Avocado
Persea americana
Mexican-type avocados handle a few degrees of frost.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 30 ft tall, 25 ft wide
Harvest: March to September
From: Mexico and Central America
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food.
Native to: Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.
The story
Avocados were domesticated in Mexico and Central America by 5000 BC and the Aztec name ahuacatl travelled with the fruit. Mexican-race trees take light frost and gave California 'Fuerte' and 'Hass', the latter from a seedling in a La Habra Heights backyard in 1926.
Planting
Full sun and the best-drained soil you have; on a mound in clay. Plant from a grafted tree, never a pit, if you want fruit in your lifetime. Two varieties of opposite flower type crop more heavily.
Growing
Water deeply but let the surface dry; the roots rot in wet soil. Mulch thickly with coarse material and leave the fallen leaves. Shelter from wind and frost when young.
Harvest and use
Avocados ripen off the tree: pick when full-sized and dull, then soften indoors a week. Season depends on variety, from winter to summer.
What to watch for
Root rot in heavy soil, persea mite, and frost on young trees. Alternate-year bearing is normal.
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More tropical and subtropical food plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home