The Tropical Fruit Forum

1. It is better you plant them in the spring. 2. Plant them closer about 4 feet from each other. 3. Needs full to partial sunlight after about 4 years. Till then you have to use protect from direct sunlight. 4. Dig 3 feet x 3 feet square and 3 feet deep two holes. 5. Mix the dug out soil with 1/3 of it's quantity with some compost of your choice. *Please note that Pawpaw plants like mild acidic soil. 6.Thoroughly water the hole day before planting 7. Fill the hole with the dug up mixed soil and plant your container plant without disturbing the roots. ** Do not forget that they have long tap root!. 8. Make sure you plant it about 2 inches above the ground level. 9. Use two 6 to 8 feet long wooden or metal stakes on either side for temporary support. 9. Press the soil tamp gently so that there are no major air pockets. 10. Gently water it till it is fully wet. 11.Taper some extra garden soil from the trunk down to 4 feet to the ground level like a mound. 12. Mulch the collected garden leaves. 13. Six 8 feet metal posts covering 8 x 4 feet area to cover for shade. This you need for about 4 years. 14. DO NOT PUT any fertilizer while planting and the first 2 - 3 years. This is my personal experience with Pawpaw. I have 3 grafted trees this way and they have been yielding about 1000 ( thousand ) fruits annually! Planted it for wild life. Only deer and racoons get to it.
***Our plants are 3 miles away from a river bank and about 300 feet above the river bank level. Our deep water table is around 100 feet but we keep the plants well hydrated through the surface roots.

Do not think so. Even if the tree may grow flowering and fruiting may never happen. Even in 13b tropics it probably takes about ten (10) years to start flowering from seedlings! The fruit is very very sour and after sun drying it is used for souring the food. Not worth the risk planting in your zone. 

Just returned from Tulum after 4 days spent in Dreams resort. Saw a huge round 7" diameter calabash fruit (Crescentia cujete)at the entrance of the 'Mayan ruins' soon at the entrance . After showing our tour guide Anna about the local name she said 'Jicare' and is used for crafts. Among the palms saw many Alonidia merrilli with bunches flowering and early red fruiting now. The fruit nuts are used in Southeast Asia as a substitute for beetel nut (Areca). Saw 3 fruit bunch of Mexican guava at the ruins.
Thanks for your wonderful picture of fruits in the market. I tried in vain finding any fruit farms nor clubs to visit as our trip was mainly for attending a wedding and social event.

Indian jujube grafted variety of Thai apple aka Taiwan apple will start fruiting from the 2nd year. It should be okay in your zone 10 b where winter temperature is averaging between 35-40 degrees F. (from personal information of growing this by some persons in southern Florida.)
Since citrus grows well in your area a grafted 'tree tomato' / S. betaceum sounds ideal for your location as explained by you regarding the seasonal sunlight factor. Please note that there are 2 cultivars. This is from my studies 2 decades ago for deciding what NOT to plant, rare fruit trees in zone 13!
There is not much difference between a zoo and set of trees grown in an out of it's zonal environment!
Good luck. Triphal

Since September 5, I have been picking and plucking over hundred (100) fruits a day average. Only about 30 left in the trees now. I have planted 3 grafted trees 'clumped or packed within 12 feet! One each of Pennsylvania, Susquehanna and Sunflower about 8 or 9 years ago. Last year we had more fruits,so didn't expect much this year.
The seeds are very light but  bulky. And Neal Peterson's " seeds are 3% of the fruit" is unintentionally misleading. By volume I feel seed to pulp ratio is about 55 to 45. Most (over 95%) of our harvest was distributed to friends. If we mulch generously and keep the under brush heavy, fruits will have less injury. We are about 4 to 5 miles away from the closest river. But a stream connecting that river is only half a mile away from our property. Our well is about 200 feet deep and the water table is about 125'. We had a dozen of almost 6" long fruits! But in general fruits of variable sizes from one and a half inches(very few) to 5". They are all delicious.
Early yellowish change in the color and fullness at the stalk  and sometimes small insects floating around and of course the smell are signs to harvest. But the trees are about 35 feet tall and it is hard to harvest most of them by hand without using a ladder. As soon as you harvest keep it in the refrigerator in the garage.

Better if this is discussed in the Temperate zone section.

Sorry for my misreading. After seeing your comment I put on my reading glasses and viewed carefully! Absence of remnants of the sepals and petals attached to the top of the fruit noted. It is NOT a Diospyros. Thanks for correcting me. Triphal

A MAN MADE DISASTER
Disheartened and sorry to see this devastation by the monsoon rains in Kerala and Karnataka. My condolences and sympathy to all those affected by this calamity.
The Western Ghats are one of the 8 hot spots of the biologica diversity in the UNESCO World Heritage list. It spreads from Gujarat into Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnad. Those mountains are millions of years older than the Himalayas!
After the recommendation of the UNESCO for preservation of this mountainous area Indian Government formed the Western Ghats Experts Ecology Panel (WGEEP) headed by a well known ecologist Mr Madhav Gadgil from Indian Institution Of Science. Zoning those areas into 3 zones. Zone 1 area where no plantation and agricultural activities done. The main devastated areas are in Zone 1 as stated in the report.
I was visiting India when they released this report 7 years ago. Subsequently some of the farmers backed up by the Kerala Christian Churches who were the main supporters of the Kerala Congress Party opposed the committee report with (violent) street protests demanding not to ban on Agriculture and Plantation activities in Zone1.
 The Kerala STATE UDF and LDF governments with the Idukki and Thamarassery Bishops influencing them acted against the recommendation of the WGEEP report. Central UPA Congress Party Government gave in. The Environmental Central Minister was replaced and the newly appointed minister Mr. Moily announced on 15th January 2014 that each state bordering the Western Ghats should appoint their own Commission in this matter!  Same year UPA lost the general elections.
DO NOT BLAME NATURE ONLY. This calamity could have been avoided if man has respected the ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE ZONES, Zone 1 as recommended by the WGEEP.  *Please look for WGEEP in the net if you have any questions what I outlined above and I am sure you would find it.
 

PM sent. Good luck. Triphal

Sir. Is this a new cultivar of sweet variety of kokum than the common (sour) one? In tamarind there are two distinct varieties. A common sour variety and a NE Thai sweet variety.
Please note that all kokums I tasted had some sweetness just like as in all those tasted sour tamarinds. I am interested in some sweet kokum seeds for a friend in South Konkan Maharashtra. Thank you.

 Knowing nutmeg trees and fruits (unpalatable) for over half a century since my childhood days in low land Tropics of Southern India this information about 'nutmeg' appears to be misleading and unacceptable.
Both the nutmeg seeds and the encircled red mace are valued as a spice and used in some Ayurvedic medicines. I request someone to please comment on this topic of nutmeg. Thanks.

Just received in India well packed 20 seeds of Yellow Jaboticaba. 10 of them sprouted. Have already planted all 20 of them in an apt. medium tray in a nursery. Hoping others to germinate. Thank you very much.

I think some Syzygiums will be termed as 'pests'. Please check out from USDA California offices. Triphal