How to plant an avocado in the garden

Avocado is a plant that can be very useful in gardens: gives an excellent shade, its leaves are very decorative (especially the newer ones as they are of a coppery color), and also its fruits are edible.

However, before making the decision to have one in our home, we must take into account its characteristics so that no problems arise now or in the future. For that, I am going to explain to you how to plant an avocado in the garden so that, in less than what you expect, you can taste it.

What is the avocado tree like?

The avocado, known as Persea americana, is an evergreen tree native to Mexico that can reach a height of 30 meters. Its crown is very dense and wide, up to 10 meters. It has a robust trunk, about 4-5 meters in diameter, but this does not have to lead us to confusion: although it is a vigorous plant, its roots are shallow and they do not cause any harm.

But (there is always a but 🙂), due to its size it is highly recommended to plant it at a distance of about 5-6 meters from walls and tall plants, and putting another specimen nearby so that its flowers can be pollinated, or choose to buy a grafted one. Thus, it can develop smoothly from day one.

Cold resistant avocado varieties

If you live in an area where frosts usually occur, we recommend these varieties:

• Stewart: produces fruits with black skin, which ripen from August to October. Withstands frosts down to -7ºC.
• Mexico: the skin of the fruits is black and the pulp tastes like nuts. They mature from August to November. Withstands frosts down to -7ºC.
• zutano: the skin of the fruit is light green in color, and it finishes ripening in December-January. It supports frosts from -3ºC to -4ºC as long as they are of short duration.
• Strong: it is a hybrid that produces fruits with green skin and pale green pulp that ripens from December to May. It supports very weak and occasional frosts of up to -2ºC.

How to plant it in the garden?

Once you have decided which variety to buy, it will be time to pass it to the garden following this step by step:

1. The first thing you have to do is a 1m x 1m hole in the spring.
2. Then, mix the soil that you have removed from it with a growing medium for plants.
3. Then backfill it a bit so that the tree isn't too far below ground level.
4. Next, remove the avocado from the pot and insert it into the hole.
5. Now add or remove dirt if necessary. The plant must be about 2cm below the ground.
6. Finally, finish filling and give it a generous watering.

You will know that the transplant has been a success as soon as you see him remove new leaves, which is sure to happen in a couple of weeks. 😉