Peterson Pawpaws
Fruit of the seven Peterson varieties sold and sampled at the WV Pawpaw Festival, WVU Core Arboretum, Morgantown (mid-September); trees via licensed nurseries.
Where to Buy Pawpaws in West Virginia
4 verified places to buy or pick pawpaws in West Virginia. Confirm availability before you visit. Pawpaw season is short.
West Virginia is pawpaw country, the fruit woven into local tradition right down to a town named Paw Paw. Peterson Pawpaws in Harpers Ferry offers the fresh fruit, and the West Virginia Pawpaw Festival at the WVU Core Arboretum in Morgantown celebrates the harvest. West Virginia pawpaws ripen from late August into early October, a season that suits most varieties.
Farm Store / Market
2The Wild Ramp
Year round nonprofit local food market. A handful of local producers bring in fresh pawpaws for a few weeks in September and October, roughly 80 to 100 pounds a season, and they sell out fast, so watch the market's social accounts. Locally made pawpaw butter is stocked beyond the fresh season.
Festival
2Pawpaw Festival WV
Annual mid-September at Paw Paw Municipal Park (2025: September 13, 10am-5pm); vendors, pawpaw variety tastings, live music; first held September 2024.
West Virginia Pawpaw Festival (WVU Core Arboretum)
Annual, mid/late September; 2025: September 20, 12-5pm; 2026: September 19 announced.
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 West Virginia, 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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