This is a picture of my 3 TR Hovey plants growing in the east and north sides of my vegetable garden. This picture was taken 9-30-13 when the fruits were still quite small compared to what they are now.

This was the first of my plants that needed to be propped up.

I am very happy with my TR Hovey, too.

I don't have the production you have, but it is my most productive papaya yet. Also , mine did not fruit as low on the stem as your pics show.

I will continue with this variety in the future.

Tainung papaya, photo taken 9-30-13.

This variety was a disappointment because the fruit never got much larger that what you see in the picture. The two fruits that ripened were rotten inside so I haven't gotten to taste the fruit yet. The color inside the fruit is an especially dark orange. Hopefully I'll get to taste a fruit before a freeze gets them.

The two papaya plants behind this one are Red Ladys.

TR Hovey fruit - This is what the inside of a TR Hovey fruit looks like. It has a tasty mild flavor. This fruit weighed in at almost 7 lbs!

Disaster strikes!!!

I procrastinated when I saw that this plant started leaning. Unlike the other two, it grew straight for so long. I asked my husband to put some supports on it but by the time he was able to get to the garden the plant had snapped from the weight of the fruit. Notice how large the fruits have grown. This photo was taken yesterday.

Not only did the fallen TR Hovey plant destroy itself, but it fell on top my "unknown" dwarf" plant. It's one that I saved from last year. It has 2 horizontal branches that have been producing well. (Photo was taken 9-30-13).

Well, this is my success and failure story. Actually, I am grateful that we didn't get an early freeze or all of this would be gone.

Anyone else growing TR Hovey?

Christine

Someone on this list a few years back said to put a cap of foil over an open papaya stem to keep water out. It would heal and sprout new fruiting branches in the spring.

I have a Something Sun that froze at the very top. I followed those instructions and it did heal and re-sprout.

Hi Christine

Congrats on your papayas! you are having a bountiful harvest and we are lucky that the weather is being so nice.

Silvia

Thanks for posting pics of the Hovey, can you tell us if it is sweet? Years ago I had some open-pollinated papaya, the ladies in a circle w/the gentleman in the middle, and that fruit was SWEET-SWEET.... everything froze then and they were gone... does anybody know where to obtain seed for that cultivar? I haven't found any that were nearly as sweet and I sure miss them... thanks, sally

Beautiful plants Christine, wind took out a bunch of my stuff this fall. Loving this weather!

thornrose - I looked down the trunk and it is hollow all the way to the bottom. What I need to do soon is cut the trunk down to where there is a horizontal plate. That way water won't get inside and rot the roots. If I don't find a plate high enough I will take your suggestion and cover up the opening with foil. I also have some papaya plants that froze down to the ground and resprouted. I haven't heard of Something Sun. I'll have to check that out.

Silvia - It's so nice that we haven't had a freeze yet because Mother Nature gave me some extra time to get the greenhouse ready for winter. I spruced up the pea stone and paver floor while Bobby power washed the outside and got the leaves out of the gutters. I'm ready to load it up now!

Sally - It's too bad that you didn't know the variety name of your papaya plants. Finding varieties of papaya that are that sweet aren't easy to find. The fruits of the Hovey are mildly sweet. Pleasant but not overly sweet. I suspect if my papaya fruits ripened in zone 10, I bet they would be much sweeter since they would be ripening at the fruit's preferred warmer temperatures. I hope that you get lucky again and find that great tasting papaya variety.

Christine

Christine,

It is Solo Sun. I just couldn't bring it to mind the other day.

I have a papaya that I planted from the seed from the gro. store. They are about 12 ft high and one has only one papaya on it but it is so big the others have from 3 to 7 on them and about the size that I have seen in the stores. But they are not getting ripe. How long does it take before they do ripen? Hope I have them protected enough for them not to get killed. I am of the Suwannee River in Lafayette County Fl.

Are those of you who are growing TR Hovey dwarf papaya and other papayas happy with the flavor and texture of the TR Hovey? Would you recommend better tasting papayas? I am growing one TR Hovey, it is about 5 ft high, with about 8 fruit. I would like to grow one or two more papayas and would appreciate recommendations on the best tasting papaya you have grown ? thanks Sandy (I am in southwest Florida, Fort Myers, 9B)

Hi Sandy - Another very popular, good tasting papaya is 'Red Lady'. ECHO is Ft Meyers sells the seeds. It is also a dwarf, self fertile variety.

Christine

I have the Red Lady. Bought it at Lowes in June by Sept was loaded with fruit. So far it has been growing pretty straight and the holes have been healing themselves. I don't take the whole branch off, let it dry by itself. Think it helps keep the water out. Notice it is starting to grow where the papayas were removed. I have been eating them green cooked and raw grated in a salad. Been ripening them in a brown bag with an apple. Takes a little time but I have plenty extra to use. This tree is the talk of the community.

Nice job Sueanne!

