Cold-hardy avocado ('Bacon', 'Mexicola')
Persea americana (Mexican race)
Mexican-race avocados take light frost and cool summers that stop 'Hass'.
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: full sun
Size: about 25 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Harvest: November to February
From: Mexican highlands
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
Mexican-race avocados were the first domesticated, in the highlands of Puebla 7,000 years ago, and they take cold and cool summers that Guatemalan and West Indian types cannot; 'Bacon' was selected in Buena Park in 1951 and 'Mexicola' earlier, and they let the Bay Area and the Gulf Coast grow avocados.
Planting
Full sun, the best drainage you have, and shelter from wind; plant on a mound in clay. 'Bacon' is a B-type flower; pair with an A-type ('Mexicola', 'Stewart') for a heavier crop.
Growing
Water deeply but let the surface dry; mulch coarse and deep. Protect young trees from frost with a cover; mature trees take the low 20s.
Harvest and use
'Mexicola' ripens in late summer, 'Bacon' in winter; pick when full-sized and ripen indoors. The anise-scented leaves of 'Mexicola' season beans and barbacoa.
What to watch for
Root rot in wet soil, and frost on young trees.
See if Cold-hardy avocado ('Bacon', 'Mexicola') fits your yard
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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