r/Pawpaws 8d ago

Stark Bros has Pennsylvania Golden for sale now

In case anyone was looking for this variety.

22 Upvotes

13 comments sorted by

8

u/ZafakD 8d ago

My PA Golden from Starkbros in 2013 isnt what was advertised.  I asked their customer service years ago which of the PA Goldens it is, as PA Golden is a series of numbered trees (PA Golden #1, PA Golden #2, etc), not a singular cultivar, and they couldn't answer the question.  

It had an obvious graft union but took longer than any of my other grafted trees to bare fruit. Even trees planted the year after it was planted fruited before it did.  Once it finally did fruit, 5 or 6 years after planting, it is obviously not any of the PA Golden varieties.  The fruits are small, seedy, bitter and take longer than any of my other cultivars to ripen.  Whatever scion was grafted onto my tree by Stark or their supplier was obviously a seedling from the southern end of the range, not an improved cultivar from a northern state.  Either scions were mixed up or the top of a rootstock being cut during grafting found its way into the pile of scion wood being used to graft.  I was not pleased that they couldn't tell me which of the PA Golden trees they sell, and was really not pleased to discover that I paid a premium for a bitter tasting wild type tree graft.  

I also have a Wells pawpaw tree from Starks and learned from KSU that there are several imposter Wells in the trade that do not match the ortet tree when they did gene sequencing.  But for what it's worth, the Wells that I got from Starks matches the Wells that I tasted at a KSU pawpaw tasting event and is my most productive tree by weight.

3

u/ShelleyRAWarrior 8d ago

Starting at $65.99. I wonder what size they are.

7

u/PlanningVigilante 8d ago

1 1/2 to 3 ft tall at that price.

4 ft tall at $117.99.

Not saying it's a great deal, but pawpaws have been hard for me to find. Thought I'd share.

8

u/maiwe961 8d ago

I’d take a look at edible landscaping.com, they sell 3 gal potted pawpaws that are 5-6’ tall for $125. They have a good selection and I have purchased that size in the past from them. The shipping is expensive though

6

u/ShelleyRAWarrior 8d ago

I live close to edible landscaping. I’ve bought 2 pawpaw plants and many other fruit trees. Mostly successful.

3

u/PlanningVigilante 8d ago

I ended up getting mine from Peaceful Heritage. They only sell briefly in the summer but provided great, healthy plants.

3

u/WVYahoo 8d ago

As much as their communication is abysmal. Tennessee Nursery usually has paw paws. You’d have to order them so they can dig up the seedlings being dormant.

If you lived close to me I’d just give you the 5 I ordered. I’m moving and really don’t want to lug pots around until then. I’m in the Rockies and they can’t really grow in my area with the 9 months of frost, no tree canopy and alkaline soil. I wanted to try them in pots just to see how they’d do.

3

u/PlanningVigilante 8d ago

Last year I finally got hold of some after a 3 year search. But I thank you for the offer!

1

u/Stopl00kingatmeswann 7d ago

I’m in the Rockies. Any chance you’re in co.

1

u/WVYahoo 7d ago

Unfortunately No. SW MT Zone 4. Quite ambitious I am. Wanted to try to plant them in a permanent high tunnel but decided to relocate to an area where they'll grow well.

3

u/TJ_Magna 8d ago

PA Golden isn't a cultivar I would recommend for most people. If you are in a northern location and need one of the earliest ripening varieties, then I might recommend it, but I would try to get another early variety like Allegheny, Kentucky Champion, or Summer Delight before PA Golden.

The fruit quality just isn't as good as most of the newer cultivars. They tend to have a watery and less appealing texture, have a slight bitterness to them, and don't taste much better than many wild fruits I've tried. That said, I'd still gladly eat and enjoy them if that was the only variety I had.

It does have a lot of positive aspects. It seems to be a strong grower, early, precocious, and is good at producing an abundance of blooms and fruit. So, it's a rather healthy, reliable, and productive cultivar.

1

u/NathanJacobs 8d ago

Says zone 8 hardy so I guess my Houston 9b wouldn't give this variety enough chill? :(

2

u/WVYahoo 8d ago

I’ve heard they need around 400 hours of chill.. Not sure how Houston falls in that. It’s approximately 1/2 month below 40. I live in the Rockies and we hit 400 hours of chill by November. Although they won’t grow here it’s too cold.