{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Food Garden Life Show: Helping You Harvest More from Your Edible Garden, Vegetable Garden, and Edible Landscaping","title":"The Indiana Jones of Pawpaws: Neal Peterson’s Remarkable Search","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2388,"description":"Pawpaw season is nearly here—and this week we’re revisiting a conversation with one of the people responsible for bringing this remarkable fruit back into the spotlight.\nNeal Peterson is sometimes called the Indiana Jones of pawpaws. After tasting his first pawpaw, he became fascinated by a fruit that had once attracted considerable attention from plant breeders but had largely fallen into obscurity.\nPeterson dug through old horticultural records and tracked down surviving trees from early breeding programs. Those discoveries became the foundation of his own pawpaw breeding work.\n\nIn this episode, Emma and Steven talk with Neal about:\nHis first taste of pawpaw—and why it changed the direction of his life \nHis search for nearly forgotten pawpaw varieties \nHow pawpaws grow in the wild \nWhy pawpaws fruit better in sun than in deep shade \nPollination and the need for two genetically distinct trees \nGrowing two pawpaw trees in a small garden \nChoosing early-ripening varieties for colder climates \nWhy wild pawpaws can be very seedy \nHow Peterson bred pawpaws with more flesh and fewer seeds \nGrowing pawpaws from seed \nCaring for young pawpaw trees \nManaging suckers from grafted trees \nPawpaws are understorey trees in the wild, but that doesn’t mean shade is the best place for fruit production. Neal explains why trees growing in brighter locations are usually more productive.\nHe also shares a wonderfully practical space-saving suggestion: if your garden is small, plant two genetically different pawpaw trees only a couple of feet apart.\nA 2026 update\nNeal no longer sells pawpaw trees or fruit directly. He continues his breeding work, and the Peterson Pawpaws website provides growing information and lists nurseries offering his varieties.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/_y3e1k24nMlKLGYUZdhBsMgezF6u9k_5w92OUmAhniI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kMTFk/NDg3ODQxNjE2MGM1/ZWMwNGVhOTgyZTY1/NmZhOC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}