hot. But you live in San Diego...It's pretty much always nice there. It was over 100 degrees here the other day.

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

sunfish

It was 98 here.

emegar

I have a friend in Loma Linda (9b, I think) who is successfully growing both, and I'm sure his place gets both hotter and colder than your locale. I'm trying both myself, here in Rancho Cucamonga.

caliboy1994

Maybe I could try both then!

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

sunfish

I have both

caliboy1994

Well I think that if I'm going to get papaya I'm going to get a bisexual plant so that I don't need to get a male. Any good bisexual varieties?

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

sunfish

When you buy a papaya plant it should include at least three plants together so you'll get fruit

Bob3

There are a couple good "Solo" varieties; the "Solo Papaya Sunrise" (sometimes called "Strawberry Papaya") is the most popular grown papaya worldwide. It's a Hawaiian variety that produces either female or hermaphroditic plants, so all of them will be producers. (still do at least 3 though)
Now is a good time to start papaya seed if you have a good place to over-winter them, I wouldn't wait much later or you'll miss the best (hottest) part of the summer next year.

__________________
Recipes & links for Cajun, Creole, & other goodies.

caliboy1994

Thanks, but the only problem is that I don't have as much experience with germinating. They do have papayas at my local nursery, labeled "Mexican" or "Hawaiian," but I'm not sure what the specific varieties. When it comes to papaya I'm probably either going to get Sunrise or Sunset.

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

sunfish

You can't get experience unless you try

raygrogan

Last spring I tasted my first good Mexican papayas (in the "old days" they were gigantic and tasted bad to my spoiled Hawaiian taste buds). These "new" ones were medium sized, reddish on inside, and had product codes of 4395 (Blondie label) and 4396 (Sensation label). I think they may be "maradol" and may be more suitable to your climate. I don't know about growing nor do I know what your nursery has as Mexican.

venturabananas

The guys at Papaya Tree nursery near you have been growing babaco in the San Fernando Valley for decades. I think they recommend planting them partial shade if you live in the valley. Keep in mind that babaco tastes nothing like a papaya. I really like, but don't expect papaya flavor -- it is tart and refreshing.

I have several Mexican papayas that haven't done much in the year and a half I've had them, though one is now flowering. I also planted a couple of TR Hovey papayas this spring which are now about 3.5' and just starting to make flowers. So far, I'm happy with them, but I don't know how they'll do over winter.

Go talk to the guys at Papaya Tree Nursery, they'll be able to tell you what will grow well in your environment. They sell several self-fruitful papayas.

__________________

caliboy1994

Ok, I'll look into it. But I'd prefer to go for growing a Hawaiian type since they taste better. And by the way, do papayas do well if you transplant them from containers?

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

caliboy1994

Just looked at their site. How ironic, they're only one or two miles from my house, right by my old elementary school. I'll definitely have to check it out.

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

sunfish

You can transplant any plant from a container,just don't disturb the root ball.With some plants,mango bougainvillaea ,it's better to cut the pot rather than trying to pull the plant from the container.

Bob3

No significant experience needed, poke holes in dirt, insert seed & take it from there, just don't over-water & keep as warm as possible without cooking the critters.

The sprouts in the yogurt tubs were started off on top of the DVR 'till they poked out of the dirt because we got into a cold snap right after planting, so they have a few days head start.
(these are all SOLO PAPAYA, both Sunrise & Sunset, by the way.)


Harden off for a week or 2 before allowing full sun.
Plant extras so you can pass around to friends & relatives, sell on Craigslist and/or swap in the forum!

__________________
Recipes & links for Cajun, Creole, & other goodies.

caliboy1994

Could I germinate them inside with a Grow Light? And how much space would a plant need?

__________________
"The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings."
~ Masanobu Fukuoka

Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer:
https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

Bob3

If your grow lights crank out a hefty amount of light they should be OK, just watch out so they don't get spindly & keep 'em well fed.
You can start them off in 4"- 6" diameter pots, or even smaller, just plant extras for when you lose some after transplanting.
Plant a bunch of seeds & select the most sturdy & robust seedlings for pampering in larger pots, mixing pot sizes to see how well they perform is a good way to tell just what you can get away with.
You should be able to get away (crowded) with 3 - 4 per square foot by the time they're ready to transplant outdoors next spring.
Ideally they would be happier in bigger pots with more room but "ideal" isn't always "practical".

__________________
Recipes & links for Cajun, Creole, & other goodies.