tel. 512 280 1192 May 17, 2018
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Nursery notes: Indian plants on sale. Eggplants, gongura, red
guava, assorted gourds, marjoram and peppers all $1 each. Henna
reduced to $4. Ten curry plants left. Also tobacco, chamomile,
feverfew all $1. / Organic medicinal plants arrived this week:
elderberry, stevia, toothache plant, echinacea, epazote and rue. We
are fully restocked with perennials, shrubs and trees. Please stop
by for a visit ; - ) ❦
Lots of ideas for fresh purslane: this super-food is a succulent
and apart from being good for our health, it has a delicious slightly
peppery and lemony flavor. Huge amounts of info and recipes
to be discovered at the blog: Chocolate & Zucchini ❦
Weekend project: bee hotel: 'We think of bees as hive creatures
with a nasty sting,' writes Brian Barth. 'But not all bees live in hives
or have such an aggressive approach to self-defense,' and the
writer demonstrates how to create a frame, and little spaces, where
each bee has a room of its own. Modern Farmer ❦
Congratulations and many thanks to Akins High School seniors
Fatima Pozos, Jennifer Perez and Stephanie Vargas for their comm-
itment and dedication to horticulture. Each student grew 3 rotations
of planting beds from seed, endured solar flares and ice storms as
well as their favorite job of all: weed pulling. They have been
wonderful assets to our team and will go far as they graduate and
go on to their respective careers of medicine and law. Blessings for
all good things. You are already missed! - David ❦
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Central Texas Gardener: pond design ideas from Steve Kainer,
Hill Co. Water Gardens, and a visit to a garden that combines ser-
enity with funkiness in a landscape of ponds and outdoor living.
Saturday 4 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. KLRU ❦
Avocado Advice from the
the Guacamole Kid
by Amanda Moon
Growing an avocado tree from a seed has always been a favorite
project for elementary age kids. I remember planting one when I
was young and watching it in wonder as it sprouted roots and tops
out of its toothpick-stabilized seed.
Although this is a great way to teach kids about how a seed be-
comes a tree, sadly the actual avocado tree created this way will
not usually be strong enough to last through a winter, and will
rarely produce any fruit.
Like citrus, avocados that produce at a young age are grafted, not
seed grown. There are also specific varieties better suited to our
climate than the Haas and other grocery store fruits used in the
elementary school experiments.
Avocados are a staple in many Texans’ diet – certainly in mine –
and with just a little TLC, growing your own fruit is definitely an
option here.
The avocado tree (Persea americana) is native to Mexico and Cen-
tral America, and is grown commercially on a limited basis in the
Rio Grande Valley.
The best types of avocado to experiment with here in central Texas
are the Mexican varieties. They have thinner skinned fruit, but a
greater tolerance to frost than the others (including the Guatemalan
Haas). An established, older Mexican avocado has a frost tolerance
to 15 degrees when planted in a protected location.
The best Mexican varieties to grow in the Austin area are Lila,
Joey, Poncho, Fantastic, Opal, Wilma and Pryor.
For strong fruit production it is best to have two different varieties,
although here in Texas the Mexican varieties appear to be somewhat
self-fertile as well. My Lila has fruit on it without a pollinator friend;
hopefully I will actually get a small crop of avocados this year.
Cold is definitely our limiting factor for growing avocados commer-
cially in the central part of the state, but just like citrus a backyard
gardener can have success with the trees if they are well protected
from extreme cold and even better protected when they are still
young.
I have kept my Lila in a pot so that while still young I can bring
the tree in and out of the garage on the coldest nights. Of course
my soil isn’t very deep either, so she may be in a container as long
as I live in this house.
Avocados will reach heights of 50’ plus if given the opportunity,
so topping the tree (cutting out the center growth leader) may be
necessary to keep the tree at manageable levels for winter protect-
ion. I don’t know about you, but I am not interested in climbing
an extension ladder in below freezing wind chill to protect a tree!
Trees planted in a protected area of your backyard, or facing south-
southeast in the front will have the best chance of surviving winter.
Make sure the soil is well-drained, but otherwise the avocado is
not particular about acidity/alkalinity.
The tree fruits best in full sun, but young trees may burn in the
summer during the first few years if not shaded in the afternoon.
This is another reason for keeping mine in a pot for a while -- so I
have more control over the conditions until it's bigger and stronger.
Fertilize regularly with an organic fertilizer throughout the growing
season and water regularly, but don’t let the tree sit in water. Drain-
age is essential.
Avocados typically flower in the late winter to early spring and fruit
will develop roughly 6 months later on the Mexican types. .
Determining when to pick the fruit is a little bit of a guessing game
as the fruit will not ripen on the tree. The best way to tell is to pick
one or two of the largest fruits and let them sit on the counter for
a week or two. If they ripen, then the rest of the larger ones should
be ready too.
When I was a kid the servers at a Mexican restaurant my parents
would frequent referred to me as ‘the Guacamole Kid’ because that
was all I was interested in eating. Although my taste is more varied
now, if I was given a choice of one food to live off for the rest of
my life . . . it would probably still be the avocado.
Happy gardening everyone! ❦
(We have some Joeys in stock for $59, and a Don Juan for $259)
