Pawpaw in Ontario with Paul DeCampo

Paul DeCampo talks about pawpaw in Ontario: its history and how to grow it.

Pawpaw. It’s a fruit that has a long history in Ontario.

Yet it’s not well-known, nor do most people realize it grows wild in some parts of the province.

Paul DeCampo, Toronto’s pawpaw ambassador, planted his first pawpaw trees in 1994. “Nobody I knew had ever heard of this fruit,” he says.

Working in the food industry, he has had the opportunity to share his pawpaw fruit with chefs. Describing how, years later chefs will still talk about a fruit he gave them, he says, “Even if you’re someone who spends all day tasting the most interesting things, these are particularly astounding.”

Why Grow Pawpaw?

Pawpaw fruit from Paul DeCampo’s Toronto garden.

Besides the fact that the fruit is almost never available for sale, DeCampo says a pawpaw tree is a good fit for the challenges of a city yard.

That’s because:

• Pawpaw does not require full sun

• Pawpaw grows well under black walnut trees (which give off a compound that is toxic to many other plants)

• There are very few pests that affect pawpaw

DeCampo’s Pawpaw Tips

DeCampo suggests thinking of a forest-edge garden when planting pawpaw. For urban gardeners, the shade of the forest is replaced by the shade of buildings.

Other tips:

• Get three plants (two genetically-distinct plants are needed to get fruit…but nothing is certain in gardening, so DeCampo says to play it safe, and get three)

• Life is short, so buy as large a tree as you can find and enjoy the fruit sooner

Pawpaw Resources

Plants: Grimo Nut Nursery

Books:

The Pawpaw Grower’s Manual for Ontario, by Dan Bissonnette

The novel The Overstory, by Richard Powers. The pawpaw is described as, “A sheepdog of trees;” the fruit having flesh that tastes like butterscotch pudding.