Avocados are a very popular fruit, but most people don’t realize that if you choose the right variety they can be grown over quite a large area of the country, not just in the most southern areas. The Cold Hardy Avocado is a very special variety that can tolerate temperatures even below 23⁰F, meaning that it can be grown throughout zone 9. That is a large area, which includes southern Texas and Louisiana, all of Florida, most of California, western parts of Arizona and even parts of Oregon. Simply by planting this Cold Hardy variety you can enjoy your own avocados for most of the year even if you live in an area where you did not realize an avocado could grow. Even slightly cooler temperatures will normally only cause some leaf-drop and the tree will rapidly recover.

Growing Cold Hardy Avocado Trees

The Cold Hardy Avocado is an attractive evergreen tree that will quickly grow to 35 feet in height. It is best to prune it regularly to keep it smaller and to make it easier to pick the fruit. However, if you have space in your garden you can just let it grow to full size without doing any pruning, so it really is a low-maintenance plant and one of the easiest food trees you can plant.

In winter or early spring bunches of small green flowers will appear. Most of them will not produce fruit, but one or two in each bunch will, so do not be disappointed that all the flowers did not turn into fruit – it is normal. Although you may increase the yield of fruit by growing a suitable second variety along with your tree, in actual fact more than enough fruit will be produced by a single tree for home use and only commercial growers worry about pollination.

Planting Location

Choose a sunny and sheltered location to plant your Cold Hardy Avocado. Dig plenty of rich organic material into the soil in the spot where your tree is going to be planted. Dig a hole that is two or three times the width of the pot and place your tree in the hole at the same depth as it was in the pot. Replace most of the soil, firm it around the roots and then fill the hole with water. Put back the rest of the soil once the water has drained away into the soil. Keep your young tree well-watered each week for the first season or two. Once it is established it will tolerate drought well, but it should be watered deeply from time to time during very dry spells.

Growing in Pots and Containers

The benefit of choosing the Cold Hardy Avocado for container growing is that it can be kept outdoors much longer than other varieties. If you have an enclosed porch or other sunny, sheltered place, you may even be able to leave it outdoors all winter if you do not live in too cold a region, as sheltered places are often 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the official temperatures.

Choose a large pot or a half-barrel to grow your tree in, something 24 inches in diameter is about right. Make sure the pot has drainage holes and fill it with a tropical-plant potting soil. Water it well each time you water and allow the soil to dry a little between each watering. Use a liquid fertilizer twice a month during the growing season and keep the soil a little drier when you have your tree indoors. Be careful in spring when you return the tree outdoors again that it isn’t exposed to cold temperatures too suddenly. Choose a warm spell to put your tree outside for the first time and bring it inside at night for the first week as it re-adjusts to the change in conditions.

Knowing When Your Avocados are Ripe

The tree will usually flower in the late winter, and by April or May you should have mature fruit on your tree. You will know when the fruit is ready because the green skin will turn purple. Avocados are unusual in that the fruit will not ripen on the tree, but just hang there and stay fresh right into the fall. This means you never need to harvest a big crop. Just pick what you need a few days before you need it and let the fruit ripen naturally in a warm place. If you need to ripen the fruit more quickly, place it with a ripe banana or an apple in a closed paper bag. Once the flesh feels a little soft the fruit is ready to use for all those wonderful avocado recipes and treats.

Buying Cold Hardy Avocado Plants at The Tree Center

The Cold Hardy Avocado was raised in the 1930’s by a grower called Tom W. Brogden, so it is also sometimes called the Brogden Avocado. Because it is such a special variety it cannot be grown from seed. Our plants are produced the correct way, by grafting pieces of properly-identified trees onto roots of seedling plants and they will begin to bear fruit in 2 or 3 years. Avoid cheaper seedling trees that take 10 years to fruit and will always be very inferior and not at all cold hardy.

Our Cold Hardy Avocado trees are true to the original variety and will be suitable for your purposes. We are constantly renewing our stock so that our customers are shipped fresh, healthy plants, which can mean that supplies of this special and highly-desirable tree may be limited. To avoid disappointment order now.

If you live in zone 10 or the warmest parts of zone 9, you can grow the Hass Avocado right in your garden. It will tolerate just a little frost, perhaps down to 28⁰F, so in the southern parts of California, Florida and Texas it will grow well planted outdoors. If you live in zone 9, choose the Cold Hardy Avocado, which will grow well down to almost 20⁰F. In colder regions the Hass Avocado can be grown in a container and kept outside as long as the temperature is above freezing.

The Hass Avocado is a fast-growing fruit tree that will soon reach 30 feet in height, but with pruning it can be kept smaller, making picking easier. The large evergreen leaves are about 8 inches long. In winter or early spring, small greenish flowers will appear and the green fruits that follow are 3 to 6 inches long, or often larger. The green skin turns almost black when the fruit is mature, but avocados are unusual because the fruit will not ripen on the tree. So fruit can be left on the tree all summer to stay fresh, and then picked and ripened as needed. Ripening takes several days after picking and it can be speeded up by placing the fruit in a paper bag with a ripe banana or an apple. The fruit is ready to eat when it feels a little soft when gently pressed.

The Hass Avocado is a special variety that must be grown correctly by taking stem cuttings from properly-named trees and grafting them to the roots of seedling trees. This is the method used for our trees and they will begin to bear fruit within 2 or 3 years of planting. Trees grown from seed take 10 years to bear fruit and it will be of a very inferior quality, so avoid cheap seedling trees which will never match the quality of the true Hass Avocado.

Plant your Hass Avocado tree in a sunny location and dig plenty of rich organic material like manure or garden compost into the soil in your chosen location. Dig a hole three times the width of the pot and water your tree well while planting. Each week for the first season or two, until your tree is well established, water it well by running water over the root area until the whole area is soaked. Established trees are quite drought-tolerant but it is best to water deeply occasionally during dry periods. Keep the area under your tree free of grass and weeds by putting a thick layer of compost or other organic mulch over the soil. This will also feed your tree and retain moisture. Additional fertilizer applied in winter will help to keep your tree strong and productive.

To grow your Hass Avocado tree in a container, choose a large container such as a half-barrel or large clay pot and make sure your container has drainage holes. Use a standard tropical-plant potting soil. Water your potted tree the night before you plant it into the container and keep your tree well-watered. Always water thoroughly, allowing the soil to dry a little between each watering. Use a liquid fertilizer every two weeks during the growing season. Keep your tree outdoors in a sunny and sheltered location as much as possible and only bring it into a sheltered well-lit place if the temperature is going below 30⁰F. While your tree is indoors, keep the soil a little on the dry side as much as possible. Trees that have been indoors for some time should not be exposed to temperatures near freezing when they are first put outside again, so put it outdoors during the day and bring it inside at night for the first week or two of its return to outdoor life.

The Hass Avocado tree is a special form of Persea americana, which grew wild originally in Mexico and Central America. This variety was discovered by a mail-carrier called Rudolph Hass in 1924. He patented his tree and it went on to become the best and most popular avocado in the world.

Pruning your tree is simple. Keep a central growing stem and trim back the side branches in early winter to keep the tree more compact and to prevent branches breaking.

Our Hass Avocado trees are true to the original and correct form and are ideal for growing outdoors or in a container. However we are constantly renewing our stock so our customers get fresh, healthy plants, so supplies of this popular tree may be limited. To avoid disappointment order now.