Attention Local Gardeners!

Southwest Florida home gardeners who reach out to us (or those with church/institutional gardens), we can provide up to five papaya seedlings per garden for free!

What's the Catch?

Only one request; participating gardeners share part of their papaya abundance with Cultivate Abundance so that we can pass the nutritious fruit along to farmworker households in Immokalee.

Why Immokalee?

Cultivate Abundance addresses food insecurity in the farmworker community of Immokalee through local gardening efforts. In addition to community and home gardening in Immokalee, we invite Southwest Florida home gardeners, as well as church and other institutional gardens, to share their abundance.

Why Papaya?

Papaya is a good source of vitamins C and A. The fruit is also in high demand among the Guatemalan, Haitian and Mexican community in Immokalee. Able to produce within several months, a vigorous papaya plant can easily yield over 100 lbs. of nutritious fruit over a year; particularly from the late summer through early spring. Papaya is also very suitable to the climate of Southwest Florida.

What do you need to be a successful papaya gardener and fruit hero?

Papaya seedlings (Cultivate Abundance can help with that part).
A spot to plant the papaya that does not remain flooded during the rainy season and has access to at least six hours of sunlight per day (plant seedlings at least four feet apart).
A good application of compost around the seedling at planting - Along with a cover of mulch, the compost will improve the soil and release small amounts of nutrients to help keep papaya plants productive.
A weekly application of water (at least one inch) during dry periods.
Staking - Because of our sandy soil and windy conditions, mature papayas easily fall over when the plants become top heavy due to heavy fruiting.
An opportunity to learn more about papaya production (Cultivate Abundance can help with that part).
A place to donate your papaya surplus (Cultivate Abundance can help with that part too).