Pawpaws: The Complete Growing and Marketing Guide - Paperback

by Blake Cothron (Author)

Bring an almost-forgotten fruit back to life--and into your business.

Pawpaws, also called "Indiana bananas," are North America's largest native fruit. Long overlooked, they're now exploding in popularity with chefs, craft brewers, and fruit lovers--and Pawpaws is the first comprehensive guide to small-scale commercial pawpaw production.

Why This Book Matters

Whether you're a market grower, orchardist, or food forest steward, adding pawpaws can diversify your crops, strengthen your bottom line, and connect you with a fast-growing niche market. This book shows you exactly how to cultivate, manage, and market this unique fruit for success.

What You'll Learn

Inside, you'll find practical, field-tested advice on every stage of pawpaw cultivation, including:

• The fascinating botany and cultural history of pawpaws


• How to site and plan a productive orchard


• Tips for selecting top-quality nursery trees


• Descriptions of over 50 cultivar profiles


• Propagation, grafting, and organic growing techniques


• Effective pest and disease management strategies


• Marketing fresh pawpaws, seeds, and nursery starts


• Processing and creating value-added pawpaw products.

Why Trust This Guide?

Author Blake Cothron, organic farmer and nurseryman, brings over 20 years of hands-on expertise in horticulture and sustainable agriculture. He operates Heritage Nursery, a USDA Certified Organic research farm specializing in pawpaws, and is widely recognized as a trusted voice in organic growing.

Endorsements highlight the importance of this work:

"A much-needed contribution to the pursuit of pawpaw culture." -- R. Neal Peterson, founder, Peterson Pawpaws

"Blake Cothron is an authority on pawpaws and provides a clear, detailed guide for commercial success in growing this oddly appealing species." -- Pam Dawling, author, The Year-Round Hoophouse

The Opportunity Is Now

Interest in pawpaws is skyrocketing. Don't miss the chance to grow this extraordinary fruit, diversify your offerings, and lead the way in a growing the movement for local, sustainable food.

Discover the commercial potential of pawpaws--and start building your own success story today.

Back Jacket

Discover a fresh new offering for your farm or orchard business

A much-needed contribution to the pursuit of pawpaw culture.

-- R. Neal Peterson, founder, Peterson Pawpaws, agricultural economist, USDA Economic

Research Service Blake Cothron is an authority on pawpaws and provides a clear, detailed guide for commercial success in growing this "oddly appealing species."

-- Pam Dawling, author, The Year-Round Hoophouse and Sustainable Market Farming

Pawpaws is the first in-depth guide to small-scale commercial cultivation of pawpaws. Also known as "Indiana bananas" or "hipster bananas," this almost forgotten fruit, native to North America, is making a huge comeback with foodies, chefs, craft brewers, and discerning fruit-lovers. Written by, and for, the organic grower, coverage includes:

• Botany and the cultural history of pawpaws


• Orchard siting and planning


• Choosing the best-quality nursery trees


• Descriptions of over 150 cultivars


• Propagation and organic growing tips


• Pests and disease management


• Marketing and selling fresh pawpaws, seeds, and starts


• Processing and producing value-added products.

Get ahead of the farming curve, diversify your orchard or food forest, and discover the commercial potential of America's almost forgotten native fruit with this comprehensive manual to small-scale commercial pawpaw production.

With this valuable book, you can pawpaw your own food forests, restoring the diversity, abundance, and climate we all need.

-- Albert Bates, permaculture instructor, ecovillage designer, author, The Biochar Solution

BLAKE COTHRON owns Peaceful Heritage Nursery, a 4-acre USDA certified organic research farm, orchard, and edible plant nursery. He shares his two decades of experience in organic agriculture and horticulture through magazine articles, public speaking, YouTube, and blogging. Blake lives with his wife and son in Kentucky.

Author Biography

Blake Cothron is an organic farmer, nurseryman, musician, poet, writer, educator, scientist, devotee, and mystic, with over 20 years' experience in organic agriculture, botany, horticulture, and growing food. Blake owns and operates Heritage Nursery, a 4-acre USDA Certified Organic research farm, orchard, and edible plant nursery, with a special interest in pawpaws. He shares his two decades of experience in organic agriculture and horticulture through magazine articles, including in Permaculture Design, online publications, public speaking engagements, and blogging. Blake is also a speaker and educator for OAK (Organic Association of Kentucky), an educational blogger at peacefulheritage.com, and a YouTuber. He splits his time between farming, research, gardening, travel, yoga, meditation, and being a husband and father. He lives with his wife and son in beautiful Kentucky.