5. Pawpaw
These tasty tropical fruits are not only a yummy treat in summer – they contain a huge amount of vitamins and antioxidants that can keep you at optimum health.
Therapeutic benefits
Pawpaw fruits are an excellent source of antioxidants, which have been shown to protect against chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. They are also high in carotenes, and vitamins C and A.
How to grow pawpaw
You can easily grow your own pawpaw from the seeds of a fruit. Keep the seeds from a pawpaw you find particularly tasty, especially if it was also grown in your area. As a tropical fruit, pawpaw is sensitive to frost, but this can be combated by choosing a sheltered spot for your pawpaw plants. Once planted, you will need a mixture of males and females in order to pollinate the flowers that will lead to fruit. You’ll probably want to thin the males, as only one male is necessary to fertilise up to eight female pawpaw trees. You can identify the male pawpaw trees by the long stems on their flowers.