Nothing gives fruit faster from seed. A short-lived, open-canopy plant that feeds you while slower trees grow.
Overview
Papaya is a fast-growing, single-stemmed plant that fruits within a year of sowing. Its open crown casts light shade, making it a good nurse plant for young trees. It is short-lived, so the trick is to keep sowing a few new plants every year.
History
Papaya is native to Central America and southern Mexico and is now grown throughout the tropics. It is one of Hawaiʻi’s best-known fruit crops.
Growing on Kauaʻi
Drainage is everything. Papaya roots rot quickly in soggy soil. On wet sites, plant on a mound or raised bed.
Give it full sun and shelter from strong wind.
It is a heavy feeder: mulch well and add compost.
Planting and propagation
Scoop seeds from a good fruit, rinse off the gel, and sow them fresh, 3–4 per spot, where you want plants to grow. Papaya dislikes transplanting.
Most garden papayas are either female or bisexual (hermaphrodite). Fruit from hermaphrodite plants is what you usually buy. Plant a few per spot and keep the strongest once they flower.
Care and maintenance
Water during dry spells; never let water stand around the stem.
Pick up fallen and damaged fruit promptly to reduce fruit flies.
When a plant gets too tall to harvest or slows down, cut it down, chop it into mulch, and let a younger plant take over.
Role in the guild
Papaya goes on the sunny south and west edges of the starter guild. It produces fruit in the first year while the breadfruit establishes, and its light shade suits Okinawa spinach beneath it.
Harvest
Pick fruit when the skin starts to show yellow streaks, then let it finish ripening indoors. Green papaya can be harvested earlier, shredded, and cooked or used in salads.
Uses
Food: ripe fruit fresh; green fruit in soups, stir-fries, and salads; seeds are peppery and sometimes used as a spice.
Soil: the hollow trunk and leaves break down quickly as mulch when a plant is retired.
Problems to watch
Papaya ringspot virus is present in Hawaiʻi. It causes mottled, distorted leaves and ring spots on fruit. Remove infected plants and keep sowing fresh ones.
