Cold-Hardy Pawpaw Varieties for Zone 5
Pawpaw is the largest fruit native to North America and one of the few worth planting that no supermarket will ever carry — the ripe fruit bruises in transit and lasts days, not weeks. It is also genuinely hardy: the wild range runs to southern Ontario, and wood-hardiness to zone 5 is normal rather than exceptional. What fails in the north is not the tree but the season, so the varieties that matter up there are the ones that finish ripening before frost.
These 14 are the zone 5 set, and the column to read is ripening. Early types like Shenandoah, Allegheny and Pennsylvania Golden finish in late August and September, which is the whole game in a short season; later selections such as Susquehanna carry bigger, meatier fruit but want the extra fortnight. Two more things decide success and neither is hardiness: seedlings need shade for their first two summers before they will take full sun, and almost no pawpaw sets fruit with its own pollen — plant two genetically different varieties, which is the trap the pollination table covers.
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| Variety | Ripens | Zones | Self-fertile | Notes | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA-Golden | Late Aug-early Sept | 4-8 | No | sweet, mild; yellow skin and fleshOne of the earliest-ripening and most cold-tolerant cultivars, valuable for northern growers who need fruit to mature before frost. Self-incompatible; requires a second variety to fruit. As a northern selection its true chilling requirement may exceed the listed range. | Browse growers |
| 421 | Sept-Oct | 5-8 | No | sweet, typical pawpaw custard — A wild selection found along Highway 421 near Bristol, Tennessee.In Alabama A&M's cultivar planting it was the most productive cultivar of the nine trialed, and Alabama Extension names it and Sunflower as the high-yield choices for north Alabama, which makes it a strong pick for growers in the warmer end of pawpaw's range. Trees in that trial took five years to first production. Self-incompatible. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |
| Allegheny | Early-mid Sept | 5-8 | No | sweet, rich; medium-small fruitA productive earlier-ripening Peterson selection, so it pairs well as a pollinizer for a later variety. Self-incompatible; plant with another cultivar. | Browse growers |
| KSU-Atwood | Mid Sept | 5-8 | No | sweet, complex, mango-like; smooth texture, few seedsThe first named cultivar released from Kentucky State University's pawpaw breeding program (2009), selected for consistent productivity and eating quality. Self-incompatible; plant with another variety for pollination. | Browse growers |
| NC-1 | Early-mid Sept | 4-8 | No | sweet, mild; large fruit, thin yellow skin, few seedsA cold-hardy Canadian-bred cultivar (Doug Campbell, Ontario, 1976; a Davis x Overleese cross) that ripens early and reliably, a strong choice for northern or short-season gardens. Self-incompatible; still needs cross-pollination. As a northern selection its true chilling requirement may exceed the listed range. | Browse growers |
| Overleese | Mid-late Sept | 5-8 | No | rich, aromatic; large fruit, few large seedsAn old, reliable Indiana selection producing big, richly flavored fruit in heavy clusters; a proven benchmark variety. Self-incompatible; requires a separate pollinizer. | Browse growers |
| Potomac | Mid-late Sept | 5-8 | No | sweet, rich flavor with a smooth textureA Peterson release carrying very large fruit with very good yields, listed by Clemson among the varieties suited to the Southeast. Self-incompatible, so it needs a genetically different pawpaw nearby. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |
| Rappahannock | Early-mid Sept | 5-8 | No | sweet, buttery; few seeds — Its tidy,symmetrical form with horizontally held leaves makes it one of the more ornamental and space-friendly Peterson varieties for small yards. Self-incompatible; needs a pollen partner. | Browse growers |
| Shenandoah | Mid Sept | 5-8 | No | mild, sweet, custard-like; low seedA flagship Peterson cultivar and a good beginner pick: large, firm, few-seeded fruit with a mild flavor that wins over newcomers. Like nearly all pawpaws it is self-incompatible and needs a genetically different pawpaw nearby to set fruit. | Browse growers |
| Sunflower | Mid-late Sept | 5-8 | Partial | sweet, mild; butter-yellow flesh, few seedsOften recommended for single-tree yards because it is widely reported as partially self-fertile, but KSU notes this self-compatibility has never been scientifically verified. Treat a second variety as strongly advisable for reliable cropping. | Browse growers |
| Susquehanna | Late Sept-Oct | 5-8 | No | very rich, sweet, buttery; thick flesh, few seedsProduces some of the largest fruit (often near or over 1 lb) with thick, rich flesh and a low seed count, making it a top choice for eating quality where the season is long enough to ripen it. Self-incompatible; requires a separate pollinizer. | Browse growers |
| Wabash | Late Sept-Oct | 5-8 | No | rich, creamy, complex; firm textureA late-ripening Peterson cultivar prized by enthusiasts for creamy, richly flavored pulp; requires a full growing season and, being self-incompatible, a separate pollinizer. | Browse growers |
| KSU-Benson | Early season | 5-8 | No | mango, banana and pineapple notes; orange fleshKentucky State University's second named release (2016), a round, medium-sized, early-ripening fruit with orange flesh and few seeds. Early ripening makes it a useful pick where autumn closes in before the late Peterson varieties finish. Self-incompatible; plant a second variety. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |
| KSU-Chappell | Mid season | 5-8 | No | creamy, sweet, mild banana-pineapple with floral notesKentucky State University's third release (2018), described by the breeding program as extremely vigorous and high yielding. Averaged 214 grams per fruit against Susquehanna's 180 grams over 2016-2018, at 5.9 percent seed by weight. Named for Tuskegee Airman Roy Chappell. Self-incompatible; needs a pollen partner. for the species-level value. | Browse growers |