How to Grow Jamaican Papayas

Purchase seeds of Jamaican papaya or collect them from a ripe fruit. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise and scoop out the black seeds from the central cavity. Rinse seeds with cool water through a sieve or strainer until all fruit pulp washes off. Use seeds immediately or dry them in a warm, dark, dry place, then store them in a plastic zipper bag in your refrigerator for up to one year.

Prepare a planting area in full sun where the soil drains well and strong winds do not occur. Dig organic compost into the soil at the ratio of one part compost to four parts soil. Turn the soil and mix well. If you are planting more than one tree, leave 5 to 7 feet between planting areas.

Plant 10 to 15 seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep in a circular pattern in each prepared area, leaving 2 to 3 inches between seeds: you will be thinning weak seedlings, so don't worry about crowding. Expect germination within 10 days to two weeks.

Keep soil moist but not soggy. When rainfall is scarce, give your papaya tree 10 gallons of water a day when they begin to bear fruit.

Thin weak seedlings to five or six plants per planting hole about six weeks after planting. After six more weeks, select the three strongest trees and thin the others. Five to seven months later, your trees will begin to bloom: remove all female plants and leave only the strongest hermaphrodite.

Broadcast a timed-release fertilizer on the soil surface six weeks after planting and again every month. Increase the amount of fertilizer as your trees grow larger, but reduce your application during winter. The University of Hawaii recommends using 4 oz. of a fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 14-14-14.