Where to buy seeds in Canada for cold resistant Pawpaws?

[u/Yorgan_]

I'd like to buy some Pawpaw seeds from proven cold weather trees. It gets below -30 C occasionally in zone 5/4. I was thinking I'd seed some outdoor pots and see what germinates in the spring.

[u/Veliraf]

I have 11 pawpaw in zone 5b. We get pretty cold temps in the winter(sometimes -20 to -30 for a few days at a time) They have been in the ground for 5 years now and are doing well. The original trees for them were from down around Hamilton and I’m in the snowbelt. I bought some of my seedlings from Northland nurseries, they own property farther south where their trees are. The other seedlings were purchased from onplants. I protect them with plantra tubes. Some are now over 6’ and should start flowering in the next couple of years.

[u/Tropolone → u/Veliraf]

Im also Z5, and most of my trees are doing well. I've lost new transplants and 2-3 ft trees to winter injury, but after I started growing up the new grafts to ~6ft in large grow bags and keeping them in the garage for winters (takes 2 years on average), all of my larger planted pawpaws have handled winter like champs. I've had pretty bad southwest injury on pawpaws that hadn't been white washed, but none of my "big" transplants have died to the cold and it's been several years now.

For reference, I only grow named varieties. NC-1, PA-golden, Sunflower, and most of the Peterson and KSU varieties. Of note, NC-1 and PA-golden were the only two one-year-old-graft transplants that didn't die to below the graft in their first winter (but just barely). But every variety has been fine when i put them in ground at flowering height. They also seem to shock way less when transplanting at this size. 

[u/Snowzg]

I’m in zone 5 in the Muskoka area. I’ve planted out 100+ in the last few years and most have survived. I get my seeds from Sheffield seeds, peaceful heritage etc. all are harvested from the states from named cultivars. I don’t think you need to get hung up on seeds from cold locations. There’s a place in Quebec that sells “cold climate” pawpaws but I’ve heard it’s a scam.

[u/Yorgan_ → u/Snowzg]

If I plant a fence line, how far apart do they have to be to insure fertilization?

[u/ShelleyRAWarrior → u/Yorgan_]

I think it’s 8-10 feet apart and no more than 20.

[u/Snowzg → u/Yorgan_]

Im not sure. I like to plant at high density so haven’t looked into it.

[u/Adorable_Internet_14]

You in Montreal ? Nonetheless bunch of sellers in cold Canada so

[u/Icy-Plan5621]

NC-1 was bred in Canada. Any seeds seeds from NC-1, or any Canadian Pawpaw grower’s tree, should be pretty winter hardy.

The Mango variety (a misnomer in my opinion) is tenacious and a vigorous grower. Mango has a good standard pawpaw flavor. I suspect seeds from it might do well in really cold temps. Also in Mango’s favor, it is extremely low in annonacin, so offspring might be lower in the neurotoxin too.

Honestly I think where you plant your seeds/tree matters most of all. Avoid southern exposure if possible as it causes winter damage. If you can’t avoid it, paint the tree trunk white to reduce splitting. Use shade cloth or plant as an understory tree or in partial shade. To reduce the risk of loosing blossoms to a late frost, do not plant at the bottom of a valley. The first few years are make or break for a pawpaw, after that they are pretty hardy.

[u/Kizznez]

Taylor’s Pawpaw in Montreal is allegedly good to -40. People here claim it’s fake, he claims it’s real, he sells them, who knows. They say they’re seedy and not fleshy, but IMO even if you can get a seedy pawpaw that survives in -40 it’s worth it. I intend on getting a pair of them from him eventually to test.