To all you nice people with your wonderful papaya plants. I have one wish that Santa could not help me with.
Some seeds of TR Hovey and Red Lady papaya.
So if you want to be my secret Santa I would very much appreciate it. Would love to try to grow some in containers because I like a good ripe papaya and I sure miss that where I live up here. Zone 7a, PA.
Thank you very much.

Still waiting to hear from anyone out there that has Tr Hovey and or Red Lady seeds available. Willing to pay. Let me know.
Looking for some seeds soon so I can start them indoors so they are ready to go when it warms up here in the spring.
Thanks.

Still waiting to hear from anyone out there that has Tr Hovey and or Red Lady seeds available. Willing to pay. Let me know.
Looking for some seeds soon so I can start them indoors so they are ready to go when it warms up here in the spring.
Thanks.

Happy gardner.
I searched on Ebay (a bit sceptical to by seeds there) and I saw the same picture of the papaya in a pot from a canadian seller
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fast-growing-Self-pollinating-Dwarf-Papaya-Tree-TR-Hovey-Carica-papaya-SEEDS-/151516868886?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item23471bf116.

gardenfreak, do you still want TR Hovey papaya seeds? I can help you out and will be happy to send some to you, but will need to know how to get in touch with you. Just let me know.

Hi Christina--I was reading this thread, and wondered how your papaya did after its crash? It looks like it was a massive plant, but it's hard to tell the scale in that picture. Was that really a dwarf plant?

I ask, not only because it's a beautiful plant, but also because I would like to grow one here in zone 7, where it would be in my basement for all but a few months every year. I know that warmth and light are critical for these.

I plan on constructing a space in my basement that will hopefully maintain an acceptable environment. The ceiling is a little less than 7'.

My questions about over-wintering indoors are many: can a tall plant be shortened in such a way that the hollow center doesn't become infected or infested? If I maintain the temperature > 65°F with good humidity, how resentful will a papaya be of light from LED bulbs? Assuming that it survives winter in my basement, would it be difficult to re-introduce to natural sunlight? I put my hippeastrums right out in full sun in late spring. The leaves burn off quickly, and are replaced almost as quickly by new, sturdy, dark-green leaves. Will papaya do much the same, or will the 'trunk' be permanently damaged? Will the leaves grow back in? I imagine that a number of leaves might break off getting it in/out of the basement. How flexible are those leaves? Is this just an exercise in frustration for a northern gardener?

Thanks for any advice you might offer!

--Rick in CT zone 7a

Rick - Yes, that plant was a big plant. Luckily the plant snapped in half towards the end of my growing season so I was able to eat many of the fruits. Dwarf in papaya terms means that the plant will begin to set fruit low on the plant, not that the plant will be small.

Papaya plants thrive in very warm temperatures so you will have quite a challenge. YouTube videos that I have seen said that plants do well under LED lights. I haven't tried it.

No, the leaves are not flexible. The leaf's stem snaps easily.

When you introduce your plants to the outside, be sure to give them shade for a while. Then slowly increase the sunshine. That helps prevent sun scald on the leaves.

Since you asked, yes, I think that you may want to consider a different plant. Perhaps a dwarf banana. Someone that I knew in Massachusetts grew a calamondin tree in a pot quite successfully for many years. It's a very close relative of citrus. The fruits are small and taste like a sour orange. My tree is 15 years old. Much more cold hardy than papaya and banana.

Christine

Bought a new Red Lady Papaya tree at Lowe's in April. It is growing so fast is four feet already. Want to make sure I have enough to freeze in case of a cold wave next year again.

Hello, could anyone help with some TR Hovey seeds, there doesn't seem to be any I can buy online. Most ebay ones looks pretty shady. I am willing to pay for shipping. thanks

I'm trying a NOID dwarf papaya this year. Of course, up here it will stay in a pot until next year, but I'm hoping it does well. The one I planted out this year, also NOID but probably a Maradol seedling, is just starting to really grow. I'm praying I get fruit before frost.

For anyone that is interested in TR Hovey seeds, I will be happy to send them to you. I will need for you to get in touch with me so I can do the deed! I have lots. I end up throwing them away. I had as many as 13 trees in my small yard and all were producing. There is so much you can do with an overabundance of fruit. Have given trees, seeds and fruit away, but there is still more where they came from. Frankly, I am getting tired of eating papaya, used them in numerous recipes, both ripe and green. My dogs love papaya and they get their treat whenever I use one for ourselves. The squirrels also have helped themselves. Trouble is with them is that they don't just eat one; they pick on a few, but wait when they are just ripe and ready to pick. Some of the trees have gotten so tall, I can't reach the fruit. I just let them fall down to the ground. I live in Florida, zone 9A.

Hi Maggie123, how could I get in touch with you? I can send you a e-transfer for your troubles. Thanks very much

can anybody sell me some seeds from the T.R. Hovey papaya ?

Maggie, I would love to try growing this papaya. I cant find any sources locally and I would be happy to pay for some seeds.

Hi Maggie would you have any seeds now to share?

Could someone share some of these seeds with me pls. i can pay for postage and or share some other seeds wiwith you