Minka Farm
Collects naturally fallen fruit daily (no u-pick); order online by the pound for farm pickup; on-farm store Sat.
Where to Buy Pawpaws in North Carolina
8 verified places to buy or pick pawpaws in North Carolina. Confirm availability before you visit. Pawpaw season is short.
North Carolina has a thriving pawpaw scene, with trees, fruit, and field days spread across the state. Sleepy Gap Pawpaws in Arden ships a broad range of cultivars, Minka Farm in Efland grows the fruit, and the NC Pawpaw Field Day in Winston-Salem gathers enthusiasts each year. The climate suits most varieties, and North Carolina pawpaws ripen from late August into early October.
Orchard
2Raleigh Pawpaw
Pawpaw orchard + licensed (mostly native) nursery; fruit in season August/September; online ordering.
Festival
2NC Pawpaw Field Day (Forsyth County Cooperative Extension)
Annual, early September; 2025: September 6, 10am-3pm.
Paw Paw Forage (Raleigh-Triangle Wild Food Foragers)
Recurring guided pawpaw foraging events each September at Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment near Durham; ticketed, ages 5 and up. Held in 2024 and 2025.
Nursery
3 Ships
Little Big Horn Nursery
Mail orders via email; online store coming soon.
Pawpaw Planet / Walker Pawpaws
Grafted pawpaw trees by reservation, scions, breeding and education.
Sleepy Gap Pawpaws
Grafted Peterson/KSU trees; sells out fast each season.
PricingGrafted trees $45
Online
1 Ships
Feralwood Nursery
Bare-root native-plant nursery (Ardea Land Project); sells wild-select pawpaw seedlings plus KSU, Lehman, and England-lineage pawpaw seedlings and seed, shipped in seasonal windows.
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 North Carolina, 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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