Paw Paw Pawpaw Festival
Annual, late September; 2025: September 20, 11am-5pm, with 5K/10K run; pawpaw seedlings and fruit for sale; free admission.
Where to Buy Pawpaws in Illinois
3 verified places to buy or pick pawpaws in Illinois. Confirm availability before you visit. Pawpaw season is short.
To buy pawpaw trees in Illinois or just taste the fruit, growers turn to local nurseries and the state's namesake festival. Papa Pawpaw's Plants in Rock Island supplies trees, and the Paw Paw Pawpaw Festival in the town of Paw Paw marks the harvest. Illinois pawpaws typically ripen from mid-September into October, so up in the cooler north, early-ripening varieties like Allegheny, Pennsylvania Golden, and Summer Delight help the fruit finish in time.
Festival
1Nursery
1Papa Pawpaw's Plants
Backyard specialty nursery; grafted superior-variety pawpaws (36 grafted for spring 2025) plus seasonal fruit; local pickup, availability announced on Facebook.
Online
1 Ships
PanAsiaHeirloom (Etsy)
Etsy seed shop; named-cultivar pawpaw seed (Susquehanna, NC-1, Overleese, Wells) sourced from named orchards; ships year-round.
Nothing close enough?
Fresh pawpaws also move by mail in season, and frozen pulp ships year-round. See where to buy pawpaw fruit for the verified sellers that ship, typical prices, and how the short season works.
Want to plant your own?
To grow pawpaws in Illinois, see where to buy pawpaw trees — specialty nurseries that ship across the US, plus how to choose grafted versus seedling trees. Plant at least two genetically different trees so they can cross-pollinate. You can also check whether pawpaw grows where you live.
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