How does Shenandoah pawpaw taste?

Mild, sweet and mellow with a custardy texture; an easy introduction to pawpaw for new tasters

How big is Shenandoah pawpaw fruit?

Medium-large, about 5.3 oz (150 g)

How seedy is Shenandoah pawpaw?

Shenandoah is rated fleshy on the seed-to-flesh scale, ~6-7% seed by weight.

Shenandoah Pawpaw

Peterson Pawpaws

Shenandoah is a Peterson Pawpaws variety, bred by Neal Peterson, mid season, ripening in September.

Flavor: Mild, sweet and mellow with a custardy texture; an easy introduction to pawpaw for new tasters
Size: Medium-large, about 5.3 oz (150 g)
Seed: Fleshy (~6-7% seed by weight)
Ripening: Mid season, ripening in September
Productivity: Reliable and productive; sets heavily with hand pollination
Notes: Butter-yellow flesh with few seeds and a good flesh-to-seed ratio; one of Neal Peterson's most widely planted varieties

What growers say

Shenandoah pawpaw is the variety growers reach for first when they want an easy, crowd-pleasing taste: mild, sweet and custardy rather than intense. The flavor is often likened to banana pudding, and the butter-yellow flesh carries few seeds. Growers consistently call it productive, with one reporting a nine-year-old tree setting huge fruit and others noting it sets heavily when hand pollinated. It ripens mid-season in September.

Shenandoah is a good choice because it tastes good, large and very productive for me.

Source

My Shenandoah pawpaw is 9 years old and very productive with huge fruits.

Source

Drawn from grower discussions on growingfruit.org

Where to buy Shenandoah pawpaw trees

Shenandoah pawpaw trees are in stock at 1 of the 6 nurseries PawpawMap confirmed as of Aug 9, 2026. 12 nurseries ship this variety.

One Green WorldSold outconfirmed Aug 9, 2026 view listing
Park SeedSold outconfirmed Aug 9, 2026 view listing
Peaceful Heritage NurserySold outconfirmed Aug 9, 2026 view listing
Perry PermacultureIn stockconfirmed Aug 9, 2026 view listing
Planting Justice (formerly Rolling River Nursery)Sold outconfirmed Aug 9, 2026 view listing
Raintree NurserySold outconfirmed Aug 9, 2026 view listing

Each line shows the date PawpawMap last confirmed that seller's stock. Spot a listing that is wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

Nursery Ships

Cricket Hill Garden

Thomaston, CT

Select pawpaw seedlings from named parents (Taytwo, Overleese, NC-1, IXL, Peterson); zone-6-grown stock; open Wed-Sat in season.

Nursery Ships

Edible Landscaping

Afton, VA

Grafted named varieties (sold out) plus Select seedling in stock; orders ship in ~2 weeks.

Nursery Ships

England's Orchard and Nursery

McKee, KY

Grafted pawpaw trees are local pickup only; pawpaw seeds and scionwood available by mail.

Orchard

Georgia Pawpaws

Atlanta, GA

Annual Atlanta Pawpaw Sale late July to early September; tree-ripened named cultivars (Shenandoah, Susquehanna, KSU Atwood etc.) from their North Georgia orchards; waiting-list signup.

Nursery Ships