Altamont's Pawpaw Powerhouse

Few fruits inspire as much giddy whispering as the pawpaw. It tastes like a banana and a mango decided to make custard together. Old-timers know to look for them in shady creek bottoms come September, and the first ripe one is cause for a small celebration. Up on the Cumberland Plateau, TN Nursery has turned that seasonal treasure into a specialty. The family says it grows more pawpaw trees than anyone else in the country.

The story started in 1959, when Roscoe Tate began growing plants in Altamont. In 1994, Tammy and Dennis Sons launched TN Nursery on 12.5 acres. Today the operation covers 170 acres, and the next generation works right alongside them. The fields produce trees and shrubs for home gardeners and landscapers, and they also have a large selection of ferns and perennials. Many plants travel as bare-root stock, which keeps roots healthy and shipping costs down. Orders go out nationwide through the retail shop. A sister wholesale site serves landscape contractors and restoration projects. Through all that growth, the family still sums up its heritage in two words, “Est. 1959.”

Those roots have traveled impressively far. The nursery has supplied native grasses for Arlington National Cemetery near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Its plants have also been shipped to the Washington Monument. The U.S. Air Force and NASA have placed orders, and Tyson Foods is on the customer list as well. The Discovery Channel even used the nursery's trees in a time-lapse segment showing how trees break dormancy. Now the family has added their 2026 Best of Tennessee Award to that list. Come next September, someone far from the Cumberland Plateau will bite into a homegrown pawpaw, and there's a fair chance its tree started in Altamont.

Contact Information

Company Name: TN Nursery

Phone: 931-692-7325

Email: help@tnnursery.net

Address: 12847 State Route 108, Altamont, TN 37301

Website: tnnursery.net