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Papaya

Carica papaya

A fast, short-lived plant that looks like a tree and can fruit within a year of planting. Plants are male, female or bisexual, and the sweet orange or red fruit grows in a ring around the trunk.

Tree facts

Scientific name
Carica papaya
Origin
Southern Mexico and Central America
Tree size
6–20 ft; most bear best in their first 3–4 years and are then replaced
Growth rate
Fast
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Must drain perfectly. Papayas rot in a day or two of standing water; plant on a mound.
Soil pH
5.5–7.0
Pollination
Bisexual plants pollinate themselves. Female plants need a male or bisexual plant nearby; male plants don't fruit.
Cold hardiness
Leaves are damaged at 32°F; a hard freeze kills the plant
USDA zones
10–11 (9b with protection)
Years to first fruit
Under 1 year; 6–11 months from planting a seedling
Season
Year-round
Water
About every 4 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 30 days, Mar–Oct
Taste
Sweet, soft and melon-like; red-fleshed types are often richer, and some people notice a musky note
Nutrition
Very high in vitamin C, with vitamin A, folate and fiber; contains the digestive enzyme papain

Is papaya safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Ripe flesh, raw
  • Green (unripe) fruit, cooked or shredded into salads
  • Seeds, peppery, in small amounts

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Take care: The milky latex in green fruit, stems and leaves contains papain, a strong allergen and skin irritant. Wear gloves when cutting green fruit or harvesting.
  • Take care: Pregnant women should avoid large amounts of green or half-ripe papaya; its latex may trigger uterine contractions. Fully ripe fruit is considered safe.
  • Good to know: People with a latex allergy often react to papaya (latex-fruit syndrome).
  • Good to know: Large amounts of papaya have been reported to boost the effect of warfarin. Ask a doctor if you take blood thinners.

Pets: Ripe flesh is fine for dogs in small amounts. Remove the seeds and skin.

How to eat and enjoy papaya

  • Fresh, halved with a squeeze of lime
  • Som tam, green papaya salad (Thailand and Laos)
  • Smoothies, batidos and juice
  • Atchara, pickled green papaya (Philippines)
  • Green papaya cooked in soups and stews

When it's ripe

Pick when the skin shows a quarter to a half yellow; the fruit finishes ripening on the counter in 2–5 days. It's ready when it gives slightly and the skin is mostly yellow-orange.

Storing it

Ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate for up to a week. Cut fruit keeps 2–3 days. Cubes freeze well for smoothies.

Papaya varieties (8)

  • Kapoho · also Kapoho Solo

    A yellow-fleshed Solo type, long the main commercial papaya on Hawaii's Big Island.

    Origin: Hawaii · Taste: Sweet · Size: Small

  • Maradol

    A large papaya with red-orange flesh, now among the most common in US stores.

    Origin: Cuba · Taste: Sweet, mild · Size: Large

  • Rainbow

    A genetically engineered papaya resistant to papaya ringspot virus, released in the late 1990s to save Hawaii's papaya industry.

    Origin: Hawaii · Taste: Sweet

    Yellow flesh.

  • Red Lady · also Red Lady 786

    A popular hybrid that bears young and heavily, with sweet, red flesh.

    Origin: Taiwan · Taste: Sweet, rich · Size: Medium to large

    Tolerates papaya ringspot virus better than most. Seedlings are female or bisexual.

  • Solo

    The small, pear-shaped Hawaiian papaya with sweet orange-yellow flesh, sized for one or two people.

    Origin: Hawaii · Taste: Very sweet · Size: Small, 1–2 lb

    Seedlings are bisexual or female, never male, so most plants bear.

  • Sunrise · also Sunrise Solo

    A Solo type with sweet red-orange flesh and a small seed cavity.

    Origin: Hawaii · Taste: Very sweet · Size: Small

  • Tainung No. 1 · also Tainung 1

    A vigorous hybrid with large, red-fleshed fruit.

    Origin: Taiwan · Taste: Sweet · Size: Large

  • Waimanalo

    A University of Hawaii Solo-type papaya with orange-yellow flesh and good flavor.

    Origin: Hawaii · Taste: Sweet · Size: Small to medium

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Anthracnose

    Black, sunken spots on flowers, young leaves and fruit; blossoms turn black and drop. Ripe fruit gets dark spots that spread and rot.

    What to do: Prune out dead twigs and blackened panicles.

  • Powdery mildew

    White powdery coating on flower stalks, young leaves and tiny fruit; flowers dry up and fall.

    What to do: Sulfur or potassium bicarbonate spray at the first white patches.

  • Whiteflies

    Clouds of tiny white flies when a branch is shaken; yellowing leaves and sooty mold.

    What to do: Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides.

  • Phytophthora root rot

    Small, pale, wilting leaves, thin canopy and branch dieback; roots are black and brittle instead of white.

    What to do: Water less and improve drainage.

  • Papaya ringspot virus

    Mottled, yellow-green leaves, oily streaks on stems, and rings on the fruit; trees stunt and yield drops.

    What to do: There's no cure; remove infected plants so aphids don't spread it.

  • Root-knot nematodes

    Stunted, wilting trees in sandy soil; roots have knots and swellings.

    What to do: Thick organic mulch and compost help roots cope.

Growing papayas? Let Gardyn keep track.

Gardyn tells you when your papaya needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.