Papaya

Papaya: Canopy width 250 cm (98 in). Full sun, 6–8 hours a day.

Key facts

Canopy width	250 cm (98 in)
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	250 cm (98 in)
Crop rotation group	Herbs, flowers and perennials
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	Started in trays, from a bought plant
Seeds per hole	1
Plants kept after thinning	1
Sowing depth	1 cm (0.4 in)
Soil temperature	from 20 °C, best 25–30 °C
Days to emerge	14–30 days
Light while germinating	Needs darkness, cover well
Before sowing	Soak overnight
When to plant	Outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 18 °C

From seedling to plant

After emergence	22–28 °C; take the cover off as soon as they show
Pricking out	at 2 true leaves
Takes transplanting	Only with care, keep the root ball
Hardening off	10–14 days
Life cycle	Tender perennial, grown as an annual where it freezes
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by frost
Soil	Rich, with compost, free draining, pH 5.5–7
In a pot	60 L, 50 cm (19.7 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while growing, while fruit sets, in dry spells
Feeding	Hungry; in spring, while growing, while picking
Support and training	A stake; tie in as it grows

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	0.7–1.1 years, from planting
Ready when	The fruit has its full colour
Harvest window	Picked again and again, 8–20 weeks
Typical yield	10–30 kg per plant
Botanical family	Caricaceae
Watch out for	Spider mites, root rot in wet soil, aphids
First crop after	1–2 years
Pollination	Needs another variety nearby

Good neighbours

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Plan Papaya in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Papaya onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Plant out	Apr–May
Harvest	Aug–Nov

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Papaya →

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Papaya Growing in the Florida Home Landscape (HS11) — University of Florida IFAS Extension for: scientific name, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-31

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