Hello fellow gardeners! I want to share my top 5 tips for growing avocados right in your backyard garden. As someone who has enjoyed an abundant harvest of avocados each year, these techniques have truly transformed my gardening experience. Avocados are wonderful to grow because they're relatively easy, with few disease and pest issues compared to other plants. Rich in plant protein and healthy fats, they’re a fantastic addition to any garden.
Watch my top 5 tips to growing avocados in your own backyard garden, YouTube video tutorial below.
Tip #1: Choose the Right Variety
Selecting the right avocado variety is crucial for a successful harvest. With hundreds of varieties out there, it’s important to research which ones thrive in your area. Pay attention to cold hardiness: most avocados withstand cold temperatures down to about 25°F. If you live in garden zones 9b and up, you’re in luck! For those in colder areas, varieties like Lila or Fantastic tolerate temperatures as low as 15°F.
Avocados come in two main types—those with high fat, like the popular Hass, perfect for creamy guacamole, and those with more water content, such as the large, mild-flavored West Indian avocados. Depending on your needs, choose accordingly. I prefer higher fat varieties for guacamole, so I currently grow Florida Hass and Brogdon.
Check out my Avocado variety comparison chart which will help you select the best cultivar for your garden HERE.
Florida Hass aka Super Hass is a great high oil guacamole
type avocado for humid areas like Florida.
Tip #2: Find the Perfect Spot
Avocado trees thrive in tropical and subtropical conditions, benefiting from some shade, especially when a young tree. Aim to plant them in areas receiving bright morning sun but some shade in the afternoon. Young trees can struggle under intense sun, often resulting in yellowing leaves. My trees flourish in spots shaded by palm trees during the hot afternoons.
My Florida Hass aka Super Hass tree growing underneath some moringa and palm trees. My tree is not that big but still produces a lot.
Tip #3: Proper Planting Techniques
For best results, plant your avocado trees in a mound. Dig a hole twice the size of the root ball, and fill it with a mix of compost and topsoil. Create a three-foot mound to elevate the root ball, especially important in areas prone to flooding. This prevents root rot, a lesson I learned the hard way. Don’t forget to add an avocado fertilizer and azomite rock dust for minerals into the planting hole. After planting, water in well and cover with a thick mulch layer to maintain moisture. I demonstrate how I plant fruit trees in my Avocado video tutorial linked at the top of this blog post.
Tip #4: Fertilization
Avocado trees do not like fertilizers that have excessive amounts of nitrogen. Too much nitrogen promotes rapid growth of weak branches that will easily break under the weight of avocado berries. Opt for a low-nitrogen fertilizer like Espoma brand Citrus Tone which is formulated for avocado and mango trees as well (find this fertilizer on Amazon HERE). Start fertilizing in spring when new growth appears, applying one to two cups every six weeks through summer and fall. Cease fertilization two months before your last frost to allow the tree to enter a rest period. Plus, its not a good idea to fertilize close or during winter time because that will cause lots of new leafy growth that can easily get damaged by cold weather.
Brogdon avocados harvested from my tree. This is a hybrid between West Indian (more water content large Caribbean avocados) and a Hass or Mexican type of avocado. I love the flavor of this one.
Tip #5: Pest and Disease Prevention
During winter, I protect my trees by spraying them with horticultural oil every ten days. This smothers spores and pest larvae, helping to prevent diseases like black sooty mold and anthracnose. Prevention is the best strategy!
Harvesting Tips
Harvesting avocados can be a bit of an art. While some suggest plucking them green and ripening them in a brown bag with an apple or banana, I prefer waiting until they’re halfway or fully black. This gives them better flavor and texture, in my opinion. With multiple varieties, like Brogden and Florida Hass aka Super Hass, you can stagger your harvests for avocados almost year-round.
I purchased my avocado trees as grafted 3 gallon size trees. Both began bearing fruit two years after planting. If you grow an avocado from seed, with no grafting onto a mature root stock, it will take over 10 years to start producing. So, with patience and care, you too can enjoy home-grown avocados.
Custer of Florida Hass avocados. Typically this variety is ready for harvest from September to October.
Comments
Please share your avocado growing wisdom, tips, and tricks in the comments on this blog post.