{"product_id":"red-lady-papaya","title":"Red Lady Papaya","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eRed Lady Papaya\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eCarica papaya\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003edays to maturity: 10 months\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eplant spacing: 1 plant every 8 feet\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003esunlight requirements: 8-14 hours\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003elook out for: papaya fruit fly, local critters like raccoons \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eharvest notes: harvest before completely ripe\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eperennial\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDid you know that papaya “trees” are actually giant herbs? Maybe thats one of the reasons why these delicious fruits are so easy to grow. The papaya is believed to have originated in southern Mexico and eastern Central America. From there the Spanish introduced it to Asia and the Philippines, and by the 19th century it was being grown in pretty much all tropical regions throughout the world. While there are many different cultivars the Red Lady is grown and prized for its delicious fruit which is higher in sugar than some other varieties and has a unique floral taste. We hear from many of our customers that they dont like papayas, but that just means they haven’t had a good one yet, or they are eating them under-ripe. A papaya should be soft enough to yield to a firm press, smell heavily and be bright orange with even some bad spots on the outside before its eaten.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBesides the fruit you can also use every other part of the papaya plant. The unripe fruit can be used for cooking, and the leaves contain Papain, an enzyme used to break down and tenderize meat. The seeds can be dried and added to a pepper grinder, as they have anti microbial and anti parasitic properties when consumed. Also, because of the presence of Papain, papaya fruit makes a great ingredient for skin rejuvenating face masks. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePapaya plants have a taproot (like a carrot) so make sure you take care when transplanting your seedlings into the garden. Planted in spring or summer in the tropics and given proper nutrients and plenty of rainfall your papaya should yield you about 80 pounds of fruit in its first year.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur current crop of 4\" plants are seedling plants, which means they are grown from seed and are not guaranteed to be female. Only female plants make fruit, so we suggest buying at least 2, so that your chances of getting a female are higher. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Little River Cooperative","offers":[{"title":"4\" potted plant","offer_id":42664986017874,"sku":null,"price":5.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"1 gal potted plant","offer_id":42664986050642,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3 gal potted plant","offer_id":42664986083410,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0535\/4461\/products\/ScreenShot2020-08-16at2.55.58PM.png?v=1620160575","url":"https:\/\/littlerivernursery.co\/products\/red-lady-papaya","provider":"Little River Nursery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}